Newsgroups: sci.electronics
Path: utzoo!henry
From: henry@zoo.toronto.edu (Henry Spencer)
Subject: Re: American electronics on European power?
Message-ID: <1990Aug1.162725.20010@zoo.toronto.edu>
Organization: U of Toronto Zoology
References: <1990Jul31.154929.27950@ux1.cso.uiuc.edu>
Date: Wed, 1 Aug 90 16:27:25 GMT

In article <1990Jul31.154929.27950@ux1.cso.uiuc.edu> slbg6790@uxa.cso.uiuc.edu (Mephisto) writes:
>... All of these are designed to run on good old 60 Hz/120 VAC
>power.  Is there some way I can use the European 50 Hz/220 VAC power
>grid to set up my own little Ameri-friendly power grid?  A monstrous
>transformer might solve the voltage conversion problem, but the cyclic
>base is beyond me...

Changing the frequency is really only practical by brute force:  a motor-
generator set or the electronic equivalent.  I would call this impractical
for home use.

> Is the cyclic rate really that important?  I'd
>really rather not leave my toys behind.

Unfortunately, the only real answer is "it depends".  A lot of the most
modern equipment really doesn't care very much, notably most things with
switching power supplies.  If you look at the little labels on the back,
many of them will say "50-60 Hz", or something even more tolerant like
"48-62 Hz".  (A good many of them, in fact, don't care whether the incoming
voltage is 110 or 220, although you need to change power cords AND FUSES
to convert.  Others need a switch flipped or a little gizmo taken out and
reinserted in a different position, but will run on 220.)

However, transformers have trouble running at lower frequencies than they
are designed for, so anything electronic that is labelled "60 Hz" may be
in trouble.  I don't think there's any easy way around it.

There are also issues of regulatory approval, notably for anything that
has to attach to phone lines.  Quite apart from the problems of different
connectors, US approval means nothing abroad, and making the connection
legally may be impossible.  (The modem situation in Germany, in particular,
was pretty grim last I heard.)  Don't expect them to be as easygoing about
unauthorized connections, either.  Of particular note is that the fire
insurance on your home may be invalid if unapproved (meaning, not approved
by the local authorities, foreign approvals notwithstanding) is plugged in.
-- 
The 486 is to a modern CPU as a Jules  | Henry Spencer at U of Toronto Zoology
Verne reprint is to a modern SF novel. |  henry@zoo.toronto.edu   utzoo!henry