New super capacitor tech on the way

[BushMasterBoy]

Capacitance is measured in Farads. A 1 Farad capacitor of the electrolytic/ aluminum construction is the size of a railway box car. I wish these tech stories were more tecknickel.

[Grant H.]

Capacitance is measured in Farads. A 1 Farad capacitor of the electrolytic/ aluminum construction is the size of a railway box car. I wish these tech stories were more tecknickel.

Um, I think you are operating on some outdated/incorrect information...

This is a 3000 Farad capacitor bank that I built.

0319171021 by ARNEWB, on Flickr

[BushMasterBoy]

Wow, they definitely have updated capacitors! Solid state devices integrated into the construction ? I see the discrete components on the top of the capacitor. I guess Moore's law applies to components too.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moore%27s_law

[Irving]

What can you run off those capacitors, and how long does it take to charge them?

[Grant H.]

Wow, they definitely have updated capacitors! Solid state devices integrated into the construction ? I see the discrete components on the top of the capacitor. I guess Moore's law applies to components too.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moore%27s_law

Yep, Moore's law has been true for quite a while. However, if current processors are an indication, that is going to have to change... https://www.technologyreview.com/s/6...on-moores-law/

Those are actually inexpensive protection boards that I added to the top of the basic 2 pin super caps.

But yes, supercaps have opened an entirely different world. Many of the large IT UPS's that I have worked around are now built using supercaps, due to their ability to cycle up to ~1 million times (fully charged to fully discharged and back to fully charged). Instead of having to be serviced every 1-3 years, depending on the company policies, they can be left alone for a LONG time. Even if they get completely drained, when the power comes back on, they charge again.

What can you run off those capacitors, and how long does it take to charge them?

That bank actually lives in my GSXR1000 now. I got tired of having MC batteries die, so I built one that I can always recharge, and as long as I start the bike once a week, it doesn't go dead.

I can have the pack charged enough to start the grumpy bike started in 20 minutes.

If you build something like this, be aware that when they are completely dead, they look like a dead short to a battery charger. You need a properly rated resistor inline on the positive line to prevent the charger from self protecting.

Also be aware, these things dump current at an extremely high rate. Don't let them short out.

[Grant H.]

What can you run off those capacitors, and how long does it take to charge them?

I'll work on doing a write up of my solar/supercap setup that provides 24/7 power for my fiber converter, router, switch, and wap.

[Irving]

Please do.

[brutal]

Yep, Moore's law has been true for quite a while. However, if current processors are an indication, that is going to have to change... https://www.technologyreview.com/s/6...on-moores-law/

Those are actually inexpensive protection boards that I added to the top of the basic 2 pin super caps.

But yes, supercaps have opened an entirely different world. Many of the large IT UPS's that I have worked around are now built using supercaps, due to their ability to cycle up to ~1 million times (fully charged to fully discharged and back to fully charged). Instead of having to be serviced every 1-3 years, depending on the company policies, they can be left alone for a LONG time. Even if they get completely drained, when the power comes back on, they charge again.



That bank actually lives in my GSXR1000 now. I got tired of having MC batteries die, so I built one that I can always recharge, and as long as I start the bike once a week, it doesn't go dead.

I can have the pack charged enough to start the grumpy bike started in 20 minutes.

If you build something like this, be aware that when they are completely dead, they look like a dead short to a battery charger. You need a properly rated resistor inline on the positive line to prevent the charger from self protecting.

Also be aware, these things dump current at an extremely high rate. Don't let them short out.

All the new gen RAID adapters have super caps instead of cache batteries, and many SAN arrays use super caps in their internal "battery" backup units, instead of actual batteries for fire hose cache dumps if external power fails.

[BushMasterBoy]

The big limitation to the "Super Capacitor" is the voltage handling capability. Anything over 3 volts will permanently destroy it. The dielectric is a carbon based structure. It would be interesting to cut one open and see the internal engineering.

[Justin]

I have yet to see a Tesla with out of state plates. On my last trip to the Olympic Peninsula of WA, I only saw 1 Tesla on the highway and it was on I-90 as it crosses the Columbia River/Wanapum Lake. The US is a damn big place, and if I spend a lot on a vehicle, I want to be able to enjoy it on long trips. There was a Tesla Supercharger station in Sequim, WA, but I didn't see a single vehicle using it.

I see about two-three Teslas per week, not counting the one that shows up in the parking lot at work. Much fewer LEAFs and Bolts.

One also has to remember that the Li-Ion batteries in an electric car like a Tesla have a very narrow temperature band at which they have their full rated capacity, around 70 degrees. Electric vehicles have a tough time in winter as the cold temps reduce battery capacity at a time when the occupants in the vehicle and glass surfaces need heat.

ICE vehicles also lose efficiency and have problems starting in the cold. As I understand it, the Teslas thermal management systems can and do somewhat mitigate this. More info including real-world drive information (from an admittedly biased source) here: https://electrek.co/2018/01/02/elect...ld-they-start/

If you're going somewhere where there is a charging station, it likely isn't located at your intended destination. You have to go out of your way to get to the charger and either have to wait for a quick charge or find transportation between your vehicle and your intended destination.

This is becoming less of an issue as Tesla has continued to roll out their super charger network. You can see a map of the network here:
https://www.tesla.com/supercharger

Gasoline has about 100 times the energy per volume as a Li-Ion battery. It's also abundantly available and your on-board storage (fuel tank) will typically last the life of the vehicle. In the winter, heat is scavenged from the combustion process and doesn't create extra load on the system.

Too bad most internal combustion engines only manage thermal efficiencies in the 20% range, wasting the rest of all of that energy dense fuel as waste heat.