OT: Power Frequency

From: Charles E. Fox <foxvideo_at_wincom.net>
Date: Sat Apr 17 07:30:38 1999

At 07:29 PM 4/16/1999 +1, you wrote:
>> >> >3) 240VAC 3 pin sockets are a national standard.
>> >> I think only the English (and Swiss?) are the ones that want to be
>> >> different to the rest of Europe - in this case anyway (there are many
>> >> others).
>
>> >What about the mains voltage? Does that vary a lot? We're all 240v 50hz.
>> >(In theory, anyway)
>
>> 240V was chosen to be the standard to reduce line losses??? Why 50cyc?
>
>Short answer:
>Why not.
>Or: Why 60 ?
>

        When I was a kid Ontario power was on a twenty five cycle frequency. This
resulted in flickering lights and the requirement that every transformer
and motor had to be specially built, and everything we bought was very
expensive. Back in the fifties the whole system was converted to sixty
cycles, so our equipment is now less expensive but we are still paying the
cost of the conversion so our taxes are much higher.
        For a while I had an income converting low priced US TV sets to operate on
twenty five cycles.

                                                        Regards

                                                        Charlie Fox


                                Charles E. Fox
                       Chas E. Fox Video Productions
                793 Argyle Rd. Windsor N8Y 3J8 Ont. Canada
        email foxvideo_at_wincom.net Homepage http://www.wincom.net/foxvideo
Received on Sat Apr 17 1999 - 07:30:38 BST

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