Timeline for How do I run power to a treehouse if I can't bury the wire?
Current License: CC BY-SA 4.0
18 events
| when toggle format | what | by | license | comment | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 23 at 1:04 | comment | added | Technophile | Distinguish fear from caution. | |
| Jul 22, 2023 at 12:42 | comment | added | Reversed Engineer | @Harper-ReinstateMonica "The voltage refers to the supply voltage." - Oh, now I understand. Makes sense, thank you! | |
| Jul 21, 2023 at 19:12 | comment | added | Harper - Reinstate Monica | @gerrit That's why it's called a learning experience! :) That will inform their thinking on the next system. | |
| Jul 21, 2023 at 6:57 | comment | added | gerrit | Excellent, but kids may run out of battery if they want to spend New Year's in the treehouse. Lesson: daily energy storage is relatively easy, but seasonal energy storage is very difficult. | |
| Jul 21, 2023 at 0:33 | comment | added | Harper - Reinstate Monica | @ReversedEngineer it's a terminology issue. The voltage refers to the supply voltage. The switching power supplies therein have some range but they can't span all the way from 12V to 240V. So there are separate mains (90-240V) models, and vehicle (12-28V) models. | |
| Jul 20, 2023 at 17:40 | comment | added | Mike Powell | My favorite answer I've ever seen on HISE, just excellent! | |
| Jul 20, 2023 at 16:14 | comment | added | Reversed Engineer | "12 volt USB chargers are sold more places than eggs" - Never heard of a 12V USB charger - do they exist? USB is 5 Volts AFAIK. | |
| Jul 20, 2023 at 16:07 | comment | added | Reversed Engineer | You can touch the terminals of a 15 Amp 12 Volt car charger, and nothing will happen to you! There is a degree of misunderstanding about current and voltage going on in these comments. I = V / R. Current is dependent on the resistance presented to the supply, not on the rated maximum that the supply could provide through a low resistance (which our bodies are not 😁). | |
| Jul 19, 2023 at 22:11 | comment | added | Harper - Reinstate Monica | @Joshua 12V is touch safe. 120VAC+ is not. Yes, arcs can be big, and you'll get an important lesson about using fuses, but you will get the lesson. Whereas 120V absolutely can kill you just from touching it. | |
| Jul 19, 2023 at 21:47 | comment | added | WestCoastProjects | The current is what is dangerous. It will be measured in low milliAmps for the stuff mentioned in the question vs say 15 Amps (!) for a car charger. Three orders of magnitude difference. | |
| Jul 19, 2023 at 21:18 | comment | added | Mark Ransom | @Joshua the difference is whether the danger comes from electrocution or burns. Electrocution is the bigger worry, because it's sudden and unexpected. | |
| Jul 19, 2023 at 19:23 | comment | added | Joshua | @DKNguyen: Correct. I'm not sure if the danger level is best measured in amps or watts but volts it is not. | |
| Jul 19, 2023 at 18:39 | comment | added | DKNguyen | @Joshua The type of arcing you are talking about has more about current availability than voltage so 12V has little to do with it. You can arc like that at any voltage so long as the available current is sufficiently high. | |
| Jul 19, 2023 at 16:30 | comment | added | Joshua | 12v is not very kid safe. Ever arc'd a car battery? | |
| Jul 19, 2023 at 12:46 | comment | added | CGCampbell | Another teaching point, if solar is used: make the panel reachable by at least a duster with handle... the kids learn to keep the panel clean of dirt/dust and why. No power? Cloudy? or Clean the Solar! | |
| Jul 19, 2023 at 9:15 | comment | added | Peter - Reinstate Monica | @ChrisH My first reaction was that having cell phones in the treehouse feels like missing the point :-). | |
| Jul 19, 2023 at 6:10 | comment | added | Chris H | This is definitely the way to go. If you need more than just a few lights (but still low power) it's still the way to go, because 12Vdc is such a useful standard. Beyond automotive stuff, there sre products made for the motorhome/caravan/RV market designed for the rather variable 12V from a battery. You can even get small TVs (though putting a TV in a treehouse feels like missing the point of a treehouse). You'd get an extra +1 for the joint project / learning opportunity if I could. | |
| Jul 18, 2023 at 20:01 | history | answered | Harper - Reinstate Monica | CC BY-SA 4.0 |