Re: Suspension losses

On Mon, 13 Jan 2025 13:20:04 +0700, John B. <slocombjb@gmail.com>
wrote:
 

But long before the days of transistors and "circuit boards" my folks
had an electric blanket... used it all the rest of their lives. Is the
modern one better?

 Not really better, but certainly safer.  Electric heaters are all 100%
efficient.  Every watt you shove into the heating wires is turned into
heat.  There's no way to improve on 100% efficiency.

 The problem with electric blankets is that they're rather fragile.
Dogs, cats and rats chew on them causing exposed wires.  Using them
folded can break wires at the bend or cause overheating.  There are
probably other ways to damage the wires.  Once exposed and/or broken,
the safety question becomes what will the circuitry to prevent sparks,
localized overheating, starting a fire, overload, etc.  Dealing with
all those potential problems doesn't create a better heating
experience, but does make the blanket safer.  Basically, you don't
know that you have a problem until after the house burns down.
 Electric heated blanket recalls:
<https://www.cpsc.gov/search?search_api_fulltext=electric+blankets>
If you check the "Include archived items" box, you'll see all the old
recalls.