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From: tomb@hplsla.HP.COM (Tom Bruhns)
Newsgroups: sci.electronics
Subject: Re: 50 Hz in Europe... Was the decision political?
Message-ID: <5170062@hplsla.HP.COM>
Date: 13 Dec 89 17:42:18 GMT
References: <2332@ektools.UUCP>
Organization: HP Lake Stevens, WA
Lines: 14

sde@larry.sal.wisc.edu (Scott Ellington) writes:
>I don't know about the history or politics of the choice of 50 Hz for
>power distribution in Europe, but it may have been a simple engineering
>trade-off.  At 50 Hz, transmission losses are a little lower that at 
>60 Hz, but motors and transformers are larger and more expensive.
>----------

An Old-Timer once told me, when I was much younger, of the days when
at least portions of the US were on 25 Hz power.  Can you say, 
"Holy Flickering Incandescents, Batman!"  He worked at Hoover (Boulder)
Dam, where the local power continued to be 25 Hz for quite a time
after the grid was converted to 60 Hz.  He said it was lots of fun
building a power supply for his ham transmitter that didn't end up
with a lot of ripple.