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Old 05-03-2018, 11:56 AM   #1
Stormcrow
 
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Default Power High-Tech into Ultra-Tech

RE: GURPS High-Tech, GURPS Ultra-Tech

Starting at TL9, devices use standardized power cells. Prior to TL9, devices use batteries, which are standardized for game purposes.

How do you deal with technologies that are developed in the high-tech era and are listed in High-Tech with batteries when you're playing in an ultra-tech setting that uses power cells, but where the older technology hasn't been supplanted?

For example, if the foo emerges in TL6, uses two Small batteries at TL6, and only undergoes quality improvements since then, what kind of power cell and how many should a foo be using in TL10?
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Old 05-03-2018, 11:58 AM   #2
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Default Re: Power High-Tech into Ultra-Tech

I use the batteries-to-cells conversion ratios that have been finally revealed after all these years . . . in Psi-Tech of all places.
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Old 05-03-2018, 12:01 PM   #3
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Default Re: Power High-Tech into Ultra-Tech

P.S.: I'm not looking to find out how much real-life energy batteries or power cells represent.

P.P.S.: Assume you can't find the TL10 foo in Ultra-Tech, because it emerged in TL6 and hasn't been changed since then except for the minor improvements of TL advancement (smaller, more powerful, etc.).
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Old 05-03-2018, 12:07 PM   #4
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Default Re: Power High-Tech into Ultra-Tech

Quote:
Originally Posted by vicky_molokh View Post
I use the batteries-to-cells conversion ratios that have been finally revealed after all these years . . . in Psi-Tech of all places.
I saw that quote in another thread: "The rechargeable power cells in GURPS Ultra-Tech store approximately four times the energy of the same weight of non-rechargeable batteries from GURPS High-Tech."

Which is just great, because batteries' weights go 0.02, 0.1, 0.33, 2, 10, 50, while power cells' weights go 0.0005, 0.005, 0.05, 0.5, 5, 20, 200. Sigh.
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Old 05-03-2018, 12:55 PM   #5
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Default Re: Power High-Tech into Ultra-Tech

My off-the-cuff conversions:

Tiny battery (watch, hearing aid) > AA power cell
XS battery (AAA, AA, 9V) > A cell
Small battery (C, D) > B cell
Medium battery (laptop, lantern) > C cell
Large battery (ATVs, go-karts) > D cell
Very Large battery (cars) > E cell

It's not a perfect fit, especially at the upper end, but the lower end consumer electronics level matches up decently enough for my use.
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Old 05-04-2018, 03:25 PM   #6
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Default Re: Power High-Tech into Ultra-Tech

Power cells are bit odd in Ultra-Tech since originally there was going to be normal power cells which powered high output devices like energy weapons and EM guns and then what amounted to Ultra-Tech batteries that run for longer but don't discharge quick enough to power energy weapons. This idea got scrapped when the order came down to hide the numbers.

TL9 powers cells hold (as of Ultra-Tech, this may change once the VDS comes out) 180kj per pound but can discharge up to 180kw.

I don't have the numbers for TL9 batteries but if I had to guess they would have a discharge rate of 2kw and a energy storage of 1,800kj per pound.
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Old 05-04-2018, 03:58 PM   #7
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Default Re: Power High-Tech into Ultra-Tech

Power cells appear to be, not conventional batteries, but something more like supercapacitors, in terms of their incredibly high short-term energy output.
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Old 05-04-2018, 06:11 PM   #8
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Default Re: Power High-Tech into Ultra-Tech

Quote:
Originally Posted by whswhs View Post
Power cells appear to be, not conventional batteries, but something more like supercapacitors, in terms of their incredibly high short-term energy output.
Yeah, that's pretty much what they are. David described them as being superconductive loops at TL9.

However like I said in the above post there was supposed to be a battery version of the power cells (like the difference between power cells and power packs in Transhuman Space) but was cut to keep things simple. This of course means that you'll get nonsense values if you try to compare how long power cells last in say a radar set when compared to a laser rifle.

Now that being said, the closest thing for a RAW answer is pg. 8 of Psi-Tech which as has been stated already is 4x the capacity of TL8 batteries.

In this case:

B cell holds 10× the capacity of an Tiny Battery. Two B cells weigh as much as an Extra-Small Battery and holds 4× the capacity.
C cell holds 6× as much as a Small Battery.
D cell holds 10× as much as an medium battery.

E and F cells are special cases as they hold 2.5× as much for their weight as normal power cells.
E cells 20× as much as a Large Battery.
F cells hold 40× as much as a Very Large Battery.

However I must add in the caveat that David has stated that he did stat the 4× as much in his manuscript and was added in during the editing processes.
So while now technically RAW, it was not the authors intent.
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Old 05-04-2018, 06:16 PM   #9
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Default Re: Power High-Tech into Ultra-Tech

You could use current experimental or cutting-edge batteries such as zinc-air batteries. Statistics for those are available online. I think a search of "energy density" will find information.
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