[samplesj]

Someone help me out with this one.  There is a vendor that is claiming that which set of connection points on an outlet you can determine if you are hooking a power conditioner in series or parallel.

Their claim is that which set of screws you use matters even though the outlet has a bus (unless you break the tab of course).

Here is a summary of what is being said (at least how I understand what they are saying)

If the incoming power feed to connected to the top set of screws:
power conditioner plugged in top - system plugged in bottom = pc in series with system (PLEASE NOTE the system is NOT plugged into the conditioner, but both are in the outlet)
system plugged in top - power conditioner plugged in bottom = pc in parallel with system

However aren't both of these scenerios really parallel and we're just quibbling over where it is tapped.  I see how you could say that the tap for the pc is in series in the first case, but that isn't the same as saying that the pc is in series.  Wouldn't the gear have to be plugged in to the pc for it to be in series (and even then it could be parallel depending on how its wired internally).


Is there some trick here that I am missing?  What am I misunderstanding about this scenerio?

[alanmaher]

This is not an exact illustration to what I was trying to describe.  Series vs. parallel has to do with our filter which happens to be a parallel design.  Nothing plugs into our filter.  The filter is designed to re-tune the circuit using multiple ringing frequencies...so basically everything past the filter in the path of the electrical flow will experience the full benefit of our design.  As I said, the filter injects a ringing character on to the circuit which helps smooth out odd harmonic frequencies above 60Hz.  Instead of rolling off the frequencies as many filter designs do, we prefer to fill in the gaps of dip harmonics and reduce peak harmonics to offer a flatter frequency response.  Series vs. parallel allows the design to offer power factor correction for the component placed after the filter on the circuit.  Items prior to our filter experience a different effect because the leakage of the filter on the neutral increases the magnetic field within the geometry of the in-wall wiring.  The increased magnetic field acts as a passive choke and rolls off the ringing charcater of the filter and anything else that may be circulating throughout the phase and interacting on the treated circuit.

I hope this clears things up for you.

Regards,
Alan Maher

Alan Maher designs
http://www.alanmaherdesigns.com

[Occam]

There is a vendor that is claiming that which....

Samples,

One could assume that ideally that net capacitive shunt should be placed as close as possible to the major source of detrimental (and filterable) noise, so that one minimizes the inductance is series with the net capacitive shunt. A cm of wire has about a nh of inductance. As to whether whatever placement has a discernable measurable or subjective effect, dunno, and might be determined depending on where the treatable noise is coming from, the mains or a component.
If Alan Maher has some set of instructions for configuring his PE (4 stages of wideband filters = 4 capacitors in parallel across the line from hot to neutral), follow them if you wish, or not, as long as you stay withing whatever applicable electrical codes Alan has provided recommendations for using his PE. He is providing the benefit of his experience. While I find the bulk of his technical explanations marketing hyperbole, at best, his parallel across the line filter has many satisfied customers, and is reasonably priced for what it is, especially if you look at similar commercial products.

FWIW,
Paul

[samplesj]

I'm not questioning the benefits of putting it before or after the load, but rather the nomenclature of calling it series vs parallel.  If we "rename" terms like this then it just leads to confusion and potential miswiring with serious consequences.

[Occam]

....... As I said, the filter injects a ringing character on to the circuit which helps smooth out odd harmonic frequencies above 60Hz.  Instead of rolling off the frequencies as many filter designs do, we prefer to fill in the gaps of dip harmonics and reduce peak harmonics to offer a flatter frequency response.  Series vs. parallel allows the design to offer power factor correction for the component placed after the filter on the circuit.  Items prior to our filter experience a different effect because the leakage of the filter on the neutral increases the magnetic field within the geometry of the in-wall wiring.  The increased magnetic field acts as a passive choke and rolls off the ringing charcater of the filter and anything else that may be circulating throughout the phase and interacting on the treated circuit.

I hope this clears things up for you.

Your marketing hyperbole clears up nothing. Cap(s) across hot and neutral form a shunt filter that act on transverse (normal) mode noise. Using staggered values for more effective spectrum coverage is a good thing to do. Your minimal capacitance (<5uf?) certainly have a calculable effect on power factor, albeit trivial, just like any of the other capacitive shunt filters from various vendors. Until such time as you can provide attenuation curves, screen shots, or anything to make your claims credible in any way, do not post in the Lab Circle. As a vendor, I expect better than this nonsense from you. I've no doubt that you really believe what you say, and that your phantasmagorical paradigms have allowed you to empirically tune your circuitry for the better. Feel free to continue to hijack the Critics Circle thread, or better yet post whatever in the Vendor's Bazaar where it belongs. But until you, or your surrogates, can provide ANYTHING concrete, the Lab is not the venue for you. Furthermore, the Lab Circle is an open source circle, and if you want to discuss circuitry here, you MUST disclose that circuitry, which I wouldn't think would be in your interests.

FWIW.
Paul, facilitator of the Lab Circle

[Occam]

I'm not questioning the benefits of putting it before or after the load, but rather the nomenclature of calling it series vs parallel.  If we "rename" terms like this then it just leads to confusion and potential miswiring with serious consequences.

Typically, one might refer to those two methods of wiring multiple outlets as 'star' and 'daisy chained'.

'You say potato,
and I say potato.
You say tomato,
and I say tomato......'