Australia is officially a 230 volt mains country. - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: HackedFridgeMagnet
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 24, 2012, 01:25:02 am
content: I know everyone in Australia talks about 240v and still will for some time, but In the interest of clarity we should talk about our mains voltage as 230 volt L-N.Apparently this has been the case since 2000. Apparently this puts us into line with NZ and most of Europe.I know the individual supply authorities still give us mains at pre 2000 levels but very gradually this will change.I have heard to that make the switch over to 230 volt without actually changing anything they set the tolerances at 230 volt + 10% or -5%.I just measured a GPO and it read 244.3 volts rms.

author: IanB
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 24, 2012, 01:31:29 am
content: Quote from: HackedFridgeMagnet on May 24, 2012, 01:25:02 amJust the same in the UK. It doesn't mean the voltage will actually change, just that the tolerance for domestic items is wide enough to accommodate a variety of voltages. A huge amount of infrastructure would have to change to physically adjust the UK to 230 V, so it is unlikely to happen. 240 V it is.

author: EEVblog
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: May 24, 2012, 02:17:09 am
content: I doubt I'll ever shake the habit of saying and using 240V. It's just too well entrenched.Just like some people took me to task about using the "wrong" ground and earth symbols in my recent video.Dave.

author: Psi
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 24, 2012, 03:26:32 am
content: Mains here in NZ has always been 240v from the socket for as long as i can remember.(Please don't measure the mains unless you know what you're doing.)

author: RCMR
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: May 24, 2012, 06:50:24 am
content: Just measured mine (here in NZ) and it is 236.7V but it's dinner time so I suspect the loads are pretty high and the nominal 240V has been drawn down a bit by heating and cooking appliances.

author: vk6zgo
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 24, 2012, 08:28:41 am
content: For many years it was 250volts in Western Australia.The story I heard was that when we changed over from 240v,40Hz,as the transformers,& generating equipment were more efficient at the higher frequency, 250v was pretty much what you got,so it became the WA standard.(Probably an urban myth)The standard Aussie 240v stuff had no problems with the extra 4%,in fact,most of the European 220v stuff handled it with ease also.RANT/ONSome years ago,the lightglobe makers decided it was cheaper to get their product made overseas.Unlike the Oz version,the imported "240v" globes tended to fail early,& it was assumed they didn't like the higher WA voltage.(Apparently,no one thought to ask the other States what kind of life they were getting)!The result was the importation of "260v" globes which were a bit more expensive,& lasted almost as long as the old Oz 240v ones.There was much wailing & gnashing of teeth among a certain section of the populace who wanted to use the cheaper lower voltage globes.The upshot---at great expense,the standard voltage was reduced to 240v in line with the "t'othersiders".Now you could only buy the imported "240v" globes,which ,"wonder of wonders" didn't last any longer than with the higher voltage.Of course,all was now set for the introduction of CFLs,as the incandescents now lasted around 1/4 as long as the old Oz ones,so the lousy life expectancy of the early CFLs didn't look so bad!RANT/OFF

author: CyberWalker
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: May 24, 2012, 10:33:51 am
content: Greece had changed from 220V to 230V around year 2003... almost no-one noticed any difference...! Just saying...

author: Psi
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 24, 2012, 11:10:11 am
content: Quote from: vk6zgo on May 24, 2012, 08:28:41 amI think you can get close to 250V in NZ if your house has the 11kV transformer right outside.Someone told me, but i've never actually confirmed it.

author: Pentium100
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: May 24, 2012, 09:35:36 pm
content: Quote from: EEVblog on May 24, 2012, 02:17:09 amSame for me and 220V, even though the actual voltage now is 230V.

author: Monkeh
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 25, 2012, 01:34:26 am
content: Quote from: Psi on May 24, 2012, 11:10:11 amTolerance should be +/-10%, so 253V max. So yes, during off-peak times you can easily be around there. I've had about 248V here myself. About 246V right now.

author: Psi
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 25, 2012, 01:45:10 am
content: A lot of mains caps in appliances are only rated to 250VAC.Little worrying if ya get 253V out of the socket

author: Monkeh
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 25, 2012, 01:47:37 am
content: Quote from: Psi on May 25, 2012, 01:45:10 amBecause at that point, 3V is going to make things explode, of course.There's a fair amount of leeway with that figure.

author: Psi
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 25, 2012, 01:51:20 am
content: Quote from: Monkeh on May 25, 2012, 01:47:37 amI know, but it will shorten the lifespan.

author: RCMR
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: May 25, 2012, 02:48:24 am
content: Quote from: Monkeh on May 25, 2012, 01:47:37 amUnless it's a "Won Hung Lo" brand of course ;-)