[GTALUG] Dirty Power and Wi Fi Far field effect

[Russell Reiter]

> <snip previous>
> Changing the frequency of the power grid is VERY hard.  Dropping the
> voltage (which is a brownout) is easy.


>
So no way did yo udrop to 50 Hz.  A few years ago a mejor mess in europe
> caused the grid there to split into 3 parts, running at 48, 50 and 52Hz
> respectively, due to severe imbalance in the network, and the frequencies
> could only be different because the grid completely split.  So to drop
> the frequency to 50Hz in Toronto would require changing the frequency
> of a very large part of the grid in north america.  Not going to happen.


> What do you mean by completely split? Split as in; now separate grids or
> split by isolation terminals, firewalls if you will.


> Toronto's polyphase grid is a clusterfuck as it is implemented today. For
> myself, I don't see hydro dropping voltage on two legs of the residential
> grid in order to test a highly computerized streetcar.


> I can see them frequency stepping the power at the isolation nodes of the
> CNE grounds before converting to DC power. You don't have to touch the
> whole grid, just the parts attached to the DC inverter. Kind of a pre-wash
> cycle in power laundry.



> Hydro is working all over the city to rectify some of the more serious
> load balancing issues generated by considerabble over optisim in the
> effective technology of the day the grid was built. I guess this is to
> stimulate investor confidence before selling the whole dog and pony show to
> someone else.



> So that's not so bad, there's no enterprise stuff at risk, I just hack
> > together another box and carry on. However, now I have a real problem and
> > I'm in need of a solution. Yesterday I fired up the WiFi while my SO was
> > drying her hair. I toasted her salon quality hair dryer. Not good. :-(
> > There is no gfi outlet and at this point I'm wondering if I need UPS, for
> > the hair dryer, if not the computer.
>
> Unless your area has serious transformer issues, you should not have
> voltage swings that could damage a hair druer.


> It was the multiple wi fi fields generated when I fired up several devices
> concurrently which i think toasted the hair dryer. This is a known effect.
> I have since found out that it is only modern gfi outlets which have
> sensitivity enough in their measurements of the scope of the surge to
> counter this effect. Older units in fact can compound it.  Ups for a hair
> dryer was my joke of the day.


>
> So my question is, does anyone on this list have similar problems and a
> low
> > cost hack they have used to deal with Toronto's iffy grid.
>
> --
> Len Sorensen
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