From: advax@reg.triumf.ca (A.Daviel)
Newsgroups: sci.electronics
Subject: Re: 110V -> 220/240Vconversion for appliances
Date: 21 Jan 1993 13:34 PST
Organization: TRIUMF: Tri-University Meson Facility
Distribution: world
NNTP-Posting-Host: reg.triumf.ca
Keywords: Voltage conversion
News-Software: VAX/VMS VNEWS 1.41    

In article <u9222774.727646337@oxygen.sys.uea.ac.uk>, u9222774@sys.uea.ac.uk (A. Moyns) writes...
>apm@kaa.ee.umist.ac.uk (Paul Marriott) writes:
> 
>>I am shortly moving to Canada and have quite a bit of UK electrical
>>equipment to take. Obviously, this is rated at 240V, 50Hz. Whats the
>>deal with transformers to convert 110->240? What sort of power ratings
>>are available? Enough to power a 3KW kettle? Or is it better to buy
>>stuff over there that is rated at 110V?
> 
>You're asking for serious problems here.  3kW, you're talking big transformers!
> 
>>Also, is it possible to wire two outlets in series to get 220V? Or is
>>that asking for trouble!?
> 

I moved to Canada from the UK in '81. The power here is normally 110V 60Hz. 
Single-family houses are fed with two 180degree phases of 110V, plus ground 
(earth) plus neutral. The lights all run off one or other of the 110V phases. 
Electric heating, clothes dryer and range (cooker) all run off 220V. Most 
electrical outlets come in pairs. The outlet pairs in the kitchen are made to 
run off different phases - don't ask me why, I think the idea is that one is 
likely to plug a kettle and toaster into the same outlet pair and they should 
not be on the same circuit breaker (typically 16A).
In some apartment buildings I think that there is 208V 3-phase instead of
220V - I'm not so clear on this, not having lived in one. 

For small stuff, you can use a transformer or autotransformer. It's still 
60Hz though. Transformer get heavy and expensive really quickly; 50W is no 
big deal.

 I got a 60Hz rotor for a record player, and run it with a 
transformer. I have a British-bought dishwasher and washing machine, and run 
them on 220V with no problems. Before I moved I wrote to the manufacturers 
for advice, and got replies ranging from "Go for it" to "It'll never work, 
the widgets will melt, you'll all be doomed, etc.". In view of the absurdly 
low resale value of my relatively new appliances, I went for it.
I presume that the time-dependant portions of 
their cycle run 20% fast, but a lot of it is state-dependant (fill till a 
certain level, heat till a certain temperature, etc.) I also run a British 
iron, boiling jug and blender. For an electonic alarm clock I was fond of I 
rewound the transformer and grounded a frequency-select pin on the chip. I 
also have a British B&W TV that I used to use with a computer, currently 
serving time as a video monitor after adjusting the vertical height (I could 
pick up pictures from a couple of TV stations, but the sound carrier is 
different).


> 
>>Another question is light bulbs. Are 110V bayonet fitting bulbs available
>>or Edison Screw to bayonet converters? 

Haven't seen any. I converted one light fitting by simply substituting a 
screw-type receptacle for the bayonet one.

--
 Andrew Daviel, Vancouver, Canada
Newsgroups: sci.electronics