22 Jan
2011
22 Jan
'11
11:44 a.m.
On Sat, Jan 22, 2011 at 11:55 AM, Tony Duell <ard at p850ug1.demon.co.uk> wrote:
In the UK, all 'portable' power tools used
industirally (for example an
electric dril lused ona buildingsite) must be 110V units, powered from an
isolating transformer with the outptu centre-tapped to ground. The idea
is that if there's an insulation failuer, the worst shock the user could
receive is 55V, which is unlikely to be fatal.
So if you were to go to a store that sells routers or maybe a benchtop
drill press with a 1hp induction motor, that would be 115 volts?
Over here, portabel transformers giving 110V are quite
common. They are
often rated at 3000VA (the maximum we can get from a UK 13A socket
outlet) and have a pair of 110V 16A output sockets.
The 110 lines here are usually rates at 15 amps, but can sometimes be
rated at 20 amps with (or sometimes without) a special plug with one
of the spades rotated 90 degrees. I'd like to be able to handle the
20 amps, although 15 would probably be enough.
Even if you're `just' an enthusiast, scuh a
transformer is worth having.
Some power tools, particularly, the industrial-spcification ones only
come in 110V versions. And although the output is centre-tapped to earth
rather than having one side earthed, the transformer is useful for
running US stuff over here, at least for testing (I made up a cable with
a BS4343 plug on one end and a US socket on the other).
These transfoemrs are not particuarly cheap (I would
guess perhaps $200
or so), and they are not light, so shipping might be expensive. But they
are designed to run power tools.
This sounds like what I'm after. Can you point me at one online somewhere?
brian