On Sun, 12 May 2019 08:26:17 -0700 (PDT), wrote:

On Sunday, 12 May 2019 12:23:08 UTC+1, Archibald Tarquin Blenkinsopp Esq wrote:

Can you nominate a few examples?

google is your friend


Go on, I tend not to use Google, but even so Duck Duck is not exactly
festooned with examples.

Google is no ones friend, it is only there to "rattle the stick in the
swill bucket".


Some loads need their v limiting with a zener, some can accept the variation.

The power dissipated by the zener must limit the practicality of the
Wattless dropper. A variation of any significance ie a few watts,
would be better served by a transformer.

C dropping can be used with much higher powers than that, even over half a century ago it handled far more than a few watts.

I don't disagree. It could be used for an entire town or city as long
as they all staggered kettle/ heater/ lighting/ shower use to a strict
timetable.

C dropping never handled any Watt's incidentally, the clue is in
"Wattless dropper".

C droppers pass plenty of watts. They just don't dissipate them.

P = V^2/ R

P = I^2 R

P = V.I.cos [phase angle]

The last capacitor I had experience of handling any Watts at all was
many years ago when I stuck a 0.47uF 1kV in place of a Grundig flyback
tuning cap. It handled about twenty I would say. The 21st melted it.

An electrolytic stuck in backwards will also demonstrate what happens
when a capacitor "passes Watts".


AB