How a 110 Volt Site Transformer Works. How to Wire a 110v Plug. Electrical Basics 3
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 16 ก.ย. 2024
- Whats happening everyone? In this video I explain how a 110v site transformer works, it probably doesn't work the way you think it does so this is good info for everyone who works with them to know, I also show you how to wire a 110v plug should you ever need to replace one on you lead or tool.
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Brilliant, thankyou, I've just bought a 110 dewalt chop saw for next to nothing but the plug needed replacing, it's all buttoned now thanks to you and working a treat.
Never knew about the center tap! Class video.
Cheers man Happy Christmas
Really useful series so far - hope there will be more!
John
What problems would occur if the Positive Brown and the Negative Blue from the Transformer to a Tool Plug were wired to the opposites poles please
"It's the volts that jolts but it's the mils that kills". I learnt this ditty a few decades ago and I believe it means that it's high current ("mils) that kills people, regardless of the voltage. On an American TH-cam training video I learnt recently that voltages over 50V stop voluntary muscle control and can also be dangerous as it means you can't move yourself out of danger. Great video. Thanks!
Kind of but not quite. Neither one will do damage without the other if you have high current but low enough voltage you wont get shocked because the voltage needs to be high enough to overcome your bodies resistance (this can vary wildly depending on situation) if the voltage can't overcome the resistance of an object then electricity won't flow through that thing that's how an insulator works On the other hand if can have low current at high voltage that will kill you, also time, how you were shocked plays a massive part as well this is why people can survive a lightning strike even though they range in the hundreds of millions of volts and tens of millions of amps but can be killed by a 230v kitchen appliance.
Voltage is electrical pressure also known as a potential difference it's the driving force that pushes electrons through an object, current is the flow of electrons through an object (amps) and resistance is the opposing force to voltage (ohms) the higher the resistance the higher the voltage needs to be in order to overcome it
@@joefrayling9263Almost right.
The fact is you can't get high current low voltage through the human body because the current is determined by the body's resistance in conjunction with that low voltage, and the two together prevents a high current.
@@deang5622 that is exactly what I said. . .
"If you have high current and low voltage you won't get shocked"
Your body won't allow the current to flow through because the voltage isn't enough to overcome your bodies resistance.
That doesn't mean to say you can't have a circuit with high current and low voltage this is how a transformer type welder works also why you can be in contact with the welding materials while welding and not be electrocuted even though they are drawing sometimes hundreds of Amps just as an example
Bloody perfect that, I was getting annoyed I couldn't find a 110v pinout as I've not done them before, turns out ... don't really matter.
Glad it was useful
Thank You John Well Done
Glad you enjoyed it
Hi John. You're a brilliant teacher! Thank you for this. Ive just subscribed after watching this. Can you advise: if i can run a 110v transformer off a 240v power extension lead? The transformer lead is too short from my home mains plug. Thanks
Hi John, it's great to see your channel doing so well. I am interested in woodworking, and that has brought me to you in your 'shed'. I've watched this particular series too, and have a suggestion. As I haven't the foggiest notion about electricity I would really welcome a series on the fundamentals of the subject. I think it would complement this Electrical Basics series, which is a 'how to' one. So, how about a 'what is' series - Electrics 101? Slan!
I have a few ideas on that. I'll put something together.
Great video very well explained keep up the good work!
Thanks Sean
Excellent vid, thanks. Please excuse my ignorance, but, if there was no earth on the 110 side there would be no connection back to be electrocuted? Also no earth trip as on the 240 side?
You are absolutely right. TV repair people used a transformer just like this with no earth. They were 240v in and out. However, without the earth, there is always the danger of being exposed to the full voltage if you came in contact with both conductors.
Great video. Question. 240v operates at 50hz but 110v are at 60hz (correct me if I am wrong). Does the transformer change the hz or cycles per second? Or do 110 power tools operate at the higher hz to begin with. Just wondering as I am American in UK and if I could bring my 110v tools back to the States. Thanks.
ooooh I really need to know this too pls???? 🙏
Only the most expensive transformers (in the thousands) can change the hz or cycles. So 110v in uk will operate at 50hz (USA is 60hz). Some 110v tools can operate either 50 or 60 hz (eg makita) so I could bring them back to USA and just change the plug. Others will run faster and may over heat.
@@glennzahn1926 I'll need to run my USA router lower speed then - thanks!
How can i use UK 110v tools in the usa? What type of converter or plug adapter will work. Thanks in advancd
I bought a 110v transformer a while back and it has 2 x 16a outlets, I just bought a DeWalt router and it came with no plug so rang supplier and they said I need a 32a plug and possible a 32a transformer. It only has brown and blue wires also on router no earth. Is there something I can buy other than another 32a transformer and is it safe with no earth?
Very good video john , just wondering about what can I use on 110v plugs to make them easier to plug in and out as some of them are really stiff and hard to use?
Nice one... Is it dangerous to wire a U.S power tool to a UK 110v plug 🔌? Because the U.S don't have earth wires.
Looking at the circuit doesn't that mean that Secondary-side earth is 55V above the primary-side bonded N/E?
no its the same wire so its at the same potential, there is no primary and secondary earth, the potential difference of 55v is between the earth and the secondary side conductors.
it must have beem the head cold that makes you say EART and SHEET - great video and good explanation
Smashing concise and easy to follow tutorial!!
John, A few years ago I bought a refurbished die grinder, It came with a new UK square pin 13a plug fitted but the label on the machine said 100v (I presume it should have said 110v) Anyhow, I plugged it in to the 240v outlet in my garage and away it went but it was vibrating badly and was really uncomfy to use, I had a word with one of our sparkies at work and asked what would happen if it was actually a 110v unit and I put 240v through, I thought it would have burned out but he said it would simply run a twice the speed!!
Would this be right?, I'm pretty sure that he was as it should run at 30,000rpm, As soon as I fitted a 110v plug and tried it, It was quieter and much better to use- The vibrations were gone, I do think it was running at 60,000rpm as the rotor wouldn't have been balanced to that kind of speed!! 😳😲
Speed of an induction motor depends on the motor design itself, the synchronous speed determined by the frequency and amount of AC input power poles in the stator. Changing the voltage will affect power output and not the speed on a single phase AC motor. Depending on the components in the tool it is highly likely you could burn it out putting 240v into a 110v tool. It sounds like it has the wrong plug on it when you got it.
100V is the standard Japanese mains potential. If the label has Japanese writing on it, it was meant for sale in Japan. Being a grinder, it uses a universal motor which is not affected by supply frequency. Running a universal motor on too high a potential will cause excessive commutator arcing and burn up the brushes.
@@randacnam7321 Many thanks for your reply 👍👍
There was no foreign text on the label at all, It was a very basic paper label which fell off eventually!, The machine was matte black and covered in a very thin rubberised coating which, With use came away, It was actually yellow below the rubber!!
It still runs fine at 110 volts! 👍😎😎
Very interesting video. Can you change the transformer plug to a standard three pin plug so you can plug into mains without a transformer, or would it overheat and have bad consequences?
Double the voltage means double the current. You will most likely burn out your appliance unless either it has a wide operating voltage range or if it has its own power supply which again can operate over a wide range.
You should not do what you are suggesting.
The 110 and 230 volt systems deliberately use different types of plugs for safety reasons. You should not intermix them.
Keep the yellow commando style ones for 110 volts, the blue commando style for 230 volts and 3 rectangular pin type G for 230 volts
In that way, nothing blows up, burns out and no one gets electrocuted.
Spend the money and get the right type of plug.
Great video 👏
What wiring guage is 110v wire (both black and the hi-vis yellow) typically or does it depend on the device?
I've seen there is 1.5mm2 and 2.5mm2 wiring available, I'm not 100% sure of the difference and if they equate to house wiring where the 1.5mm2 would be more typically for low current lighting and 2.5mm2 would be more for higher current appliances like grinders etc.
Can I use a blue plug in place of a yellow plug that have broken to plug into my inverter. in a pinch
No, definitely not. The colours have meaning. They indicate the voltage. And yellow is safe and blue is certainly not.
So you must not interchange plugs, sockets with different colours.
I have seen some comments on wattage as well. Because I was interested in getting a kitchenaid brand mixer. People kept commented on voltage is not the only compatibility issue. Apparently motor can not keep up and get damaged. Could you explain how and is it a solution for this?
I need a bi-metalic switch for a 2.25kVa transformer. Which rating would I need to buy.
What would I do if my tool only has the brown and blue wire? Do I need a different connection again?
no if it only has a brown and blue wire its probably a fully insulated tool and requires no earth/ground, so you just connect the brown and blue as normal.
@@JohnMcGrathManInShed cool, thanks for the rapid response!
Little bit off topic, but if I take an American tool that’s roughly 110v, it’s a 3 pin, can I wire that onto a round plug and use it threw my transformer, same as you’ve used on this video, great video by the way
Yeah no problem I have some tools brought back from the states it will work fine just be sure to connect it up right
You might find a problem with the different mains frequencies. US operates at 60Hz, UK operates at 50Hz.
Hi. I got a question . As live n neutral combined gives 110v and live + earth or neutral + earth gives 55v either sides. Does that means when wiring the plug ,live and neutral are swappable , as live and neutral gives 55v each and 110 combined . Means doesn’t matter blue wire going in Live terminal and brown wire (live ) going in neutral terminal . Or is there a directional current flow (current flowing in one direction I.e either left to right or right to left ) that we can’t swap them . Just a question . Thanks
Technically speaking it doesn't, the brown and blue on the outgoing side are both live conductors, the blue is not neutralised its not connected to earth like the incoming side. Its AC current, so it flows back and forth and changes direction depending the frequency. In Ireland its 50z (hertz) or 50 times a second. However it is still good practice to wire the plug correctly.
@@JohnMcGrathManInShed hi thanks for confirming . Actually I got 110v festool vaccum cleaner , the 110v socket where we plug our tools I.e saw/mitresaw or any 110v tool to connect with hover broke when I was trying to pull the plug of my plunge saw , I bought the new 110v socket part but there wasn’t any description on that circuit board which one live or neutral or Earth . With multimeter I can check which combined gives 55v which gives me Earth but I wasn’t sure how to check which one is live or which is neutral . Thaz why i come up with this question . But thanks for explaining Really appreciate.
I’ve been using 240 for years but just gone on to site and bought a 9 inch 110 makita grinder and it came with no plug🤷🏼♂️🤦🏼♂️🤣 wtf for a start and what plug and transformer would I need to use it? It’s ridiculous that it doesn’t come with one from the manufacturer in my opinion as I’m no electrician 🤷🏼♂️
Yellow 110 volt AC commando socket is what you need
Brilliant thanks 😊
No problem 👍
Hi John quickQuestion I was wondering whether or not you can swap 110 V plug for a 240 V plug and the tool woodwork the same where is buying a 240 V two if you could let me know that would be much appreciated and by the way love the videos cheers and thank you
No can't do that I'm afraid, putting 240v into a 110v tool will not end well!
@@JohnMcGrathManInShed okay I didn’t think so I appreciate the reply thank you very much and once again love the videos 😎
I have a 110 volt cable reel with two plugs, can I get an adapter for both ends to turn them to standard 13a plugs? I need to run electricity to my shed.
You can't adapt 110v plugs to work with 240v, you would need to change the plugs on the lead. I don't recommend doing that.
I can't find how to wire light fittings 🥺
I just bought a 110v transformer for my workshop to run a 110v Router which I got a steal on. The transfomer arrived today and has a sticker on it saying it needs to be grounded? Can anyone provide a link or anything for how to do this? It is just in my garage so not sure how I would do it. Thanks!
If its a site transformer like the one in the video it will grounded through the earth in the plug
@@JohnMcGrathManInShed much appreciated!
Do you have any 3 phase power in the UK ? In the US houses get 240 volt with a grounded center tap as most things in the house are 120 volt and larger things like AC units - ovens - table saws and so on using the 240 volt . Factories get a lot of 3 phase either 240 or 480 volt.
I'm in Ireland, we have 3phase power here 400v between the phases and 240v between each phase and natural. We use single phase 240v for domestic situations. TN-CS it's called. Terra neutral combined then separated. Similar to you guys accept the transformer is not centre tapped so everything is 240v.
@@JohnMcGrathManInShedThere is an error there in your figures.
For the EU we changed our voltage to 230, reduced from 240.
Now in your video you measured 240 and that is because we only changed the specification of the voltage, we changed the nominal voltage and the plus and minus tolerances. The actual voltage on the network did not change.
So you mentioned 400 volts as being the 3 phase voltage which is the voltage across two phases. This is correct but only if the line voltage is 230.
The voltages are:
240/415
230/400
You've mixed the two up and have provided: 240/400.
So whilst I recognise that we do actually still have 240 volts on the incoming supply, it's not 240 volts, it's actually 230 plus some tolerance and it is now just that the voltage is higher than the nominal voltage but still within spec.
I noticed a tendency to talk about the voltage as being 240 volts. 230 is the official nominal voltage and that is what we should always quote as being the voltage.
Can I snip off the 110 plug off my angle grinder and re wire a 240 domestic plug back on?
absolutely not
the motor winding (stator or "fielding") coil will be setup for a specific voltage either 110v or 220v (approximately)
Would you be able to change the 110v from the plug there to the 110v that's in the US?
yeah no problem , I have on a few tools from the US.
Hi John
So onsite, does a operative downgrade his 240v power tool to 110v?
Or does he /she upgrade their 110v to 240v output?
Or do they have to have 110v to separate it to 55v?
On-site, an operative will need to have 110V power tools or battery operated tools. You can not use 240V power tools or a 240-110V transformer.
The operative has to buy and use ONLY yellow coloured power tools which operate at 110 volts.
Just got a mite saw and it has a pug on it for a transformer but I have no transformer so if I buy a electric hook up mains plug adaptor converter or could I put a normal plug on it
If it's a 110v yellow plug then no you can't connect it to 240v you need a transformer.
the motor winding (stator or "fielding") coil will be setup for a specific voltage either 110v or 220v (approximately)
Hope you're well. Probably a silly question but can you convert 240v power tool into a 110v? So it can be used with a site transformer? (Just to be clear, can I put a yellow 110 plug on the tool? - hope that makes sense) Thanks in advance.
No you can't unfortunately
@@JohnMcGrathManInShed thanks for replying.
the motor winding (stator or "fielding") coil will be setup for a specific voltage either 110v or 220v (approximately)
@@JohnMcGrathManInShed So does this mean that regular consumers have to use these transformers to run power tools at non-"jobsite" locations (i.e. at home)? Are there 240V "consumer" tools sold in the UK?
@@slurryz yeah you can buy 240v power tools.
Are power tools specifically made to run on 110V or can they be used on 230V too with a different plug?
The are made for specific voltages, do not change the plug
@@JohnMcGrathManInShed thanks a lot sir.
the motor winding (stator or "fielding") coil will be setup for a specific voltage either 110v or 220v (approximately)
Can you use the same lead to connect a 220 v plug?
No. Technically you could but yellow leads are reserved for 110 volts.
If you start using yellow leads for higher voltages it could cause confusion and potentially be unsafe, because people will assume that as it is yellow it is carrying a safe voltage, which it won't be.
i have one 110v box its in a yealow metal box wen i plug it in 249v it trips the rcd y
probably a wiring (cable) problem
Shout out to e.c bjj👍😆
is 110v safer the 240v with a rcd
If the 110 was not on an RCD possibly not. However all 11Ov sockets should be on a RCD in which case it would be as RCD's can fail and it's better to come in contact with 55v rather then 240v.
@@JohnMcGrathManInShed is the one you have got a rcd on it
Can I use the yellow (210v cable on 240 v socket
Technically it would work but you shouldn't. Yellow has very specific meaning to people.
You can make a voltage doubler rectifier to use a 240-volt drill charger on a building site
th-cam.com/video/QBl9h_v7hYM/w-d-xo.html
No you can't. It is not permitted to use 240 volts.
Check your facts ref to the law, otherwise useful video. Health and safety law does not ban 230v tools on construction sites, HSE strongly advises that 110v tools are preferable given the wet, dirty and dusty nature of construction sites and the possibility of mechanical damage to cables and tools. So you can’t say it’s required by law. Thanks. Habitat Resin Flooring.
You need to check again. No portable appliance exceeding 125v shall be used on construction sites. 230v cabling can be used for supplies so long as its SWA or contained in suitable mechanical protection. It's right there on the HSA guidelines.
@@JohnMcGrathManInShed Thanks John, checked before commenting and checked again on HSE website. I can use 230V with RCD. We also use 400V HTC grinders for grinding concrete. With what we do (resin flooring) our prep tools require higher voltage to chew concrete or resin. 110V are too lazy. Working in the UK.
@@marcinm.7674 Yes you can use 230v with RCD technically. But likely you mostly won't be if the site manager has anything to say about it. Your 400v grinder is an exception to the regular 110v tools with its own specific & quite different electrical safety requirements. So perhaps you should slow down and think about everybody else you might be putting at risk...
How can i use UK 110v tools in the usa? What type of converter or plug adapter will work. Thanks in advancd