Direct MP3 Download: Podnutz Episode 20: Electricity – What You Need To Know- Featuring Cook Cherubino

• My father, Cook Cherubino joins us this week to talk about electricity.
• Laptop Power Adapters
• Defining Voltage, Current, Resistance, and Wattage.
• How NOT to blow yourself up!
• Soldering tips

Show Notes:

– Cook Cherubino (my dad), joins us this week to talk electrical.

– Cook used to be an electrical supervisor for SEPTA (Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority), and would manage the power that controls the subway and trolley system in Philadelphia.

– Laptop power adapters: Can you use different ones for different laptops? Voltage is the main factor to look for. DON’T use a higher volatge adapter than what the laptop came with. Also, using an adapter with lower voltage can can present problems.

– In laptop adapters, current or Amperage is also a factor. You can use an adapter with a higher current that the original adapter, but don’t use one with a lower current.

– Electricity can be described witha “water” analogy: Voltage = water pressure in a pipe, Current = flow of the water in the pipe, Resistance = pipe size or distance of the pipe.

– Capacitor is a device that can hold a charge. Then send the charge back into the circuit.

– High voltage spikes could cause a capacitor to explode or leak out the top or bottom.

– A short circuit is when the positive side of the circuit touches the negative side with no load.

– Resistors are measured in Ohms – a measure of resistance.

– Transistor – is an “amplifier”. It turns voltage on and off using a smaller voltage.

– A short in a laptop power adapter may cause the motherboard to break if the adapter is constantly sending voltage, then not, then voltage again, repeatedly at a fast rate.

– Should you turn your computer off each night? Probably the best way to guage this is by how much you use your computer.

– In soldering, try to heat sink the circuit whenever possible, with alligator clips.

– When soldering delicate electronics, use a low wattge soldering iron. I used a 15W iron for laptops.

– In soldering, it is not good practice to directly melt the solder with the soldering iron. Heat the wire withthe iron, and let the wire melt the solder, to ensure the solder covers the connection point effectively.

– Transformer – device that can raise, lower, or isolate one voltage from another. Made up of two coils. Only used in AC voltage.

– How voltage goes from AC to DC voltage in a power supply.

– Not a good idea to to try to repair a desktop power supply. Better off buying a new one.

– Surge protectors are rated by Joules. The higher the rating the more of a surge it can dissipate.

– Some surge protectors offer insurance to your compnents getting fried.

– Multimeters and what they can do. Don’t need a real expensive one as long as it gives proper voltage readings.

– How industrial electrical concepts relate directly to computer repair

– Protect against static electricity by wearing a grounding strip when working on computers.