Computer for power supply?
 

Can I use an old computer for a power supply for my mobile 2 meter 50
watt radio? Will the radio put out the same power as if it was in the
car? It calls for 13.8 volts.

"Jamie" wrote in message
...
wrote:

Can I use an old computer for a power supply for my mobile 2 meter 50
watt radio? Will the radio put out the same power as if it was in the
car? It calls for 13.8 volts.

depends on the radio.
most ham Radio's these days require a min of 13.0 , anything less, the
results is unpredictable.
the computer supply even though quite good may not be up to snuff for
that unless you alter the regulator a bit.



Often that's trivial, many power supplies have a pot in them to tweak the
output. Note that you'll need a load on the 5v for most of them to regulate
properly, an automotive brakelight bulb works well and doubles as a pilot
light.

wrote in message
ps.com...
Can I use an old computer for a power supply for my mobile 2 meter 50
watt radio? Will the radio put out the same power as if it was in the
car? It calls for 13.8 volts.

Is the 12 volt output rated at 50 watts, considering the efficiency factor?
I doubt that it is. A radio of that type might need as much as 8 amperes.

On Mon, 17 Jan 2005 16:58:34 -0500, "Charles Schuler"
wrote:


wrote in message
ups.com...
Can I use an old computer for a power supply for my mobile 2 meter 50
watt radio? Will the radio put out the same power as if it was in the
car? It calls for 13.8 volts.

Is the 12 volt output rated at 50 watts, considering the efficiency factor?
I doubt that it is. A radio of that type might need as much as 8 amperes.


What kind of efficiancy would a radio like that have? It may need
considerably more than 50 watts to get 50 for the output.

Tom

On Mon, 17 Jan 2005 22:38:49 GMT, Tom MacIntyre
wrote:

On Mon, 17 Jan 2005 16:58:34 -0500, "Charles Schuler"
wrote:


wrote in message
oups.com...
Can I use an old computer for a power supply for my mobile 2 meter 50
watt radio? Will the radio put out the same power as if it was in the
car? It calls for 13.8 volts.

Is the 12 volt output rated at 50 watts, considering the efficiency factor?
I doubt that it is. A radio of that type might need as much as 8 amperes.


What kind of efficiancy would a radio like that have? It may need
considerably more than 50 watts to get 50 for the output.

Tom

Sheez...efficiency...

Tom

James Sweet wrote:
"Jamie" wrote in
message ...
wrote:

Can I use an old computer for a power supply for my mobile 2 meter
50 watt radio? Will the radio put out the same power as if it was
in the car? It calls for 13.8 volts.

depends on the radio.
most ham Radio's these days require a min of 13.0 , anything less,
the results is unpredictable.
the computer supply even though quite good may not be up to snuff
for that unless you alter the regulator a bit.



Often that's trivial, many power supplies have a pot in them to tweak
the output. Note that you'll need a load on the 5v for most of them
to regulate properly, an automotive brakelight bulb works well and
doubles as a pilot light.

I've noticed quite a few very 'non-technical' questions coming from hams
lately. What does it take to pass the technical part of the lisence test
these days? Way back when I was a ham, any novice could have answered stuff
like this....

jak

I've noticed quite a few very 'non-technical' questions coming from hams
lately. What does it take to pass the technical part of the lisence test
these days? Way back when I was a ham, any novice could have answered
stuff
like this....

I'm not so sure. A friend of mine owned a company and he personally hired
the electrical engineers. He used to ask them to draw a simple circuit
using an op-amp to give a voltage gain of ten. He told me that very few of
the graduate EEs from respected colleges and universities could draw the
circuit or answer the question in any form.

You cannot easily measure human prowess, and perhaps cannot measure it at
all (with a simple test). Life is the only test that matters.

On Wed, 19 Jan 2005 20:33:13 -0500, Charles Schuler wrote:


I've noticed quite a few very 'non-technical' questions coming from hams
lately. What does it take to pass the technical part of the lisence test
these days? Way back when I was a ham, any novice could have answered
stuff
like this....

I'm not so sure. A friend of mine owned a company and he personally hired
the electrical engineers. He used to ask them to draw a simple circuit
using an op-amp to give a voltage gain of ten. He told me that very few of
the graduate EEs from respected colleges and universities could draw the
circuit or answer the question in any form.

bull****.

That's first semester electrical design.

"TCS" wrote in message
...
On Wed, 19 Jan 2005 20:33:13 -0500, Charles Schuler
wrote:


I've noticed quite a few very 'non-technical' questions coming from
hams
lately. What does it take to pass the technical part of the lisence
test
these days? Way back when I was a ham, any novice could have answered
stuff
like this....

I'm not so sure. A friend of mine owned a company and he personally
hired
the electrical engineers. He used to ask them to draw a simple circuit
using an op-amp to give a voltage gain of ten. He told me that very few
of
the graduate EEs from respected colleges and universities could draw the
circuit or answer the question in any form.

bull****.

That's first semester electrical design.


Doesn't mean they still remember how to do it. It's amazing some of the
people who come in for interviews, and of how little relevance what's on
their resume is.

"James Sweet" wrote in message
news:kmFHd.17655$c%6.7705@trnddc03...

| That's first semester electrical design.
|
| Doesn't mean they still remember how to do it. It's amazing some of the
| people who come in for interviews, and of how little relevance what's on
| their resume is.

Sexist? story: A high school teacher of mine told me of the time a young
woman transferred in to some of his classes with excellent marks in science.
He asked the class to wire up a simple Wheatstone bridge with class
equipment and she complained that hers didn't work. He looked at it and
pointed out that she had looped the insulated portion of each wire under the
thumb screws.

N

piggybacking
"James Sweet" wrote in message
news:kmFHd.17655$c%6.7705@trnddc03...

| That's first semester electrical design.
|
| Doesn't mean they still remember how to do it. It's amazing some of the
| people who come in for interviews, and of how little relevance what's on
| their resume is.

Sure. And there are statisticians who don't remember how to add. And
plumbers who've never heard of what a toilet is.

"TCS" wrote in message
...
| piggybacking
| "James Sweet" wrote in message
| news:kmFHd.17655$c%6.7705@trnddc03...
|
| | That's first semester electrical design.
| |
| | Doesn't mean they still remember how to do it. It's amazing some of the
| | people who come in for interviews, and of how little relevance what's
on
| | their resume is.
|
| Sure. And there are statisticians who don't remember how to add. And
| plumbers who've never heard of what a toilet is.

There's a TV show in Canada called "Holmes on Homes" where Mike Holmes, an
experienced contractor, goes in and fixes up disastrous home remodelling
jobs while the cameras follow the process. Some of the things he has found
are absolutely frightening, and the contractors vary from merely incompetent
to lethally dangerous.

N