100V appliance on 110v power supply

I've got a Japanese-bought AKAI S1000 sampler that says "100v AC" on the back. I live in the UK, where the power supply is 240V or thereabouts. Can I use a 110V transformer, or does it need to be strictly 100V?

Thanks,

-- tj hertz

Reply to
TJ Hertz
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"TJ Hertz"

** Only by taking the item to an audio service shop and having them run tests ( using a " variac" and AC current meter) will you find out your answer.

I often do this for customers so they know the right size and type of step-down to use.

......... Phil

Reply to
Phil Allison

It probably needs to be 100V. assuming it uses +/- 15Vdc internally the

10% or so may make the regulators run hot and therefore have shortened life.

You can find the manual here

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Its possible that the internal transformer can be required for your voltage. If not a buck/boost transformer in addition to the 240 to 120 step down transformer will be needed.

An autotransformer would also work but i would not recomend it for the average user as it would be too easy for it to get misadjusted and consiquently blow up your vintage gear.

Reply to
TimPerry

I wouldn't risk 110V. So get a 10-12V transformer and hook it up to "buck" part of the 110V to reduce it to ~100V.

Reply to
Richard Crowley

As others answered, as-is it's best to put a 'nom120VAC, 60Hz (USA, Canada)

220VAC, 50Hz (Europe, except UK) 240VAC, 50OHz (UK, Australia) but never says how to switch between them, or if it's possible or neccesary. I also have no clue whether this is a switching or a linear supply, though a knowledgable person could tell which it is with about three seconds of looking at the innards. This can make a difference in how and whether it can be (or even needs to be) switched.

-----

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Reply to
Ben Bradley

Can you explain this in more detail? Thanks.

-- tj hertz

Reply to
TJ Hertz

Usual warnings about this is mains and can easily kill. Usual warnings about getting it wrong can cause a fire and burn the house down. Usual warnings about not doing it unless you are a professional. Usual warnings about, at the very least, getting this wrong could destroy the equipment you are actually worrying about. Usual warnings about, if you have to ask what a "buck" or "boost" circuit is, you quite possibly don't have the knowledge and experience to be attempting this for the first time - especially on anything that you value.

In theory:

You get a mains to 10 or 12 volt transformer and connect its primary across the mains - thus producing 10 or 12 volts ac from the secondary. You get a mains to 110 volt transformer and connect its primary across the mains - thus producing

110 volts ac on its secondary. So the primaries are in parallel across the supply.

Then you connect the secondaries in series, thus:

You then take a wire from the 110 volts secondary terminal and connect it to one terminal of the 10/12 volts secondary. Measure the voltage between the remaining unused secondary terminals (one unused on each transformer secondary). If the voltage is 100 volts - then those are the terminals that you take power off for the load. If the voltage is too high (higher than either secondary on its own), move the link wire to ther other terminal on the 10/12 volt secondary and repeat. Bingo, it should have dropped and you should have

100 volts now.

Basically, one secondary winding is made to be out of phase with the other and thus cancels out some of the voltage produced by it.

One variant of the technique is to connect the secondary of the second transformer in series with the primary of the first. There are other variants.

However, it all gets a little more complicated than that in practice. Picking the right transformers is the key - particularly as small transformers typically have terrible regulation and their output voltages can vary widely with load. Thus, while the output voltage may look fine off load

- it can change substantially when load is applied.

For many bits of equipment, too low a supply voltage can be as bad as too high.

Personally, if I was concerned that the voltage was out of specification for the equipment, I would use a variac and set the voltage precisely, whilst on load. You can get little variacs cheaply enough - try ebay, for example, that is where I have got several of mine. Once set, fix the adjusting knob in place - if it gets accidently moved you would be in the doo doo. You can buy them bare or in an enclosure with fitted mains lead and output socket - the latter may be what you are looking for..

Reply to
Palindr☻me

The extension for japanese websites is .co.jp , and most products made for japanese market aren't probably even listed in international sites.Even if TJ does it with the voltage, there's still the problem with the different mains frequency.Evenmore, I never liked the transformer solution, they are bulky, poorly constructed and add another ring in the chain so it's difficult to troubleshoot the appliance.IMHO TJ should buy something from the UK, that best fits his needs.

-- Tzortzakakis Dimitrios major in electrical engineering, freelance electrician FH von Iraklion-Kreta, freiberuflicher Elektriker dimtzort AT otenet DOT gr ? "Ben Bradley" ?????? ??? ?????? news: snipped-for-privacy@4ax.com...

Reply to
Dimitrios Tzortzakakis

Usually only high-power equipment, or older equipment that uses synchronous motors is mains-frequency sensitive. This classic synth seems like it would not fit into either category.

No question that transformers are all that.

Seems unlikely that anyone could find a classic (which I took to mean long out of production) Japanese synth wired for UK power.

Reply to
Richard Crowley

"Dimitrios Tzortzakakis"

** Japan has both 50Hz and 60 Hz AC power, see:

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As a result, appliances made for their local market normally have transformers made to cope with 50 Hz.

As a rule, even Japanese gear sold into the USA is OK on 50 Hz power, it is only US and Canadian made gear sold for local use where the transformers are sized purely for 60 Hz.

............ Phil

Reply to
Phil Allison

"Richard Crowley"

** Err - what is your idea of "high-power" ??

I regularly see AC transformers that run at an unsafe high temp because of being used on 50 Hz power - when they were originally engineered for 60 Hz. The VA ratings involved are anywhere from 5 VA upwards.

Where low temp grades of enamel wire ( ie 90C) have been used - burn out failures are a common event too.

** Huh ????

So you think that Akai never sold export models of a "classic" synth into the UK, Europe and Aussie ??

............ Phil

Reply to
Phil Allison

You may have 2 problems:

1) Japan is 60Hz, UK is 50 Hz. Mains transformers and motors need more iron for 50Hz and may overheat without it.

2) 240 to 100V Voltage, It may be simpler to go the 240V @ 50Hz to

12VDC and run a 60Hz inverter designed for Japans 100V. , _ , | \ MKA: Steve Urbach , | )erek No JUNK in my email please , ____|_/ragonsclaw snipped-for-privacy@JUNKmindspring.com , / / / Running United Devices "Cure For Cancer" Project 24/7 Have you helped?
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Reply to
Steve Urbach

"Steve Urbach" "TJ Hertz"

** Japan has both 50Hz and 60 Hz AC power, see:

formatting link
As a result, appliances made for their local market normally have transformers made to cope with 50 Hz.

2) 240 to 100V Voltage, It may be simpler to go the 240V @ 50Hz to 12VDC and run a 60Hz inverter designed for Japans 100V. ** Insane.

.............. Phil

Reply to
Phil Allison

This guy hertz iz obviously playing games, with you, first he wants to know what he can plug it into}:-)Hmmph (got lots of suggestions, didn't he, you should've just told him to plug it in his ..) all of a sudden he has a transformer and it's a shocking case of Ebayitis.

what next ? he opens it up and isolates the casing and makes a killing on it... notice he doesn't even send the url on ebay for us to view it.I think it's bogus or with ulterior ramifications.

I'd sell it As Is F--ked Up & Shunted but in working order, everyone knows anyway....

Note to OP: come clean dude Show us the ebay url where it's at or is that too much for you?

};-) better yet, stop asking stupid questions you got us all worked up for nothing. =AEoy

Reply to
Roy Q.T.

| The extension for japanese websites is .co.jp , and most products made for | japanese market aren't probably even listed in international sites.Even if | TJ does it with the voltage, there's still the problem with the different | mains frequency.Evenmore, I never liked the transformer solution, they are | bulky, poorly constructed and add another ring in the chain so it's | difficult to troubleshoot the appliance.IMHO TJ should buy something from | the UK, that best fits his needs.

While Japan does have an unusual voltage, the mains frequency tends to not be a problem with equipment manufactured for the Japanese market, or generally by Japanese manufacturers (some excepts will exist). This is due to the fact that Japan is split in half with respect to frequency. The eastern part is 60 Hz while the western part is 50 Hz. It makes for some complications in sharing power across a national electric grid. But it also means they have very good experience making things that work fine on both 50 Hz and 60 Hz, which can be applied to exported products even though other voltages (110-127 and 208-240) would be involved.

I periodically do see 120 to 100 volt transformers for sale on EBay. These are usually in the business sections, but can be found also in the electronics sections.

Reply to
phil-news-nospam

In alt.engineering.electrical snipped-for-privacy@ipal.net wrote: | In alt.engineering.electrical Dimitrios Tzortzakakis wrote: | | | The extension for japanese websites is .co.jp , and most products made for | | japanese market aren't probably even listed in international sites.Even if | | TJ does it with the voltage, there's still the problem with the different | | mains frequency.Evenmore, I never liked the transformer solution, they are | | bulky, poorly constructed and add another ring in the chain so it's | | difficult to troubleshoot the appliance.IMHO TJ should buy something from | | the UK, that best fits his needs. | | While Japan does have an unusual voltage, the mains frequency tends to | not be a problem with equipment manufactured for the Japanese market, | or generally by Japanese manufacturers (some excepts will exist). This | is due to the fact that Japan is split in half with respect to frequency. | The eastern part is 60 Hz while the western part is 50 Hz. It makes for | some complications in sharing power across a national electric grid. | But it also means they have very good experience making things that work | fine on both 50 Hz and 60 Hz, which can be applied to exported products | even though other voltages (110-127 and 208-240) would be involved.

Actually, I got that reversed. The east is 50 Hz while the west is 60 Hz.

Reply to
phil-news-nospam

How did Japan wind up that way (two different frequencies)? Are the two grids interconnected in any way?

Reply to
Michael Moroney

So, that's a synth?I thought that TJ with "sampler"meant some new japanese, super high-tech device yet unknown to me.Then definitely, find maybe some electrician or some kind of expert, that will take the responsibility (very important point) to make your vintage gear working in UK.

-- Tzortzakakis Dimitrios major > > The extension for japanese websites is .co.jp , and most

Reply to
Dimitrios Tzortzakakis

I understand that, but I think that probably japanese products will have labels and instructions in japanese, and most companies have an entirely different brand-name in japanese, than in export models.The problems with different voltages and frequencies appear in European Union railways.In Switzerland,Austria and Germany, the catenary system is 15kV, 16 2/3 HZ, and of course everything, from normal locomotives to the high speed ICE is designed only for this.In France is 1.5 kV and 3 kV DC, and in Greece we have now 25 kV 50 Hz, so a German series locomotive would be totally useless.

-- Tzortzakakis Dimitrios major in electrical engineering, freelance electrician FH von Iraklion-Kreta, freiberuflicher Elektriker dimtzort AT otenet DOT gr Ï "Phil Allison" Ýãñáøå óôï ìÞíõìá news: snipped-for-privacy@individual.net...

Reply to
Dimitrios Tzortzakakis

Anyway, I don't think that the 10 volt difference would be much of a problem, in Europe we used to have a 220/380 V (0.38 kV) three-phase distribution system, with grounded-star secondary in substation transformers, but I received a letter from our utility claiming that nominal voltages are to change to 230/400 V (0.4 kV).That means that a 30 year old radio or amplifier will be kaputt?Of course not.Modern switchgear also has a

230/400 V label, and older had 220/380 V labels.

-- Tzortzakakis Dimitrios major > | > |

Reply to
Dimitrios Tzortzakakis

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