Ralph Mowery wrote:

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But that has NOTHING to do with transformer inductance ( a myth) or phase angle and cannot be fixed with a capacitor across the supply.

It has everything to do with the current wave be made up of pulses ( at double the supply frequency ) and so not being a sine wave.

The "true rms" value of a pulsed current is higher than a comparable steady sine current.




Ok I can see that , The meters are not really showing what is going on.
I do understand the part about a 'true rms' not being the same as what
most simple meters show when calibrated for a sine wave and not all
kinds of non sine waves.

Just faulty thinking about the inductance of a transformer.


** The simple mistake that most folk make is not knowing the definition of VA and hence the meaning of Power Factor.

FYI: VA = rms Voltage times rms Current.

and PF = true power / VA

For example,

a true rms clamp mater allows a sparkie to measure the VA of a load but he would need a "watt-meter" to find the true power.

Plug-in meters that do both cost very little nowadays.


..... Phil