How do we know when 120V US socket strip can handle Europe 2

whit3rd wrote:
No,m of course not; that's because there's no approved way (and
no fire-code permission) to put 240VAC onto any three-prong 120VAC
receptacle. The presumption is that someone would plug a
120VAC appliance into that socket, and cause a hazard.

When I lived in the US, you could buy three prong 240 volt 15 amp plugs
for electronic equipment. They looked like regular plugs except the hot
and neutral pins were horizontal.

Outlet strips were available, but they were metal with phenolic sockets,
designed to be used in equipment cabinets, not the cheap plastic ones
that abound now.


There were also special 20 and 30 amp plugs for dryers and air conditioners.

Up until sometime in the 1970's you could buy a 230 volt clothes dryer
with a 120 volt timer and motor. The 120 volt parts were wired between
one of the phases and ground.

Geoff.
--
Geoffrey S. Mendelson, N3OWJ/4X1GM/KBUH7245/KBUW5379
 
On 18/05/2014 21:51, Jessie Williams wrote:
Yes. That's exactly what I am asking about.
The question is how I can be sure the US power strip can handle 240 volts.

Open it up and check there is nothing that might not like 240V in it.

--

Brian Gregory (in the UK).
To email me please remove all the letter vee from my email address.
 
On 20/05/2014 07:09, Geoffrey S. Mendelson wrote:
Switching supplies are not all the same, and some just convert the incoming
power to 400Hz (or higher) AC,run it through a transformer and reduce it
to the outgoing voltage with a regulator. If the device is plugged into
a 120 volt socket, the output voltage of the transformer is 15 volts,
if it is plugged into a 240 volt socket, it would be 30 volts.

That would be really dumb.
The power supply would run really hot on 240V and nice and cool on 120V.

In fact the converter you describe that generates the higher frequency
AC will be adjusting itself so that the transformer output is more or
less the same voltage no matter what the incoming mains voltage is.

--

Brian Gregory (in the UK).
To email me please remove all the letter vee from my email address.
 
"Brian Gregory"

Yes. That's exactly what I am asking about.
The question is how I can be sure the US power strip can handle 240
volts.

Open it up and check there is nothing that might not like 240V in it.

** The OP simply has to make sure any varistors are rated at 275VAC,
suppression caps have the same voltage rating and are marked class X1 or
2 - oh, and neon lights must have series resistors of 180 kohms or higher.

Varistors must only be wired from active to neutral, never to ground.

If in doubt, just remove the lot with side cutters.

Dead simple.



..... Phil
 
On 5/22/2014 6:13 AM, Phil Allison wrote:
"Brian Gregory"

Yes. That's exactly what I am asking about.
The question is how I can be sure the US power strip can handle 240
volts.

Open it up and check there is nothing that might not like 240V in it.


** The OP simply has to make sure any varistors are rated at 275VAC,
suppression caps have the same voltage rating and are marked class X1 or
2 - oh, and neon lights must have series resistors of 180 kohms or higher.

Varistors must only be wired from active to neutral, never to ground.

If in doubt, just remove the lot with side cutters.

Dead simple.



.... Phil

What's dead simple is that you should NEVER used stuff rated for a max
of 120v
on higher than 120V...PERIOD.
Emphasis on the DEAD.
Whether it works is irrelevant.
It's ill-advised, dangerous, prone to fire, illegal,
probably voids your insurance...and then, there's that dead part.

It's not a self-regulated process that rids the world of idiots.
When you burn the place down, your reckless incompetence seriously
affects others.
Get properly rated equipment...PERIOD!!

Take it from someone who was completely burned out by the idiot
in the adjacent apartment.
 
On 5/22/2014 6:13 AM, Phil Allison wrote:
"Brian Gregory"

Yes. That's exactly what I am asking about.
The question is how I can be sure the US power strip can handle 240
volts.

Open it up and check there is nothing that might not like 240V in it.


** The OP simply has to make sure any varistors are rated at 275VAC,
suppression caps have the same voltage rating and are marked class X1 or
2 - oh, and neon lights must have series resistors of 180 kohms or higher.

Varistors must only be wired from active to neutral, never to ground.

If in doubt, just remove the lot with side cutters.

Dead simple.

All true, but that's a lot of work to avoid buying a 240V power strip. A
lot of the lower cost strips can't be easily opened either.

I like this one <http://www.amazon.com/dp/B003TXRTNG> which gives you
three U.S. outlets and 2 USB ports that provide a total of 1.5A. Enough
current to charge a tablet and a phone though not enough to be using the
device at the same time as it's being charged. Very compact. Still need
a plug adapter though.
 
On 5/22/2014 3:24 PM, mike wrote:

<snip>

What's dead simple is that you should NEVER used stuff rated for a max
of 120v
on higher than 120V...PERIOD.
Emphasis on the DEAD.
Whether it works is irrelevant.
It's ill-advised, dangerous, prone to fire, illegal,

It's actually none of those.

probably voids your insurance...and then, there's that dead part.

It's not a self-regulated process that rids the world of idiots.
When you burn the place down, your reckless incompetence seriously
affects others.
Get properly rated equipment...PERIOD!!

A "properly rated" 240V power strip would have thinner conductors. It
would be no more dangerous because it would also have a lower amperage
circuit breaker.

Take it from someone who was completely burned out by the idiot
in the adjacent apartment.

Whatever caused the fire it was certainly not someone using a 120V power
strip on 240V.

As many others have pointed out, the power strip is actually safer on
240V because the current is much lower for the same wattage.

However the downside is that it would be possible to overload the 240V
circuit, which is probably not a 15A circuit, and the circuit breaker in
the power strip would not blow (but the circuit breaker in the breaker
panel would trip).
 
On 5/22/2014 4:23 PM, sms wrote:
On 5/22/2014 3:24 PM, mike wrote:

snip

What's dead simple is that you should NEVER used stuff rated for a max
of 120v
on higher than 120V...PERIOD.
Emphasis on the DEAD.
Whether it works is irrelevant.
It's ill-advised, dangerous, prone to fire, illegal,

It's actually none of those.

probably voids your insurance...and then, there's that dead part.

It's not a self-regulated process that rids the world of idiots.
When you burn the place down, your reckless incompetence seriously
affects others.
Get properly rated equipment...PERIOD!!

A "properly rated" 240V power strip would have thinner conductors. It
would be no more dangerous because it would also have a lower amperage
circuit breaker.

Take it from someone who was completely burned out by the idiot
in the adjacent apartment.

Whatever caused the fire it was certainly not someone using a 120V power
strip on 240V.
Must be nice to know everything for CERTAIN.

As many others have pointed out, the power strip is actually safer on
240V because the current is much lower for the same wattage.

However the downside is that it would be possible to overload the 240V
circuit, which is probably not a 15A circuit, and the circuit breaker in
the power strip would not blow (but the circuit breaker in the breaker
panel would trip).
It's people like you, making grand declarations based on PART of the
problem that cause so much grief in the world.
There are many people who will actually believe that you told them
it was safe.
The other issue is that the internet is forever. Years from now,
some newbie does a google search and sees your missive out of context.

What is it about doubling the voltage on a system and routing it to
sockets that invite you to plug in devices rated at half the voltage
do you think is a good idea?

Think back about all the screwups in your past.
The things you thought about and carefully analyzed are usually NOT
the things that caused you grief.
It's the things you didn't consider that cause most of the problem.
Must be nice to be all-knowing.

Sorry about the tone. I get upset when people advise stupid things
that might result in harm to others.
 
"mike"
Phil Allison wrote:
"Brian Gregory"

Yes. That's exactly what I am asking about.
The question is how I can be sure the US power strip can handle 240
volts.

Open it up and check there is nothing that might not like 240V in it.


** The OP simply has to make sure any varistors are rated at 275VAC,
suppression caps have the same voltage rating and are marked class X1 or
2 - oh, and neon lights must have series resistors of 180 kohms or
higher.

Varistors must only be wired from active to neutral, never to ground.

If in doubt, just remove the lot with side cutters.

Dead simple.



What's dead simple is that you should NEVER used stuff rated for a max of
120v on higher than 120V...PERIOD.

** My post was basically facetious - pointing out that one has to be expert
in identifying components like varistors and X1 caps in order to " .. check
there is nothing that might not like 240V in it ".


Emphasis on the DEAD.
Whether it works is irrelevant.
It's ill-advised, dangerous, prone to fire, illegal,
probably voids your insurance...and then, there's that dead part.

** Well, all the parts I mentioned would fail quickly if not rated for 240V
operation.

There might be a loud bang, but definitely no fire hazard.


Take it from someone who was completely burned out by the idiot
in the adjacent apartment.

** That must have been very distressing.



..... Phil
 
On Thu, 22 May 2014 16:15:01 -0700, sms <scharf.steven@geemail.com>
wrote:

On 5/22/2014 6:13 AM, Phil Allison wrote:
"Brian Gregory"

Yes. That's exactly what I am asking about.
The question is how I can be sure the US power strip can handle 240
volts.

Open it up and check there is nothing that might not like 240V in it.


** The OP simply has to make sure any varistors are rated at 275VAC,
suppression caps have the same voltage rating and are marked class X1 or
2 - oh, and neon lights must have series resistors of 180 kohms or higher.

Varistors must only be wired from active to neutral, never to ground.

If in doubt, just remove the lot with side cutters.

Dead simple.

All true, but that's a lot of work to avoid buying a 240V power strip. A
lot of the lower cost strips can't be easily opened either.

I like this one <http://www.amazon.com/dp/B003TXRTNG> which gives you
three U.S. outlets and 2 USB ports that provide a total of 1.5A. Enough
current to charge a tablet and a phone though not enough to be using the
device at the same time as it's being charged. Very compact. Still need
a plug adapter though.
And exactly where does it state it is useable for 240 volts? The USB
port power supply may very well NOT be rated for 240, to start with.
 
On Thu, 22 May 2014 17:33:58 -0700, mike <ham789@netzero.net> wrote:

On 5/22/2014 4:23 PM, sms wrote:
On 5/22/2014 3:24 PM, mike wrote:

snip

What's dead simple is that you should NEVER used stuff rated for a max
of 120v
on higher than 120V...PERIOD.
Emphasis on the DEAD.
Whether it works is irrelevant.
It's ill-advised, dangerous, prone to fire, illegal,

It's actually none of those.

probably voids your insurance...and then, there's that dead part.

It's not a self-regulated process that rids the world of idiots.
When you burn the place down, your reckless incompetence seriously
affects others.
Get properly rated equipment...PERIOD!!

A "properly rated" 240V power strip would have thinner conductors. It
would be no more dangerous because it would also have a lower amperage
circuit breaker.

Take it from someone who was completely burned out by the idiot
in the adjacent apartment.

Whatever caused the fire it was certainly not someone using a 120V power
strip on 240V.
Must be nice to know everything for CERTAIN.

As many others have pointed out, the power strip is actually safer on
240V because the current is much lower for the same wattage.

However the downside is that it would be possible to overload the 240V
circuit, which is probably not a 15A circuit, and the circuit breaker in
the power strip would not blow (but the circuit breaker in the breaker
panel would trip).
It's people like you, making grand declarations based on PART of the
problem that cause so much grief in the world.
There are many people who will actually believe that you told them
it was safe.
The other issue is that the internet is forever. Years from now,
some newbie does a google search and sees your missive out of context.

What is it about doubling the voltage on a system and routing it to
sockets that invite you to plug in devices rated at half the voltage
do you think is a good idea?

Think back about all the screwups in your past.
The things you thought about and carefully analyzed are usually NOT
the things that caused you grief.
It's the things you didn't consider that cause most of the problem.
Must be nice to be all-knowing.

Sorry about the tone. I get upset when people advise stupid things
that might result in harm to others.
Every electrical plug on board Carnival's ships (and a lot more)
will accept both 240 euro (round pin), Japanese 240 (parallel blade)
and American 120 volt parallel blade plugs.. They are labeled 240
volts only.

So do the same with the power bar.
It is NOT a safety issue unless it becomes a stupidity issue.
 
On 5/22/2014 6:54 PM, clare@snyder.on.ca wrote:
On Thu, 22 May 2014 17:33:58 -0700, mike <ham789@netzero.net> wrote:

On 5/22/2014 4:23 PM, sms wrote:
On 5/22/2014 3:24 PM, mike wrote:

snip

What's dead simple is that you should NEVER used stuff rated for a max
of 120v
on higher than 120V...PERIOD.
Emphasis on the DEAD.
Whether it works is irrelevant.
It's ill-advised, dangerous, prone to fire, illegal,

It's actually none of those.

probably voids your insurance...and then, there's that dead part.

It's not a self-regulated process that rids the world of idiots.
When you burn the place down, your reckless incompetence seriously
affects others.
Get properly rated equipment...PERIOD!!

A "properly rated" 240V power strip would have thinner conductors. It
would be no more dangerous because it would also have a lower amperage
circuit breaker.

Take it from someone who was completely burned out by the idiot
in the adjacent apartment.

Whatever caused the fire it was certainly not someone using a 120V power
strip on 240V.
Must be nice to know everything for CERTAIN.

As many others have pointed out, the power strip is actually safer on
240V because the current is much lower for the same wattage.

However the downside is that it would be possible to overload the 240V
circuit, which is probably not a 15A circuit, and the circuit breaker in
the power strip would not blow (but the circuit breaker in the breaker
panel would trip).
It's people like you, making grand declarations based on PART of the
problem that cause so much grief in the world.
There are many people who will actually believe that you told them
it was safe.
The other issue is that the internet is forever. Years from now,
some newbie does a google search and sees your missive out of context.

What is it about doubling the voltage on a system and routing it to
sockets that invite you to plug in devices rated at half the voltage
do you think is a good idea?

Think back about all the screwups in your past.
The things you thought about and carefully analyzed are usually NOT
the things that caused you grief.
It's the things you didn't consider that cause most of the problem.
Must be nice to be all-knowing.

Sorry about the tone. I get upset when people advise stupid things
that might result in harm to others.
Every electrical plug on board Carnival's ships (and a lot more)
will accept both 240 euro (round pin), Japanese 240 (parallel blade)
and American 120 volt parallel blade plugs.. They are labeled 240
volts only.

So do the same with the power bar.
It is NOT a safety issue unless it becomes a stupidity issue.

Virtually EVERY safety regulation is about preventing stupid people
from doing stupid things that might hurt themselves or others.

If you need something done right, look no further than Carnival Cruise
ships.

Next time you get pulled over for speeding, explain to the cop
that the other guy was speeding too. See how far that gets you.

Just because someone else does it, doesn't make it a wise thing to
do.

The attitude expressed here is common. I've had to beat
it out of virtually every engineer I've trained.
 
mike sendte dette med sin computer:
Next time you get pulled over for speeding, explain to the cop
that the other guy was speeding too. See how far that gets you.
Actually (heard on cartalk NPR podcast) in at least one state you can
get a ticket for NOT speeding when everybody else IS speeding.

Leif

--
Husk křrelys bagpĺ, hvis din bilfabrikant har taget den idiotiske
beslutning at undlade det.
 
mike wrote:
The attitude expressed here is common. I've had to beat
it out of virtually every engineer I've trained.

How hard is it to teach someone to push a broom?


--
Anyone wanting to run for any political office in the US should have to
have a DD214, and a honorable discharge.

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clare@snyder.on.ca wrote:
Dumb yank takes everything out of context.
Smart Yanks and Canuks know what is being said

Phil is in Oz.


--
Anyone wanting to run for any political office in the US should have to
have a DD214, and a honorable discharge.

---
This email is free from viruses and malware because avast! Antivirus protection is active.
http://www.avast.com
 

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