Conversion of USA 110 Volt 60Hz to 220 Volt 50 Hz

Hello,

I did some research on the matter of converting USA electrical current to EU/AU/NZ current. As a lot of you know there is a problem in using USA electrical tool in country that use a different volt/Hz system.
The USA use a 110 volt 60 Hz system while Europe, Australia and New Zealand use a 120 volt 50 Hz system.
Converting the Volt it is "easy"; for doing this there are "step down transformer" that are able to downsize the voltage.
The cost changes in function of the Watt and you can look for the better offer in your country. Be careful when you choose one that is able to support your favorite power tool Wattage. (remember that Watt =volt x Amps, so for example the Byrnes table saw that is 2 Amps will need at least 220 Watt in fact 110 Volt x 2 Amps= 220 watt).
Now the tricky part, the Hz. The Hz's represent the frequency that the AC is delivered.
Using a tool that is designed for 60 Hz into a 50 Hz system can create some problems as the motor will not perform at the same level but it will tend to go slower. This could cause stress to the motor, overheating and risk of burning. On the long term the life of the motor could result shorter. Obviously a lot depends how long the tool is used continuously.
Now, is it possible to change the Frequency?

1) There are some tool available for this, but a ready-to-go solution as for example this http://www.behlman.com/powpasce.htm
a system as this is very pricy (more than 2000 Euro at least).

2)I talked with a friend of mine who is an electronic engineer and he came up with an idea. This is NOT TESTED if you want give it a try do it at your own risk but if you do it let me know it it works Smile

I'm trying to find out if this a doable system or not. I will keep you posted.
The idea is to use a transformer to convert 220 volt 50Hz AC in 12 volt DC then connect an inverter to convert the DC 12 volt in 110 volt 60Hz AC. The transformer should be able to output more Watt then the needed ones to compensate the loose of power it could happen between the transformer to the inverter. Draw back of this, according to my friend is the fact that it would produce quite a bit of heat. The advantage is that it would be cheap, as an inverter could be found quite cheaply on internet for example here. http://www.voltageconverters.com/inverters_110v.html

3)Another solution that is more expensive could be using a Digital UPS system that allow you to change the Hz in output, in this way you can connect the UPS to the outlet, the current that will be outputted by the will be 220 at 60Hz then you set it down using a normal Step down transformer. The cost of this solution obviously comes from the cost of the UPS system that could be around 300-600 Euro.

This is my research so far, if you have other idea or suggestion I would happy to know.

Cheers

Marco

Posted: Sat Oct 07, 2006 9:00 am • Post subject:

Today I was discussing with one guy at an electronic shop and he was mentioning the fact that a lot of motor actually work at DC so basically they have a switch that convert the AC to DC independently by the Hz. For example Makita label his tools to be usable with 50/60 Hz in this case you just need a step down transformer.

I wonder if the motor that Byrnes uses for his tool have the 50/60 feature.

Cheers

Marco

It will be interesting what Jim will report when he tried and used his new Byrnes saw and sander which he ordered, or how he solved this problem.....?

Posted: Sat Oct 07, 2006 9:40 am • Post subject:

Hi Marco,

The man you need to speak to is Dirk (Kelvin12) an Australian MSW member and keen collector of as many electric gadgets as is humanly possible. I know for a fact that he has bought American made tools and a transformer of some description so that he can use them no matter what the voltage or Hz.
At present he is taking a few days vacation in Van Diemen's Land but should be back in a week or two. When he does get home I'll point him towards your posts and I'm sure he will be willing to give any advice he can. Either that or you can send him a PM and wait for his reply.

Greg.

Posted: Mon Oct 16, 2006 7:32 am • Post subject:

The use of 60Hz machines on 50Hz supply will mean the motor rotating at 5/6 of its intended speed. Apart from the slower speed their could be greater heat build up in the motor. The answer to this is to not run the machine continuousely but give it a few minutes cool period every 10

Posted: Mon Oct 16, 2006 9:49 pm • Post subject:

Hi folks, I have been using a Jim Byrnes saw and sander via a transformer on Aussie power supplies for about a year now. To date, I have not had any heat or speed problems with either machine, BUT also, I do not push "the envelope" too greatly. However, the transformer I am using is a reasonably robust unit. It came with a plug pack that allows me to run about 6 machines from it - so I am assuming it is of "industrial" capacity.

I do my cutting and sanding in batches, allowing the machine to cool for a few minutes about every 20 to thirty minutes (coffee break PDT_Aliboronz_24

). I recently sanded for about three hours taking an occasional break and the machines just purred on. Top Job!

The only time I have had the saw slow down (and almost stop) was when I was cutting a very dense hardwood using the finer slitting saw (80 tooth). This I think was more an issue with the timber (Phostinia) than the power supply.
Hope this helps

Pat

Posted: Mon Oct 16, 2006 10:45 pm • Post subject:

Thanks Pat for your feedback.
This is actually the point of all the discussion. Do we need to really worry about the hz or not? I think that your test over 1 year period is quite important.

Thanks

Marco

Posted: Mon Oct 16, 2006 10:52 pm • Post subject:

Just on the Byrnes products, I was under the impression that he offered a 240v series of machines especially for the Aussie and English markets. I don't have any of them myself but I am sure I have read about them in this and other forums.

Dirk

Posted: Mon Oct 16, 2006 11:06 pm • Post subject:

Hi Dirk, you may be referring to a discussion I was having where Jim had offered to build a 240V version IF I could provide the motor - this ended up being just too difficult.

cheers

Pat

Posted: Mon Oct 16, 2006 11:21 pm • Post subject:

I can confirm this, he offered to me as well the same deal, but it looks that is not an easy task to find the right motor stand alone.

Marco