Abstract: A DC power plant generating DC power from a variety of engines including a Stirling cycle engine. The DC power plant includes a relatively small start-up power source that is discontinued after the engine is running. A method for producing DC power for a load including starting up an engine using power supplied by a relatively small power supply supplemented by a capacitor bank, providing output from the engine to a generator, producing alternating current (AC) power by the generator, converting the AC power to direct current (DC) power, disabling output of the DC power during a first set of pre-selected conditions, limiting a rate of change of current of the DC power during a second set of pre-selected conditions, reducing conducted and radiated emissions of the DC power, disconnecting the DC power from the load under a third set of pre-selected conditions, and providing the DC power to the load.

Abstract: An improved bed-lighting mechanism having a headboard (10) and footboard (11) attached perpendicular to left (12) and right (13) side rails which have left (20) and right (21) cable guards attached beneath and parallel to them, respectively. Four-foot (14A and 14B) and six-foot (17A and 17B) bedposts sandwich four-foot (15) and six-foot (18) fluorescent-light tubes and are attached perpendicular to the corner joint formed by the headboard (10) and footboard (11) to the left (12) and right (13) side rails. End caps (16 and 19) sit atop and below the bedposts (14A, 14B, 17A, and 17B). The fluorescent-light tubes (15 and 18) are encased by protective plastic sheaths (54). A ballast and switch box (55) houses a ballast (25) that powers the two, four-foot fluorescent-light tubes (15) and a ballast (26) that powers the two, six-foot fluorescent-light tubes (18).