Re: electronic components

[palmer@sfu.ca (Leigh Palmer)]

> FYI:  In our situation with the nominal 12 v bulbs we use, using 6 v to
> charge the NEC SuperCaps (0.49 F, 11 v), the discharge time (when the
> batteries have been removed from the circuit) from close of tap switch
> until the filament does not glow is about 20 sec.

Of course using a tungsten filament bulb heated to incandescence makes
the discharge curve differ significantly from an exponential. That is
a demonstration I do in lecture and which I think the students also do
in their laboratory (it is a separately credited course here at SFU).
Figuring a "time constant" for that example will yield values for all
parameters which are in error because of the implicit assumption of an
ohmic  I-V characteristic for the light bulb.

Leigh