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nicewitch
Draconis Combine
Shujin
Joined: 29-Oct-2012 15:24
Posts: 125
Location: United States
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 Posted: 05-Nov-2012 10:04 Post subject: light bulb solar panel power amplifier engine |
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| A light bulb solar panel power amplifier engine uses a light bulb that shines light onto a solar panel; that solar panel converts the photons into electricity and then that electric current goes through a power amplifier to provide more electricity. This type of engine has a tonnage equal to its rating divided by 10, never explodes if it is damaged critically but is rendered nonfuctional if damaged critically, costs 2000 C-bills per ton, and takes up a number of critical slots equal to its rating divided by 100.
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Sleeping Dragon
Draconis Combine
Tai-i
Joined: 06-Apr-2005 00:00
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Location: Czech Republic
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| Posted: 05-Nov-2012 14:05 Post subject: light bulb solar panel power amplifier engine |
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That thing consumes energy, rather than produce it. Solar panels are inefficient and a lot of energy to light bulb is also converted to waste heat + that's not even taking into account the energy you take away to power other things. Perpetuum mobile is unfortunately not a thing for me 
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nicewitch
Draconis Combine
Shujin
Joined: 29-Oct-2012 15:24
Posts: 125
Location: United States
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| Posted: 05-Nov-2012 17:37 Post subject: light bulb solar panel power amplifier engine |
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That's why this engine uses power amplifiers.  There'd have to be a way to start it like with the use of a rechargeable battery/capacitor energy discharge which is what I forgot to mention. Such equipment is included in the tonnage requirements.
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Vagabond
Mercenary
Mr. Referee
Joined: 04-Feb-2002 00:00
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Location: United States
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| Posted: 05-Nov-2012 22:53 Post subject: light bulb solar panel power amplifier engine |
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Sorry, but as SD said... it simply doesn't work that way. You creating energy from nothing effectively which is just not possible. Even allowing for examples of solar units in BT (pg. 127 Techmanual) and the collector sails of jumpships (pg. 148-149 StatOps) when compared to Fusion Engines are drastically more efficient in weight to power supply.
A 50k ton Jumpship has a power plant, drive, and control weight of 600 tons and a sail weight of 37 tons; however, the power plant in contained with a default 99 meter length while the sail has a diameter of 758 meters. In a Sol like system (G2 Star) the ship requires a minimum of 183 hours to charge via its sail and between 16 and 175 hours with the fusion plant with a risk of damage to the jump drive the faster you charge.
on support vehicles, Solar Engine weight between x5 to x3.5 engine weight multiplier while a fusion engine is between x1.5 and x0.5 EWM.
So even in the established material, what you propose is not possible.
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nicewitch
Draconis Combine
Shujin
Joined: 29-Oct-2012 15:24
Posts: 125
Location: United States
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| Posted: 06-Nov-2012 23:15 Post subject: light bulb solar panel power amplifier engine |
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| Perhaps this design of mine will function for immobile structures.
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Sleeping Dragon
Draconis Combine
Tai-i
Joined: 06-Apr-2005 00:00
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Location: Czech Republic
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| Posted: 07-Nov-2012 11:32 Post subject: light bulb solar panel power amplifier engine |
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Not even there. This whole thing requires constant power supply, as you are loosing power in every step of the process. Even if it was ideal situation where no energy would be lost within wires (no resistance) and both the solar panel and the light bulb were 100% effective at conversion of electron current to photons and back and there would be no loss on the way between them, which all are unattainable ideals, then you would be just circulating the same amount of energy through the system, not producing any. Battletech already breaks some natural laws with faster than light transport and assumes currently impossible levels of efficiency from other technologies, but endless power source would totally change it. Ships unfettered from stellar paths, any rock practically be habitable and many resources would suddenly be not worth fighting for.
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nicewitch
Draconis Combine
Shujin
Joined: 29-Oct-2012 15:24
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Location: United States
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| Posted: 07-Nov-2012 21:08 Post subject: light bulb solar panel power amplifier engine |
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| If you all say so. I was watching one of Phil Donahue's episodes and there was a guy that used a solar powered motorcycle.
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Sleeping Dragon
Draconis Combine
Tai-i
Joined: 06-Apr-2005 00:00
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Location: Czech Republic
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| Posted: 08-Nov-2012 15:02 Post subject: light bulb solar panel power amplifier engine |
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And said motocycle took power from where? Sun is an external source with constant overflow of photons.
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Vagabond
Mercenary
Mr. Referee
Joined: 04-Feb-2002 00:00
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Location: United States
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| Posted: 08-Nov-2012 23:19 Post subject: light bulb solar panel power amplifier engine |
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And by the rules, you could make a Solar Powered Tank or Semi-Truck or Train. They'd be slugish compared to their counter parts, but you could. All we are saying is that a self-power solar cell simply cannot work do to the basic laws of energy.
And PLEASE do not take this feedback as an attack. Its refreshing actually to see new activity on this board in the prototype tech variety. I have posted likely a hundred such posts myself. Just take the feedback and learn from it so that your future ideas are more refined or better supported by present science. While BT is a sci-fi setting (some would say space fantasy not sci-fi), it is not like Star Wars or Stargate so certain topics are considered taboo and thus receive great resistance.
Avoid aliens or alien tech, fanciful materials beyond canon unless you balance them with defects, or advanced computers/droids/AI.
It was a creative idea. Keep it up.
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one must work hard to cultivate the mind and body. and one must always cultivate the mind.
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Sleeping Dragon
Draconis Combine
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Location: Czech Republic
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| Posted: 09-Nov-2012 00:57 Post subject: light bulb solar panel power amplifier engine |
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Aye. Battletech used to be mostly about advanced technology loss (best image of the early battletech technology, barring the size of the thing, but otherwise having the feeling, would be Nostromo from the original Alien movie IMO), political maneuvering in cold/hot war environment (really conflicts from WWII to Vietnam war for feeling in general) and a grind of heavily mechanized forces against each other.
Nowdays you see more touch screens, new tech, terrorism and religious bickering and manga-like appearance, as new people drag what they see, because the setting would probably get outdated, but the original comes from different sources IMO. See museum of military technology and imagine some of the machines with legs. 
Well, okay. Unseens are also japanese, but at that time it used to look somewhat different that what Matt plog does now
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nicewitch
Draconis Combine
Shujin
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| Posted: 12-Nov-2012 18:04 Post subject: corrected light bulb solar panel power amplifier engine tons |
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Yes, that motorcycle gets its energy from the sun.
I'm not interpreting any feedback as an attack; I welcome feedback.
Months ago, somebody posted on the PhysicsForums.com this light bulb solar panel power amplifier circuit and was banned for life because on that website perpetual energy ideas aren't allowed. Also, a 500,000 ton JumpShip needs a 97 ton solar panel sail to recharge itself (average recharge time is about two weeks), and its fusion power plant masses 6,600 tons. To recharge a K-F Drive takes safely a minimum 175 hours.
175*97=16,975.
16,975/6,600= about 2.8, (remember a fusion power plant has lots of tonnage used for shielding), so let's say my circuit is about one-fifth as efficient as a fusion power plant. So to calculate tonnage for a light bulb solar panel box power amplifier circuit, divide its rating by 2. For an XL version, divide its rating by 4 and double its critical slot requirements; and for an XXL version, divide its rating by 8 and quadruple its critical slot requirements (remember more critical used by this light bulb solar panel box power amplifier circuit, the bigger the box and more photons that impact it).
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Sleeping Dragon
Draconis Combine
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| Posted: 14-Nov-2012 00:09 Post subject: corrected light bulb solar panel power amplifier engine tons |
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That's exactly the problem with your engine - you need an external source of energy. The physics board has probably taken your idea as the worst caliber trolling. If you are designing some hyperscientic gadgets without knowing much about inner workings, it's better not to say what's in the box and just say what the box does sometimes 
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nicewitch
Draconis Combine
Shujin
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| Posted: 14-Nov-2012 07:39 Post subject: additional rule |
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| Well, actually it's not my idea. I did say that there would have to be a way to start this engine like with a capacitor or battery. After it's started, this perpetual energy circuit would work until it's damaged. Energy weapons must have power amplifiers of their own when using a solar panel box & light bulb & power amplifier circuit.
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Sleeping Dragon
Draconis Combine
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| Posted: 14-Nov-2012 17:06 Post subject: additional rule |
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It doesn't work that way. The wheel won't keep turning and driving the car forward without being constantly fed with new energy transmitted from the engine. The engine doesn't generate energy without fuel. Your engine says that it works without any fuel, which is impossible. Initial charge will make an engine cough and stop again. To keep it running you need to supply it with something from which it will take the energy. Nothing, really NOTHING, we have does really produce any energy. All machines we have actually take some kind of energy stored elsewhere or already in effect and merely converts it with greater or lesser efficiency to some other form of energy usually more useful than the original, but we can't really make any. Everything is heading to a state in which the contained energy is the least possible and we're just moderating the flow and redirecting it. Think of it as a stream of water on which you can put a mill, but you can't really expectthe stream to repelnish itself.
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nicewitch
Draconis Combine
Shujin
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Location: United States
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| Posted: 16-Nov-2012 15:21 Post subject: Sure this perpetual energy circuit works |
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| It does work because the light bulb is constantly on and constantly provides photons to the box of solar photovoltaic cell panels. Next, those cell panels transform the light into electricity. Then, that electricity goes through the power amplifier and some of it goes to power the light bulb (to create more photons for more elecricity), and the remaining electricity goes to move the unit and power its weapons and other equipment.
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