this post was submitted on 15 Mar 2025
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[–] brucethemoose@lemmy.world 202 points 3 months ago* (last edited 3 months ago) (5 children)

Shoudn't it be 25%?

Current is not controlled here, resistance (aka the soldering iron) and voltage are.

Power = Voltage ^ 2 / Resistance. Double the voltage, that quadruples the power. So you only want to plug in 25% of the time to get the equivalent power of 120V.

But it might not melt at double power? Maybe the extra heat helps, I can't find a resistance/temperature curve for a soldering iron...

Source: EE dropout.

[–] homesweethomeMrL@lemmy.world 113 points 3 months ago

nnnNNEEEEEEERRRRRRRRRd!

[–] ch00f@lemmy.world 43 points 3 months ago (1 children)
[–] rickyrigatoni@lemm.ee 17 points 3 months ago (2 children)

If only the oop was here to see this 😔

[–] ch00f@lemmy.world 8 points 3 months ago

In my defense, I've been helping a friend with an EVSE install where the load (electric vehicle) is smart. In that context, it's just voltage X current capacity of the line = power. The rest of the story is true as far as I know.

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[–] Cenotaph@mander.xyz 15 points 3 months ago (2 children)

I sure hope someone will be fired for this obvious blunder

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[–] uneatable@lemmy.world 11 points 3 months ago (3 children)

Ok. I was acountless on lemmy for a long time, your comment made me finally register. Thanks!

So, yeah, with double the voltage you get 4x the power. But you you put 4 times the power at 50% of the time, you get only 2x the power. And the other half of the time, you get 0 power. On the average you get the same power output.

[–] ch00f@lemmy.world 23 points 3 months ago (1 children)

You double counted there.

You said 4x power 50% of the time and then said “the other half of the time.”

So you’re calculating 50% of 50% which is 25% duty cycle.

[–] uneatable@lemmy.world 16 points 3 months ago (2 children)

Oh no, I didn't. Should I draw a graph? Pop out some equations?

Let's say P is the nominal power. When I said "The other half" I meant when the solder iron is not plugged. So:

50% of the time at 4xP 50% of the time at 0...

Oh shizzzz, you're right!

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[–] brucethemoose@lemmy.world 6 points 3 months ago (1 children)
[–] uneatable@lemmy.world 5 points 3 months ago
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[–] EmoDuck@sh.itjust.works 76 points 3 months ago (1 children)

There are gas powered soldering irons that are essentially lighters with metal around the flame. Real life savers

[–] zaphod@sopuli.xyz 68 points 3 months ago (3 children)

There are also battery powered soldering irons.

[–] BastingChemina@slrpnk.net 38 points 3 months ago* (last edited 3 months ago) (3 children)

I like the pinecil, usb-c powered soldering iron with temperature control. If you are not doing anything intensive any fast smartphone charger will power it.

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[–] jpreston2005@lemmy.world 62 points 3 months ago (1 children)

It's only stupid if it doesn't work

[–] rippermonty@feddit.uk 9 points 3 months ago (2 children)
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[–] Xatolos@reddthat.com 53 points 3 months ago (1 children)

Should have just left it in, and been able to get the soldering done twice as fast.

[–] betterdeadthanreddit@lemmy.world 18 points 3 months ago (1 children)

New manufacturing hack unlocked: Install 240v outlets at workstations and fire half of the workforce. Golden parachute and douchey, hand-wavey TED Talk, please!

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[–] oldfart@lemm.ee 25 points 3 months ago (1 children)

Finally, an usecase for USB irons!

[–] Bronzie@sh.itjust.works 6 points 3 months ago* (last edited 3 months ago) (5 children)

I just got one, and it’s so practical with a PD battery bank. Can now solder inside or outside on my car/bike with zero hazzle

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[–] affenlehrer@feddit.org 21 points 3 months ago

I've had a similar experience as a child. I live in Germany and found this voltage switch on a hair dryer. My thoughts were like: Switching it to less couldn't possibly hurt, could it? Well it could. It was super efficient though but only for a few seconds before it self destructed.

[–] Fermion@feddit.nl 18 points 3 months ago

They need a 1/4 duty cycle.

[–] Kaput@lemmy.world 16 points 3 months ago

Person Wait Modulation.

[–] observantTrapezium@lemmy.ca 14 points 3 months ago (1 children)

I had the opposite problem, I brought a soldering iron from Europe to Canada, and despite using a step up transformer, it just couldn't get hot enough to melt the solder!

[–] lauha@lemmy.one 25 points 3 months ago (1 children)

You should have used 200% duty cycle

[–] Rivalarrival@lemmy.today 19 points 3 months ago (9 children)

Splice on a second plug, so you can use two outlets at the same time.

(/s, mostly... this can actually work, if you can find two outlets on opposite phases.)

[–] TomMasz@lemmy.world 11 points 3 months ago

Reminds me of the time when I helped install some 120 VAC ceiling fans and the electrician* wired them to the 220 VAC line. They spun like a helicopter trying to take off.

*Worked for the local electric utility, we trusted him, foolishly.

[–] RisingSwell@lemmy.dbzer0.com 6 points 3 months ago (2 children)

Why plug and unplug? Doesn't the wall outlet have a switch?

[–] Azzu@lemm.ee 39 points 3 months ago (1 children)

I have actually never met a wall outlet with a switch.

[–] RisingSwell@lemmy.dbzer0.com 9 points 3 months ago (3 children)

Really? Where are you for that? I don't have a wall outlet without a switch, and I've never seen one because why would it just be live all the time?

I'm in Australia for reference.

[–] Tenniswaffles@lemmy.blahaj.zone 34 points 3 months ago

We're the exception, most places don't have switches on their outlets.

[–] nik9000@programming.dev 13 points 3 months ago (6 children)

Looks like it's mostly a UK, Australia, and New Zealand thing.

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[–] Azzu@lemm.ee 13 points 3 months ago* (last edited 3 months ago) (3 children)

Germany. It's just live all the time, because why wouldn't it? If you plug something in, you want it to work. If you don't want it to work, you either plug it out (which works just as well as a switch, with the same convenience), OR you use the switch at the appliance because why would you try to reach the hypothetical switch at the wall outlet if the wall outlet is behind a drawer, under a table, or whatever inconvenient place? I use my remote control to turn the TV on or off, I don't physically walk to the wall power outlet.

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[–] Johanno@feddit.org 8 points 3 months ago (1 children)

Afaik it is a safety thing that is handled differently in different countries.

Uk and their colonised countries have this. The reason is that the fuses are in each plug. But no (or almost no) fuses in the power grid of the house. In Europe most countries have a single GFCI and several fuses for power grid sectors in a single place in the house where the power comes in.

I assume the switches on the power outlets are for turning off a switch because there is no GFCI in the house.

[–] jeeva@lemmy.world 5 points 3 months ago (2 children)

I think in the UK at least this view might be a little outdated - every house I've ever lived in has had GFCI sectors across the house, or had to be updated to have it when work was done.

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[–] cm0002@lemmy.world 5 points 3 months ago

So we've officially gone meta around here lol, we did it Lemmy!

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