Birty Dastards Jeep Club
Tech Forum => Workshop => Topic started by: bgbazz on January 03, 2016, 03:57:14 PM
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Short story first.....
A good mate came over from the US and stayed over Xmas...gifts for everyone! Mine was a Dremel (very handy), but it is set up for the US voltage system and I can't use it.
What's the thing I need? Is it called a transformer, or a converter, or an inverter...or something else?
It's 110 - 120 volts and we use 220 -230 volts here....don't want to fry it (or me). :icon_sad:
I know we have some very talented and experienced sparkies on here.....
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Screwfix do transformers for that sort of thing.....so do Machine Mart...
It's a bit like the ruling here that all trades,on site,should have 110 v stuff.
So you need to be able to use the gear offsite you get a transformer..... About £50 but sometimes can be had cheaper
Nice piece of kit for a pressie you'll get loads of use out of that.....making things fit :icon_biggrin:
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Quite right Jezz...it is a good bit of kit. I'm just about to wear out my 4th Dremel...I use them for heaps of things and I've had just about every accessory you can get for them, but this is the first time I've had one given to me...I didn't have the heart to tell him about the voltage issue.
So, it's a transformer I should be searching for? Bulgarian companies are difficult to deal with at the best of times, so it's important that I ask for the right thing...if you see what I mean.
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So, it's a transformer I should be searching for? Bulgarian companies are difficult to deal with at the best of times, so it's important that I ask for the right thing...if you see what I mean.
Doesn't shouting at them in pidgin English get the message across. Seemed to work for Basil. :lol_hitting:
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So, it's a transformer I should be searching for? Bulgarian companies are difficult to deal with at the best of times, so it's important that I ask for the right thing...if you see what I mean.
Doesn't shouting at them in pidgin English get the message across. Seemed to work for Basil. :lol_hitting:
Sssssshhh...your age is starting to show....cheeky bugger!! :003:
Bulgies use the word 'transformer' to describe a childs toy, or transfer case in a 4WD, or a something to do with electricity....a lot of shouting in pidgin is required!!! Much waving of the hands and digits is required!!!
Success depends on a lot of things...come over and ask for a battery (automatically means a smack...usually in the face)...the word you need is 'accumulator'....then you need to describe what you need it to do....for your car it's an accumulator na kolliwa. (battery of the car)..a battery to fit your torch is an accululator na moya lampa (and you need to show the thing you need the battery for).....are you beginning to see why I ask you guys for help????
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I may have a little converter that may help. Also Will ask my estern European tech mates what the right word is
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That would be very helpful mate. I'm going up to my workshop this morning and will fetch the handbook back so I can provide all the details of what the Dremel needs to operate properly.
Cheers :icon_winkle:
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You need something like one of these
http://www.maplin.co.uk/c/batteries-and-power/power-supplies/mains-voltage-converters
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:iagree:
let me know what the wattage is
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Thanks guys...I tried to get up to the workshop this morning but the road is blocked by very deep snow, so it will be tomorrow before I can try again.
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Don't Hertz, cycles thingamabobs come into play too if you have US leccy stuff ?
From some crafty googeling :
The standard voltage and frequency of alternating current (AC) electricity used in homes varies from country to country throughout the world. Typically, either 110-volt AC (110V) or 220-volt AC (220V) voltages are used. Also, most countries use 50Hz (50 Hertz or 50 cycles per second) as the AC frequency. Only a handful use 60Hz. The standard in the United States is 120V and 60Hz AC electricity. However, due to fluctuations, the average measured voltage is 117 VAC.
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From what I remember reading in the handbook, that sounds very familiar, but I'll still check it anyway...thanks. :icon_super:
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Following the example set by the Curator, I've been doing a bit of Googling....110 - 120 volts, 50 - 60 Hz, 130W rated input. Hope all that makes sense to those who know about this magic stuff.
Looking at the Maplins site, it would seem that something like their VRO5F might do the trick...or have I got it arse backwards??
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Have a look on the data plate on the side of the tool, a lot of newer electric items are dual voltage, it will tell you wither 120vac or 120-230 vac or something like that, if it is the second one then you can just get a adapter or change the plug
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:iagree but i don't think Dremels do that
Sorry Bazz but the littel transformer i have is not powerful enough to run any Dremals
The maplin one looks the job
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Update
I decided to get the good guff straight from the horses mouth, and sent them (Dremel) an email and asked for their suggestions.
Their reply was....
We don't condone the use of voltage converters' with our products, but can see no reason why the one that you mentioned (the Maplins VRO5F) should give any problems. Please be aware that any claims under warranty will NOT be accepted.
The old 'stuck between a rock and a hard place' springs to mind.
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Further to the above...
Does anyone have a use for this Dremel....it's brand new (I opened the box, took a look and put it back)...comes in the plastic carry case with a bunch of cutting/sanding/grinding bits and bobs and in the original shipping box.
Anyone who is interested can either have it for the cost of the postage or find me a set of mauals for my Golf4 TDI and we will do a swap.
To refresh your memory...110 - 120 volts, 50 - 60 cycles, 125W rated input motor.
In the bin if no takers...what a waste!
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Bulgarian eBay might be worth a punt????
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It might be...if there was such a creature Jez! :icon_winkle:
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I wonder who I know is planning on moving to the USA? :icon_biggrin:
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I wonder who I know is planning on moving to the USA? :icon_biggrin:
Does he feel a need for something to take with him?
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Following much searching around on various internet sites (UK, Europe and locally), it has become clear that this Dremel 3000 is destined for a future in the bin.
Taking into account the cost of the transformer thingy, plus the cost of having it delivered to me...it is actually a bit cheaper to buy the same model (with the correct voltage) over here.
I'll just keep the bits and bobs which came with it and bin the rest.
I hope the person who gave it to me for Xmas can't tell the difference.
Just to outline the costs....a decent transformer will cost me in the region of 35 quid...postage around the 45 - 50 quid mark (heavy). This model Dremel retails for 65 quid (give or take a few pence)....over here, in most stores. In your online type shops, it's between 58 and 85 pounds.
No brainer really.
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fair point
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fair point
Yeah, I agree....just sort of feels wrong to throw away something a 13 year old kid has saved up for ...and given to someone she never met before! :icon_sad:
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Is there any diy building supply places here you
See if you can get a yellow site transformer ? There 220 to 110
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Good suggestion, but I spent ages over the weekend checking them out, but all I could find was really big versions....1000W and the like! Cheapest I could find was around the 500 quid mark...even after a discount for cash.
The most common reaction seemed to be...why the heck do you need to run 110v tools anyway?????
:banghead: :banghead:
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I believe that the 110v pro tools are really +-55v, and are not compatible with the US devices.
Seems a shame to bin the unit, but at least you will have a few spare accessories.
I can't remember the last time I needed to use a Dremel type device - I have an old Black & Decker version somewhere in my tool box.
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Good suggestion, but I spent ages over the weekend checking them out, but all I could find was really big versions....1000W and the like! Cheapest I could find was around the 500 quid mark...even after a discount for cash.
The most common reaction seemed to be...why the heck do you need to run 110v tools anyway?????
:banghead: :banghead:
must not be a requirement on Bulgarian building sites ?? £500 is a lot
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Building sites here aren't regulated anywhere as much as yours are...the workers usually bring their own tools which is why extension cords run everywhere. Mate of mine (Mario...Peter Henry met him) worked as a project manager on the construction of a 10 floor office building and I helped him on a few occasions....I could tell you stories that would make your toes curl!!
I can't imagine why you would need a transformer on a building site, but all the ones I looked at were the size of a small fridge and very heavy.
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all UK building site's are 110V only centre tapped to earth so maximum fault to earth is 55v
A lot of control system on the rail use 110v for safety
you could lookout for an auto transformer.
or if you have a transformer with 220/110 switchable you can make one
by using the primary side only
(https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSPJMzI0w5wDu2kjO_plnycnTRPAz0F0iOb-yvVwkKhh7kngucZ)
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Thanks for all your input mate...it's making my head spin!! Maybe you should slip over here and have a look at how they do it...a typical building site will have dozens of extension cords, hooked up to a convenient socket, usually a next door property because it's cheaper to pay the neighbour a quid a week for consumption, plus a few fuses!
Electricians here are SUPPOSED to be licenced, but most aren't (the self taught variety are common), scaffolders DON'T have to have a licence, plumbers are the guys who pay someone else to dig the trenches....lay the pipes...and do the hook ups...if it doesn't leak too much, it will pass! They are allowed to sign off the job...even if they never went and inspected it!
My wife wonders why I won't travel in a lift if I have to go up a few stories in a building...........but I'm still alive to talk about this.
PPE, hard hats and steel capped boots are not a requirement here...just a personal choice (if you want to wear it...you buy it).
One of the most obvious things I notice here....roadworkers paint the white lines on the road...first shower of rain, it's gone!! They use the same white paint that you use to paint the ceiling in your garage.
Things are getting better...so I'm told.
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sounds fun not
must say the heath and safety over here seems to have gone mad.
But at-lest our lifts are safe :greggmo:
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sounds fun not
must say the heath and safety over here seems to have gone mad.
But at-lest our lifts are safe :greggmo:
I hate lifts at the best of times...and not because I'm claustrophobic (I'm not), more because I can't see what's going on!!
Not going to argue about the H+S stuff...it was stupidly bad when I was working over there...10 years ago!! :jpshakehead:
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You could possibly try bookoo.com to see if there are any USAF bases anywhere near you - they do what they call "online yard sales" or "ebay on your doorstep" and sell off things like 220-110V transformers when they "PCS" or "TDY" - terms they use when they are moved around. Often they will let things go for peanuts just so they don't have to take them away.
Regardless of the circumstances, it seems a shame to bin a perfectly good tool just for the sake of a power supply!
A quick search on ebay UK found this :
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/200-Watt-USA-Transformer-230V-110V-Volt-Converter-200W-110-Volts-Power-Adapter-/281487006153?hash=item4189eed9c9:g:7U8AAOSw1XdUWLu8
They don't list a postage option to Bulgaria, however most places are willing to send the occasional item to "foreign parts" so they may well be able to help.
Regarding the frequency (Hertz, Hz, cycles/second etc) this will only effect the speed. The USA runs on 60Hz so if Bulgaria is on 50Hz then instead of running at 3000rpm, the tool will run at 2500rpm. With things like audio equipment and anything computer controlled, this frequency change could have other effects but with most kit these days, these effects will have been designed out.
As for the power rating, if the tool is rated at 125-130W, ideally you need to go for a transformer/power supply capable of at least 1.5 times this so 200W should fit the bill. If you search through ebay to select a different item to the on i linked to, you may find they are rated in VA instead of W. This isn't a major problem as long as you remember that VA needs to be divided by the efficiency factor of the load,, which in the case of an electric motor in the Dremel will be about 0.8 (80% efficiency is a general figure for inductive loads like motors, transformers etc) so to get a 200W supply, you'll need to get a 240VA rated unit.
Hope all that makes sense, there's a few technical bits in there that non-electrical people might not be familiar with but feel free to ask about anything that doesn't make sense and i'll do my best to explain without giving a crash course in Electrical Engineering!
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Thanks for taking the time to outline all that info...it's given me lots to consider.
:icon_super:
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You're welcome - seems you're stuck between a rock and a hard place with the situation so thought i'd try to find a way round for you.
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...and it is much appreciated.
:icon_super: