An electrical and lights relater question

[Huw Powell]

> Namely this system increases the voltage from 12V to 24V but the current is
> not continuous but intermittent at around 2000 times per second.

so far I'm with you.  we're going to run the bulb at 24 volts AC instead
of 12 DC

> According to the information that was quoted this system lets the filement
> inside the bulb (working with tungsten and halogen lamps) cool down as much
> as it is required so that it does not burn from the increase Voltage but
> lets the lamps produce far more light than before. A number of turning a 60W
> lamps to the lighting equivalent of 180W (YES 180W) was quoted.

now the "science" is sounding a little fishy.  Actually doubling the
voltage will quadruple the wattage, at least until the DUT blows up.

24 v ac peak to peak would be about 17 volts rms, which doubles the
wattage, again, until the thing burns out.

As far as filament cooling in 1/2000 or whatever of a second, I can't
speak to that, BUT

A common "trick" sold to make incandescant lamps last longer in the home
is a diode that goes under the base.  Incandescant filaments "prefer" DC
current, it seems... they also don't work as well when cold (see Mike's
comment about the breaking at "turn on"), their resistance is lower so
they draw a current peak, but anyway...

> There is no need to replace stock wiring, no need to increase the output of
> the alternator

The alt can probably handle it (a lot of us run high wattage bulbs with
no undue alt problems) but the wiring?   On our cars, forget it.  One
way or another, somehow, to get more power output, more power is being
consumed and it has to get started as current in the wires and at the
bulb filament.  This means more heat in the conductors and the
filaments.

> and the only drawbacks is the propose to change the lamps to
> new ones of the same type since as they quoted the used lamps store the kind
> of voltage that they were running at and when the higher voltage passes
> through them they burn, but this does not happen with the new ones (same
> wattage as the old ones).

Hoo boy.  The lights "store" the previous running voltage?  More likely,
old bulbs just go "pop" with the higher voltage, whereas new ones at
least work for a bit before dying.  Resistive filaments do not have a
"voltage memory"...

> So the question goes. Does this sound like a working and theoriticaly sound
> system?

It sounds like complete bull.

>
> Cost is around 130 pounds including all taxes but no carriage. Group
> purchase of ten or more systems brings the price down to 110 pounds same as
> above.

OK, one way to do this would be to use a "switching power supply" such
as car amplifiers use to deliver more power than possible with a 12
volts supply.  That price seems pretty high for such a device.

I would steer clear.  Use relays, uprated wire to your bulbs, and higher
wattage bulbs (I assume you already have "euro" lenses) - the cost will
be a lot lower.

--
Huw Powell

http://www.humanspeakers.com/

http://www.humanthoughts.org/