Google for Electricity Around the World.
The advance of 230VAC is that your need less copper for wires.
I do not belive safety is an issue anymore, all equipment designed for
230VAC has enough safety.
Mains electric shocks always give me the giggles. They bloody hurt though. Cor!! that'll make you jump!
High voltage has advantages. Its a more friendly world to work with. Wires and circuits can be made lighter, smaller, and are easier to manage.
I work with 480 volts. The wires going to a large load such as dozens of lights or a motor are MUCH smaller using high voltage than low voltage. The lower currents of the high voltage are less likely to cause melting of poor connections.
Unfortunately, high voltage from 480 volts can flash over dirty connections in high humidity. And a finger touching the wires can cause interesting damage to the body, like blowing off fingertips.
-- -=Duane http://www.dattaway.org
In most of the world a single voltage system is used, such as 230/400 VAC (single/three phase). No split systems, no multi voltages. N. America is unique in their system of multiple voltages in the same building.
For extremely large motors, sometimes 11 kV, 3 phase is used, installed and maintained by people trained to do it.
220 - 240 volts seems an optimum trade-off in terms of voltage and current.
When I was in Japan, it was 100V, but I get the point.
To step down from 220V to 24V, or to 22.3V, you'd use a transformer.
The reason that different voltage-rated lamps can have the same power requirements is that they have different resistance: The 22.5V, 50W lamp will draw 2.222A, while thw 24V, 50W bulb will draw 2.083A.
Google "transformer" and "Ohm's law".
Hope This Helps! Rich
we don't worry about that, you have 10 chances, you should be able to get it right some where along that number !:)
-- "I\'m never wrong, once i thought i was, but was mistaken" Real Programmers Do things like this. http://webpages.charter.net/jamie_5
One advantage for low voltage: standard light bulbs are made of thicker wire (compared to the higher voltage version) to get necessary lower resistance. A thicker wire will last longer before burning out.
Mark
And 5 tube radios can have a series heater string. And Xmas lights are easier. But the disadvantages and losses outweigh all small advantages.
Actually, the usual practice is to operate the thicker wire at a higher temperature to get more efficiency and whiter light rather than longer life.
Compare European 230V and North American 120V lightbulbs of the same wattage.
But now that fluorescent and compact fluorescent lamps are seeing some use that incandescents did, and more replacement of incandescents with fluorescents and compact fluorescents should be done when one is concerned with life expectancy or efficiency of the bulbs, this issue of filament thickness should matter less.
- Don Klipstein ( snipped-for-privacy@misty.com)
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