Reminds me of the time when I helped install some 120 VAC ceiling fans and the electrician* wired them to the 220 VAC line. They spun like a helicopter trying to take off.
*Worked for the local electric utility, we trusted him, foolishly.
this post was submitted on 15 Mar 2025
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I had the opposite problem, I brought a soldering iron from Europe to Canada, and despite using a step up transformer, it just couldn't get hot enough to melt the solder!
You should have used 200% duty cycle
Splice on a second plug, so you can use two outlets at the same time.
(/s, mostly... this can actually work, if you can find two outlets on opposite phases.)
But it wouldn't be 200%, it would be something like 170% power assuming 3 phases, right. Too lazy to do the math.
Like others said, we do split phase to residential in the US. So the funny thing is, for all of our wimpy 120V outlets, our homes literally have 240V service. We just don’t wire it to the outlets because you know, standards and fire.
I just made dinner on my induction stove that’s connected to 240V and it’s wonderfully powerful. We use special outlets for 240V, and it’s typically for the major appliances you might expect, if they are electric versions. Oven/stove, clothes dryer, water heater, heat pump, air conditioner, EV charger, etc.
You're correct, phase-to-phase is 173.2% of the phase-to-neutral voltage in 3-phase "Wye" service.
But that's not what consumers (typically) use in North America. We don't bring three phase to the home.
Our single-phase final distribution transformers have a center tap on the secondary coil, bonded to neutral. So, one side of the coil provides a 120v leg with respect to that neutral, and the other side provides an opposing leg, 180° from the first, and 120v with respect to that same neutral. Most of our appliances use leg-to-neutral, 120v. But leg-to-leg is 240v.
(Commercial and industrial facilities can get a wide variety of voltages in single or three phase, and we do have some actual, 2-phase generators and customers: the phases are 90° apart rather than 120° or 180°)
The technology connections video talking about 240v power mentioned some apartment buildings having 208v because they're bringing in two phases instead of center tapping or whatever. So their comment could be right in the correct locations i think.
I'm clearly no sparky.
Correct. It's not typical, but it does exist. 208v is usually close enough for 240v appliances.
And lots of things meant to run on 240 are dual labeled 208/240. If it's a motor it will end up running a little hotter, if it's a heater it will end up a little colder.
They are referring to recombining the two halves of split-phase like what is done with an outlet for an electric dryer or oven, but outside the walls.
https://theengineeringmindset.com/120-240v-split-phase-us-can/
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Don't they have switches?
Sounds like a cheap portable soldering iron, which just heats up to some roughly usable temperature whenever it's plugged in.
Textbook definition!
I've only seen outlet switches in the UK, unless you plugged into a roof lamp outlet where the switch are by the entrance door, but then you need a plug like these (at least here in sweden)
Ive seen some really cheap irons that have zero controls, you plug them in and they operate at max power. Basically a wood burning pencil, really.
An engineer that has a project to show off at a trade show will have will have both a power switch and a temperature control on their soldering iron.
I'm an engineer that's been in that sort of situation. If it's planned, you have the tools. Unfortunately, sometimes these things happen and it's not planned. At that point it's taken what you can get. A cheap fire stick will still do the job better than no fire stick.
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Person Wait Modulation.
They need a 1/4 duty cycle.
Sounds super safe.
So we've officially gone meta around here lol, we did it Lemmy!
I hope this is a bs story for clout, you can buy universal power converters at airports.
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