The ACUPWR Papers

AC Line Frequency: Explained So Well it Hertz

When electricity arrives at our homes and businesses, it shows up in the form of Alternating Current. Before continuing, it’s important to know that there are two kinds of electrical current: DC and AC. DC is the abbreviation of direct current. DC as its name implies moves directly and without any positive/negative polarity. Batteries operate with DC and the internal circuitry of electronic devices use DC as well. AC, or alternating current, which was invented by super-genius Nikola Tesla back in 1880-something, is the preferred way to deliver electricity from the power plant along power lines for distribution to customers, due to it being more efficient and less expensive. It’s been this way for more than 100 years. Basically, AC...

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ACUPWR Explains Basic Electrical Principles (And Our Voltage Transformers), Part 2.

This blog is the second of two-part series about understanding very basic electrical concepts and using them toward understanding how to choose the ACUPWR voltage transformer/converter and selecting the model that meets your needs.  In Part 1 of this article we threw around some basic electrical terminology and tried to attach some meaning to it by comparing electricity to water. Electricity and water both flow and exist within parameters that control force or pressure (voltage), amount of actual electricity flowing used (amperage), and the amount of electricity being consumed by an appliance every second (wattage). To refresh, we visualized a water tank with a pipe attached leading to a water wheel. Squeezing the tank causes pressure that makes the water...

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An Explanation Why Different International Voltage Standards and Plug Shapes Exist

Variety is the spice of life, a notion perfectly applicable to international travel. Why travel at all if not to see, hear, and experience the culture, cuisine, language and weird police car sirens that let you know you’re far from home. Add different voltage standards and plug shapes to those unique identifiers that make Brazil Brazil, or New Zealand New Zealand.  Traveling would be easier if all voltage standards were uniform the world over; there would be no anxiety about combustible hairdryers and no nightmare tales of plugging in a 110/120V appliance into a 220/240V outlet with a fireworks display. And having one standard plug shape would certainly eliminate the need for plug adapters. Yet because there’s no such standard,...

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ACUPWR USA Explains Basic Electrical Principles, Part 1.

This is the first of a two-part article about understanding basic electrical concepts and applying them toward understanding ACUPWR voltage transformers/converters and selecting the model that best meets your needs. For many of us it’s not easy to wrap our heads around electrical concepts such as voltage, amps, ohms, and wattage. And if you look for a simple explanation on Wikipedia, it doesn’t take long before you’ll get bogged down with formulas and physical theories that will blind you with science. But let’s keep things basic for now by explaining electricity as it applies to ACUPWR voltage transformers and converters. Let’s start by thinking of electricity as analogous to water (an analogy that’s a favorite for science teachers everywhere). Imagine...

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Watts and Volt Amps as Explained by ACUPWR USA: The Voltage Transformer Company

When you look on the back of an electrical appliance, you’ll notice two measurements; one for wattage, and one for volt amps (VA). These values represent the amount of power that an appliance needs to run. They also measure the power that the device is drawing, or consuming, from the electrical grid. Both wattage and VA are useful in different ways. For the electric company, wattage—specifically kilo-watts—determine how much to bill a customer each month. It also determines the amount of electricity needed for the product to operate continuously. For example, if a large industrial machine requiring 3,000 watts is attached to a wall outlet that can only deliver 2,000 watts, there will most certainly be an overload and possible fire. ...

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