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Powerbright / generic Chinese Black box Step-up/Step-down transformer; opinions?

Spud

Spud

Diamond
Joined
Jan 12, 2006
Location
Brookfield, Wisconsin
Any opinions? Good, bad ?

I have a 220v 1600Watts Mafell powertool . The American distributor for Mafell sells these Transformers for use with 220V Mafell tools. Brand name Powerbright

http://www.timberwolftools.com/tools/protool/converter.html


Below is Not branded Powerbright but must be made by same Chinese company as it looks pretty similar. The Illinois seller's website says the US military uses them. I did buy a Pal-Secam DVD player from this seller 6 years ago and that worked fine.

Voltage Converters and Transformers | 22-Electronics
 
Anything from China that is not UL listed is a fire waiting to happen in my opinion. Usually if they cannot bother to get it UL listed to sell here, there is a reason; it's either never going to pass or they just don't care about killing Americans.

Where are you in Wisconsin that you don't have 240V available? Anywhere in the US where you have 120V, you have 240V available, you don't need a special "converter", you just need an outlet wired to your 240V service. Call an electrician if you don't have one, it's a half-hour job.

If you want to spend money needlessly, just buy a simple transformer and an outlet that matches whatever plug is on the tool (or if it's a European plug, cut it off and use a standard US 240V plug). 2kVA should be fine for that.
Square D 2S1F 2 kVA 24�x48� to 12�/24� General Purpose Transformer 3R/Rainproof (DW�1�9-1) - River City Industrial
 
Knew a guy that wired his duplex receptacles with a multwire branch circuit, top receptacle on one side of the line, bottom on the other side of the line, common neutral. Nice way go do it, could use 2 high powered 120v tools on one receptacle, code compliant. What was not compliant was his box that plugged into both sides of the receptacle and gave him a 240v receptacle.
 
wheels17 said:
Knew a guy that wired his duplex receptacles with a multwire branch circuit, top receptacle on one side of the line, bottom on the other side of the line, common neutral. Nice way go do it, could use 2 high powered 120v tools on one receptacle, code compliant. What was not compliant was his box that plugged into both sides of the receptacle and gave him a 240v receptacle.
Click to expand...

I 'inherited' just such a rig once. Called it a 'booby trap' and removed it. Pulling new wire ain't that hard or costly.

Give some thought to how one even arranges the appropriate upstream Circuit Breakers. Or not.

Bill
 
There are places that ONLY have 120V, but they are few and far between. Usually ancient rural electric setups that still have just one 15A circuit for the whole house, which usually is a 2 room cabin way down a back road.

The other place is on some construction jobs, where there may be 240 available, but it is 100+ feet away.
 
Jraef said:
Anything from China that is not UL listed is a fire waiting to happen in my opinion. Usually if they cannot bother to get it UL listed to sell here, there is a reason; it's either never going to pass or they just don't care about killing Americans.

Where are you in Wisconsin that you don't have 240V available? Anywhere in the US where you have 120V, you have 240V available, you don't need a special "converter", you just need an outlet wired to your 240V service. Call an electrician if you don't have one, it's a half-hour job.

If you want to spend money needlessly, just buy a simple transformer and an outlet that matches whatever plug is on the tool (or if it's a European plug, cut it off and use a standard US 240V plug). 2kVA should be fine for that.
Square D 2S1F 2 kVA 24�x48� to 12�/24� General Purpose Transformer 3R/Rainproof (DW�1�9-1) - River City Industrial
Click to expand...

The only 220v outlet here at home already has major appliance (dryer) using it and the dryer blocks it, such that removing and reconnecting would be a P.I.T.A. Also the socket is different.

The transformers mentioned in the OP have a C.E. marking .
 
CE mark basically does not mean squat.

Unlike UL, it is a generic mark which is often self-certified, meaning the manufacturer just claims it meets requirements and puts the mark on it. Might never have been tested by anyone to any standard, although theoretically it must meet a standard to be CE marked.

That is often ignored and the mark applied, hoping nobody ever checks. Heck, a pencil must be CE to import to the EU, so you can imagine how thoroughly stuff is checked...... right, not at all, in general.

It also has NO meaning in the US.
 
So anyone know of a quality portable 3000W step-up transformer? The tool is 1600 watts.

Transformer has to be portable because tool is specifically made to be attached onto already installed doors to mortise out the lock cavity.

Since Timberwolf tools sells the China made black box trans for the expensive German tools they carry, I assumed it was ok but wasn't sure and so wanted opinions from PM.

MAFELL Door Lock Mortiser SKS 13 - YouTube
 
Does anyone know how many Watts this Sanyo step-up (110v input and 220v ouput) trans is? The seller does not know.

Professional Video Grade Sanyo 115v To 24v Step Up Power Transformer Ships Free | eBay

Below is all the info available to the seller :
" 14A draw on the 110 input side and the projector it was designed for has a max draw of 8a on the 240 side "

I did try and google the model # on the nameplate but no luck.

The projector the Sanyo is meant to power has a 300w lamp , it is a small portable projector.
http://www.projectorcentral.com/pdf/projector_spec_3378.pdf
 
Spud said:
So anyone know of a quality portable 3000W step-up transformer? The tool is 1600 watts.

Transformer has to be portable because tool is specifically made to be attached onto already installed doors to mortise out the lock cavity.
Click to expand...

Call me lazy but I'd just buy any of the many major-maker 3 KVA ( or close-to..) 'outdoor type' transformers.

And a cheap dolly or hand-truck.

@ 3 KVA, these are not whatcha call 'convenient one handed carry' loads.

A metal or other non-combustible mounting plate or board, coupla bolts to afix to the dolly or hand-truck, appropriate junction box / socket(s), and yer done.

Don't forget a 'workable' Protective Earth and 'local' Circuit breakers are generally a "Good Idea" as well.

BTW .. serious-portable?

A 2 KVA+ 'inverter' style gen set might be wiser yet 'ready made' and far easier to alt-source if/as/when sumthin' goes pear-shaped, no?

:)


Bill
 
Spud said:
So anyone know of a quality portable 3000W step-up transformer? The tool is 1600 watts.

Transformer has to be portable because tool is specifically made to be attached onto already installed doors to mortise out the lock cavity.

Since Timberwolf tools sells the China made black box trans for the expensive German tools they carry, I assumed it was ok but wasn't sure and so wanted opinions from PM.

MAFELL Door Lock Mortiser SKS 13 - YouTube
Click to expand...
I gave you a like in my post for a transformer that would cost $82. Add to that a 4" square box, cover and 240V receptacle, a cord grip and a 120V pigtail from the local Home Depot store. Probably under $100 total, $120 max.
 
Jraef said:
I gave you a like in my post for a transformer that would cost $82. Add to that a 4" square box, cover and 240V receptacle, a cord grip and a 120V pigtail from the local Home Depot store. Probably under $100 total, $120 max.
Click to expand...

Maybe I am missing something here but the Transformers in your link are all Step-Down ; I need a Step-Up , from 110v input to 220v output.
 
Transformers work both ways. Physics-wise, step up and step down are equivalent.

Not all specific transformers are good candidates for working in reverse, however, for a number of reasons. I have no idea if that one is "compensated" in a way that would make reversing it less useful.

The data sheet is silent on the matter.
 
JST said:
Transformers work both ways. Physics-wise, step up and step down are equivalent.

Not all specific transformers are good candidates for working in reverse, however, for a number of reasons. I have no idea if that one is "compensated" in a way that would make reversing it less useful.

The data sheet is silent on the matter.
Click to expand...

I am looking for an out-of-the-box transformer that will do the job ; don't want to rewire/modify stuff to make it work.
 
Spud said:
I am looking for an out-of-the-box transformer that will do the job ; don't want to rewire/modify stuff to make it work.
Click to expand...

Well, just find an automatic voltage converter, input voltage is 110v or 220v, output voltage will be 110v and 220v simultaneously. You just insert the electric appliance's plug into the right outlet (110v/220v), no need to select step up or step down. Maybe it's the simplest.
 
Will this transformer work? I am assuming it does but wanted to double check before I buy 1.
For my 240 volt handheld powertool to run on 110-120volt household supply

G3K1EF1A3 | Single Phase Encapsulated - Group G: 12x24 Volts to 12/24 Volts | Transformers | Electrical Controls Distributor

It says:
Primary voltage - 120 x 240
Secondary voltage - 120/240

What does 120 x 240 mean?? It will accept either 120 volts input or 240 volts input?

Here is a GE branded one, that also says: 120x 240 volts Primary and 120/240 secondary
http://attachments.temcoindustrialpower.com/product_info/GE-9T51B0033.pdf


The tool is 230v and 1600 watts. So would a 2500 watt transformer suffice?

Are transformer supposed to have a 40% or 60% greater watt rating than the max watt rating of the tool they power?
 
JST said:
There are places that ONLY have 120V, but they are few and far between. Usually ancient rural electric setups that still have just one 15A circuit for the whole house, which usually is a 2 room cabin way down a back road.

The other place is on some construction jobs, where there may be 240 available, but it is 100+ feet away.
Click to expand...

We had one here in Webster Groves. The tiny weatherhead had only two wires and the "panel" inside was a three phase breaker with the three top terminals jumpered together and each lower one feeding a portion of the house. The incoming jumpers were so poorly installed that they had heated enough to oxidize, shutting the house off. I cleaned off one connection and got lights in one room but declined to hook up anythings else on the grounds that I wasn't going to help burn the house down. I told him to have an electrician do a proper installation, but I doubt that he did. The house has long been torn down.

Bill
 
I bet that house had not changed ownership for a long time. Like since that was installed...... Most places require an electrical inspection on transfer of ownership. In U-City the service is now required to be 200A.

of course, the 200A service box is in some cases still fed by the #8 copper drop. And the same little 25 kVA transformer is shared between 3 houses.......

That is indeed one of the most astounding make-shift setups I have ever heard of. I assume it was sometime in the 1960s?
 
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