Converters are not the way to compare. PowerCrystals has his own view on conversion ratios, so if one made other converters, relative efficiency would change.
The power converters default ratio for EU, MJ, and Steam is exact/pretty close to the ingame options except for conversion to EU where you get about 60% more than equally free in game method.
Like EU to MJ 5:2 is the same as electric engine with efficiency upgrade.
Steam 5:1 MJ is the same as railcraft's MJ engines.
His factorization and UE numbers are off, but for the release in ultimate factorization did not have the steam generator. Factorization newer version that uses steam directly gave an easy reference point for charge. UE is hard to pin down the conversion in game, but in later versions the mod internally values 100 AE watts at 1mj and 40 AE watts as 1 EU.
As an additional reference point applied energistics converts to its internal power units in the following ratio 5 units = 1 MJ, 2.5 EU, 100 AE Watts). Same ratios as you get basing the conversions of electrical engines and UE's internal ratio.
Going to EU does not match up to in game options because it has to be the inverse of the items above. If you tied it to steam turbine or lava/magma crucibles you would get about 60% lower output. You can't do that and keep a lossless system as 1 MJ has to equal 2.5 EU. In game you get about 1-1.5 EU per MJ free, or ~2.5 if you use netherrack in a magma crucible. So it would probably feel too strong if you convert all your input power systems to output EU as a final output. If you use EU as your distance transmission lines and convert back to other systems at the end it will make sense.
Powerconverters is not balanced to simulate the ingame conversion available in the mods. It is to allow lossless conversion between the power sources.
For my play, based on my research I have updated the conversion ratio's to the following:
ratios {
I:BuildCraftInternalEnergyPerEachInput=1000
I:BuildCraftInternalEnergyPerEachOutput=1000
I:FactorizationInternalEnergyPerEachInput=80
I:FactorizationInternalEnergyPerEachOutput=80
I:IndustrialCraftInternalEnergyPerEachInput=400
I:IndustrialCraftInternalEnergyPerEachOutput=400
I:SteamInternalEnergyPerEachInput=200
I:SteamInternalEnergyPerEachOutput=200
I:UniversalElectricityInternalEnergyPerEachInput=10
I:UniversalElectricityInternalEnergyPerEachOutput=10
}
Default:
ratios {
I:BuildCraftInternalEnergyPerEachInput=4375
I:BuildCraftInternalEnergyPerEachOutput=4375
I:FactorizationInternalEnergyPerEachInput=1458
I:FactorizationInternalEnergyPerEachOutput=1458
I:IndustrialCraftInternalEnergyPerEachInput=1800
I:IndustrialCraftInternalEnergyPerEachOutput=1800
I:SteamInternalEnergyPerEachInput=875
I:SteamInternalEnergyPerEachOutput=875
I:UniversalElectricityInternalEnergyPerEachInput=10
I:UniversalElectricityInternalEnergyPerEachOutput=10
}
If you wanted to add loss to some or all the conversions you can simply add to the output line.
Based on the default ratios, charge is the best power source, but to get it in bulk you need factorization updated to a version that runs off steam. Run the charge steam turbine directly off a railcraft boiler and you will make a crazy amount of charge which is way overvalued in the default ratios.
