Both watts (W) and volt-amperes (VA) are units of measurement for electrical power. Watts refer to “real power,” while volt-amperes refer to “apparent power.” Usually, electronic products show one or ...

A decade or so ago, I designed a simple circuit that included a quad optoisolator arranged in a full-wave analog-multiplier bridge (Figure 1). It sensed and calculated watts of ac-power consumption ...

Q: I have a newly converted condo (it used to be an apartment), and it has electric wall heaters. They are 220 volts. I also have an electric fireplace with a built-in heater. Cheesy yes, but instant ...

Mark Persons shares why a multimeter is his go-to instrument for initially figuring out what is going on or going wrong in a ...

Analog topologies abound for converting current to voltage, voltage to current, voltage to frequency, and frequency to voltage, among other conversions. Figure 1 joins the flock while singing a ...

This popular article was originally published in the Jan. 16, 2019, issue of Radio World and Jan. 24, here at the website. Understanding electronics and electronic troubleshooting starts with knowing ...

You can also read this article online as part of the Article Series: What’s the Difference Between Watts, RMS and More. Both watts (W) and volt-amperes (VA) are units of measurement for electrical ...