If you want a train for under your Christmas tree but don’t have a lot of money to spend, here’s how to find one and what to ask for. Find a store that deals in used Lionel trains, or find a local hobbyist. Search Craigslist or your newspaper classifieds for an ad stating, “I buy [...]
All posts tagged watts
A Christmas tree train on a budget
Posted by Dave Farquhar on December 8, 2012
http://dfarq.homeip.net/2012/12/a-christmas-tree-train-on-a-budget/
Early impressions of G7′s 900-lumen 9W LED bulb
My latest lighting experiment is a 900-lumen bulb from G7, which is rated at 9 watts and priced at around $16. It’s advertised as equivalent to a 65W incandescent. I’ve had two of them for about two months now, and my initial impressions are favorable overall.
Posted by Dave Farquhar on November 10, 2012
http://dfarq.homeip.net/2012/11/early-impressions-of-g7s-900-lumen-9w-led-bulb/
The lightbulb reinvented
Timothy Hunt asked me (via Twitter) if I’ve seen the lightbulb reinvented, an LED bulb that screws into a standard socket but has wi-fi capability so you can tune its light temperature and otherwise control it with a smartphone. I hadn’t. But I found it interesting, and appreciate the mention.
Posted by Dave Farquhar on September 19, 2012
http://dfarq.homeip.net/2012/09/the-lightbulb-reinvented/
How to calculate savings from reduced cooling costs when considering energy-saving improvements
I learned something incredibly useful this week: For every 3 watts of energy consumption you save, you save an additional watt of power in cooling costs during the cooling season. I bought my first CFL bulb a little over 9 years ago. I knew this was helping my AC costs too, but now I know [...]
Posted by Dave Farquhar on June 4, 2012
http://dfarq.homeip.net/2012/06/how-to-calculate-savings-from-reduced-cooling-costs-when-considering-energy-saving-improvements/
A preliminary review of the Inland warm white A19 LED bulb
Micro Center had the Inland warm white A19 LED bulbs on sale this week and had a hard time keeping them in stock. I snagged an 800 lumen (60W equivalent), non-dimmable bulb, which uses 10 watts, for $13. It’s not the state of the art in 10W LED bulbs, but the price is right and [...]
Posted by Dave Farquhar on April 29, 2012
http://dfarq.homeip.net/2012/04/a-preliminary-review-of-the-inland-warm-white-a19-led-bulb/
When to upgrade to new LED bulbs
PC Magazine asks when it’s worth upgrading to the new Philips L Prize-winning LED bulb, lamenting its high price and long payback time. I can only say what I plan to do, based on my experience with high-efficiency bulbs. I was one of those guys paying $9 for CFL bulbs nearly a decade ago.
Posted by Dave Farquhar on April 22, 2012
http://dfarq.homeip.net/2012/04/when-to-upgrade-to-new-led-bulbs/
Measuring the voltage and amperage of your train transformer’s output
Sometimes you want to know how many volts your train transformer is feeding your trains, in order to avoid damaging the motors. And it’s also helpful to know how many amps you’re pulling from your transformer, so you don’t damage the transformer.
Posted by Dave Farquhar on April 17, 2012
http://dfarq.homeip.net/2012/04/measuring-the-voltage-and-amperage-of-your-train-transformers-output/
How computer and energy technology don’t relate
Bill Gates says the rapid advance of computers created unreasonable expectations for the advancement of energy technology. The argument makes sense. And while desktop computers did advance very quickly, I think people have a misconception of even how quickly computers developed–which makes it worse, of course. Some people seem to believe the computer was invented [...]
Posted by Dave Farquhar on March 4, 2012
http://dfarq.homeip.net/2012/03/how-computer-and-energy-technology-dont-relate/
LED lighting gets cheaper
I saw this week on Cnet that Pharox is selling basic, bare-bones LEDs direct from its web site, hoping to get consumers to try out LED bulbs. The Pharox 300 is a 6 watt, 360 lumen bulb priced at $6.95. The Pharox 200 is a 5 watt, 240 lumen bulb priced at $4.95.
Posted by Dave Farquhar on February 17, 2012
http://dfarq.homeip.net/2012/02/led-lighting-gets-cheaper/
Micro Center’s 18-minute pickup works spectacularly
It was like ordering Chinese takeout. I wrote yesterday about how I needed a motherboard to try to solve my ongoing webserver issue. I don’t live or work anywhere near Micro Center. The computer store near my house closed, and I don’t like the one near my workplace anymore since they jerked my friend around. [...]
Posted by Dave Farquhar on January 28, 2012
http://dfarq.homeip.net/2012/01/micro-centers-18-minute-pickup-works-spectacularly/