My near death experience a few years ago swimming in the water in a
marina with a bad ground got me thinking about shore power
connections. So....USeLESS IDEA #3722:


I was reading in the IEEE Spectrum magazine last year (a magazine for
electrical engineers) about charging electric vehicles. One method
involves no direct electrical connection to the car but is instead
"Inductively Coupled". Basically, many turns of wire in the power
connector and many turns of wire in the car and the power connector
produces a magnetic field that couples to the one on the car causing
charging. The unit on the charger and the unit on the car are sealed
so there are no exposed connecions at all.
Do the same thing for shore power. I suspect that you could not
really power a lot at a time this way but it would keep a bank of
batteries charged and allow you to run lights and a few low wattage
things. The beauty is that you could drop the shore power end into
the water without causing any problem since it is sealed with no wires
exposed to the water. There would be no ground problems.
Worthwhile?

What you describe is electrically the same as an isolation transformer.
Pull out your wallet and call Charles Industries.

Parallax wrote:

My near death experience a few years ago swimming in the water in a
marina with a bad ground got me thinking about shore power
connections. So....USeLESS IDEA #3722:


I was reading in the IEEE Spectrum magazine last year (a magazine for
electrical engineers) about charging electric vehicles. One method
involves no direct electrical connection to the car but is instead
"Inductively Coupled". Basically, many turns of wire in the power
connector and many turns of wire in the car and the power connector
produces a magnetic field that couples to the one on the car causing
charging. The unit on the charger and the unit on the car are sealed
so there are no exposed connecions at all.
Do the same thing for shore power. I suspect that you could not
really power a lot at a time this way but it would keep a bank of
batteries charged and allow you to run lights and a few low wattage
things. The beauty is that you could drop the shore power end into
the water without causing any problem since it is sealed with no wires
exposed to the water. There would be no ground problems.
Worthwhile?

--
Glenn Ashmore

I'm building a 45' cutter in strip/composite. Watch my progress (or lack
there of) at: http://www.rutuonline.com
Shameless Commercial Division: http://www.spade-anchor-us.com

Glenn Ashmore wrote:

What you describe is electrically the same as an isolation transformer.
Pull out your wallet and call Charles Industries.

Yeah, but be prepared for Huge, Expensive, and Heavy.


Parallax wrote:

My near death experience a few years ago swimming in the water in a
marina with a bad ground got me thinking about shore power
connections. So....USeLESS IDEA #3722:


I was reading in the IEEE Spectrum magazine last year (a magazine for
electrical engineers) about charging electric vehicles. One method
involves no direct electrical connection to the car but is instead
"Inductively Coupled". Basically, many turns of wire in the power
connector and many turns of wire in the car and the power connector
produces a magnetic field that couples to the one on the car causing
charging. The unit on the charger and the unit on the car are sealed
so there are no exposed connecions at all.
Do the same thing for shore power. I suspect that you could not
really power a lot at a time this way but it would keep a bank of
batteries charged and allow you to run lights and a few low wattage
things. The beauty is that you could drop the shore power end into
the water without causing any problem since it is sealed with no wires
exposed to the water. There would be no ground problems.
Worthwhile?

What you are describing is a transformer. It could work but the size of the
connector necessary would be rather large and awkward. Goo idea though.
My electric toothbrush uses this exact approach.

Doug

"Parallax" wrote in message
om...
My near death experience a few years ago swimming in the water in a
marina with a bad ground got me thinking about shore power
connections. So....USeLESS IDEA #3722:


I was reading in the IEEE Spectrum magazine last year (a magazine for
electrical engineers) about charging electric vehicles. One method
involves no direct electrical connection to the car but is instead
"Inductively Coupled". Basically, many turns of wire in the power
connector and many turns of wire in the car and the power connector
produces a magnetic field that couples to the one on the car causing
charging. The unit on the charger and the unit on the car are sealed
so there are no exposed connecions at all.
Do the same thing for shore power. I suspect that you could not
really power a lot at a time this way but it would keep a bank of
batteries charged and allow you to run lights and a few low wattage
things. The beauty is that you could drop the shore power end into
the water without causing any problem since it is sealed with no wires
exposed to the water. There would be no ground problems.
Worthwhile?

x-no-archive:yes
(Parallax) wrote:

My near death experience a few years ago swimming in the water in a
marina with a bad ground got me thinking about shore power
connections. So....USeLESS IDEA #3722:


I was reading in the IEEE Spectrum magazine last year (a magazine for
electrical engineers) about charging electric vehicles. One method
involves no direct electrical connection to the car but is instead
"Inductively Coupled". Basically, many turns of wire in the power

This is the way the EV1 is powered - the electric car that was put out
for lease in California a couple of years ago. The car end of the
cord looks like a paddle that is inserted into a slot in the charger.

connector and many turns of wire in the car and the power connector
produces a magnetic field that couples to the one on the car causing
charging. The unit on the charger and the unit on the car are sealed
so there are no exposed connecions at all.
Do the same thing for shore power. I suspect that you could not
really power a lot at a time this way but it would keep a bank of
batteries charged and allow you to run lights and a few low wattage
things. The beauty is that you could drop the shore power end into
the water without causing any problem since it is sealed with no wires
exposed to the water. There would be no ground problems.
Worthwhile?

The 'land based' end of this is a big heavy installation. I would
think it would be too big and heavy for most docks and in addition I'd
think (although I am not an engineer) that getting the electricity to
the docking station would be as much or more of a problem as the
electric that's there now.

I don't think you mean that you could drop the shore power end into
the water safely...

If you drop the shore power end of the cord into the water with the
other end plugged into the boat, it won't cause a problem (except
corrosion). It's if the BOAT end of the cord gets into the water with
the shore power end plugged in that there's a problem. I've seen the
shore power plug dropped in the water several times. That's why
safety rules suggest that the shore power end should always be
connected last and disconnected first.


grandma Rosalie

"Doug Dotson" wrote in message ...
What you are describing is a transformer. It could work but the size of the
connector necessary would be rather large and awkward. Goo idea though.
My electric toothbrush uses this exact approach.

Doug

"Parallax" wrote in message
om...
My near death experience a few years ago swimming in the water in a
marina with a bad ground got me thinking about shore power
connections. So....USeLESS IDEA #3722:


I was reading in the IEEE Spectrum magazine last year (a magazine for
electrical engineers) about charging electric vehicles. One method
involves no direct electrical connection to the car but is instead
"Inductively Coupled". Basically, many turns of wire in the power
connector and many turns of wire in the car and the power connector
produces a magnetic field that couples to the one on the car causing
charging. The unit on the charger and the unit on the car are sealed
so there are no exposed connecions at all.
Do the same thing for shore power. I suspect that you could not
really power a lot at a time this way but it would keep a bank of
batteries charged and allow you to run lights and a few low wattage
things. The beauty is that you could drop the shore power end into
the water without causing any problem since it is sealed with no wires
exposed to the water. There would be no ground problems.
Worthwhile?

I'd forgotten about electric toothbrush chargers.