[geeks] Wireless Routers

[velociraptor]

On 7/8/06, nate at portents.com <nate at portents.com> wrote:
> > Some of them appear to fit in the space of one outlet and rairly
> > interfere.  I want to know why more can't be like that.
>
> Cost.  The bigger, bulkier AC->DC converters are cheaper.  In the
> beginning, it was partly the cost of technology, partly just that the
> bigger, older tech converters were being made in such larger numbers that
> they were that much cheaper, but both of those are slowly changing (very
> slowly, as they've had the tech to build smaller and more efficient
> converters for at least a decade).

Definitely.  The A/C charging adaptor that came with my Fujifilm
camera is quite small and came with wraps for the removable cord that
goes from it to the plug as well as one for the cable from it to the
camera.  And look at the small size of most cell phone chargers, too.
It's definitely doable.

> Meanwhile, nobody in the western world has yet designed and marketed what
> we really should have - centralized AC->DC converters in our basements and
> DC outlets in houses/workplaces, so that we can gain the efficiency of one
> large converter rather than many smaller, and less efficient bricks (or
> built-in converters) in appliances.
>
> There was a time when most of the appliances in a house were AC - that
> time has passed.

Agreed.  The biggest need for AC is to start the compressor motor in
your refridgerator and/or freezer, the same in your air conditioner.
Having a big DC converter would also allow you to step down/up based
on demand.  Build in a little more smarts and you could have outlets
kill the "standby loss" problem.

=Nadine=