Off Grid: Easily change 120v to 230v - Autotransformers
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🙌 finally a straight forward video on 120 to 240 split phase conversion. I have been researching this for literally years. sorry, a little emotional right now.
tell me about ... you would think the company that made this transformer would have done this ....... Ive been looking too
Actually you use this transformer with the Grow watt 240-volt inverter that produces 240 v out. This transformer is what gives you your "neutral" so you can use 120 volt devices.
Really good explanation to how these auto transformers work. Great video.
This one video explained autotransformers to me so well, thanks!
That was an awesome explanation. Thank you.
I've watched lots and lots of videos this guy explain this the best Make another video going to a little further detail on how you go from the inverter to that box and back to the panel
Good explanation , but i thought you would use the 240 it was producing instead of the 120 that would show the conversion really works.
Excellent video!
Great video.. but how well you write upside down and backwards cracked me up. Better than I do normally
Clear brain refresh, thanks 👍🏻
I have a transformer I bought in Hong Kong to use 120v appliances there. It's actually quite interesting in that it takes 120 or 240v input and outputs both 120 and 240v regardless of which you put in. And it adjusts the voltage with a mechanical wiper that will increase or decrease output accordingly.
Hey can you show me where to buy it from and what you bought please?
@@hawkeye312456Don't buy those they are an electrocution hazard for step down... you should only ever use an isolated distribution transformer for stepping down, autotransformers can electrocute you in some fault conditions you can end up with exposed voltage if there is a short.
Well done!
You can use a 15v coil at first coil of the to limit voltage to 230vac
Thank you! Been wondering this since your video using one on the well pump.
Awesome thanks
You should only use autotransformer to step up, if you want to step down use an isolated distribution transformer, autotransformer stepping down can electrocute you if the output gets shorted... and in other fault conditions where the isolation transformer acutally increases safety.
Yep just research about your comment, you are totally correct....you can also get 120/240 split phase out of a 120 single phase line using a general purpose transformer, but im not sure is these type of transformers are self isolated.. nameplates don't tell about it...
Would a 240V double breaker in a main panel be a jumper for a 120V input conductor when backfeeding? I don't have the means to test this idea, but was wondering if it would be possible. The input 120V would have to be split before inserting to the L1 and L2 of the 240V double breaker?
Great video!
How about the idle power consumption and efficiency?
Contact Solar Edge
They work fine, they last a long time, never rust, bust, or collect dust, and never need oiling.
Nice but what's the wattage rating at 100% duty cycle, can it handle 1800 - 2000 Watts easily?
From input 120 inverter to output on this unit at 240v is it a 240v phase that it can run a small minisplit 240v air conditioner us model
Power company has one on your pole outside, draws from one leg off three phase hight voltage reduces the voltage to 240 single phase thru the center tap and provides you with 120 240 split phase.
No the power company has an isolation transformer on the pole. Not an Autotransformer.
@@MrSummitvilleExactly an autotransformer should never be used to step down because it can become an electrocution hazard if a leg gets shorted.
I’m thinking the amps would be split from the 220v load to the transformer and then added together again at the 110v side? So if you had a load with 10 amps @220v you would need to take into consideration it would double to 20amps at 110v.
Can you put two 120v inverters into the auto transformer to get 240v? Output
Are these Autotransformers still available? Really want to use it for step up 240v from a 120v inverter generator
On an RV with a built in generator that has an Onan generator that has dual single phase 50 amp AC output. Meaning it has a GROUND, NEUTRAL and an L1 and L2 that are in phase. Can you simply combine the L1 and L2 in a junction box and connect it to the L1 terminal inside the transformer to get the L2 (180°) out to get the 240 volt split phase? Or is it best to just cap the L2 and not use it?
looking for a wiring diagram or PDF manual for this the solaredge , every one I download is 95 % about the inverter and just touches on the transformer ....
awesome, this is exactly what I was looking for! quick question, on the video you said you don't want to share a terminal with 2 wires however on your website it tells you to combine the cables which is a little confusing. Using your example, if you are providing 120 to terminal L1 how are you supposed to then take 120 from L1 to pair it with the 120 from L2 in order to get 240? is there another connection point input and output? sorry if this is a dumb question i'm new to all of this, thanks for the help!
It would be best to bring the connections into a junction box and use wire nuts instead. Trying to put multiple wires onto the one terminal also would be bad because the autotransformer has only one electrical entry point that everything would have to go through.
I wanted to know also.
Does this mean you can get split phase current for deep well pump.
What kind amperage do you get on the 2 legs
wow, thanks alot for the info, Ive been searching the internet for documentation on how to wire this for 120 in 240 split phase out.. everything keeps going back to 240 single-phase, down to 120 on each leg . this company does not do good job of putting out wiring diagrams online... unlike other companies I.E. Victron or outback , etc
Awesome, thank you so much for creating this video. I know you made the video a year ago but I would like to confer with you if at all possible therefore I'm going to attempt the link you described to contact you.
Thanks for the video ... u just answer a few of my questions.....but 1 question the growatt spf 5000 es all in one inverter with 240v if was to hookup 2 of the spf 5000 can one of dat one transform work? Or I have to get 1 each for the inverter ...I hope I put it over rite so can understand...thanks evey much...sorry I forgot to mention I need 120v output
No autotransformers are hazardous to use for step down never do that, what you want is an isolation distribution transformer. Autotransformers can electrocute you if there is a short on the output.
Hey I am hooking one of these up to my off the grid system. Do you hook the power in using the same lugs you use for the 240v output? There are no extra set of lugs for 120v power in.
That's a cool transformer! I think I can do the same thing with a battery charger transformer I can get at the dump pretty easy. I need to try that!
Would this autotransformer. Increase the wattage output from lets say. An inverter or generator?
Can I bond the neutral to the ground in my panel?
Merci
Hello and good morning your videos are very intuitive I've been searching the Nets and I cannot find the answer. I am running to separate panels my main panel is being subsidized by to grid-tie inverters I have a subpanel that is being powered by a Growatt inverter that's 220 volts I am using an auto Transformer on the subpanel to give me the neutral but I have an AC coupling breaker from the main to the sub just in case the inverter goes out. And I leave the neutral from the main panel to the subpanel connected with the main AC coupling breaker off while the off-grid growatt inverter is powering the subpanel so basically I will have a neutral from the main panel to the subpanel coming from the street with also and auto Transformer on the sub panel producing a neutral. The law of physics tells me that everything on the subpanel will go through the auto Transformer instead of the city neutral least resistance what's your thoughts I'm hoping I don't need to put a disconnect to disconnect the neutral
Can I use this to convert 120 V into 240 V split phase ?
Thanks for the video! Very interesting! Is the 240V output single or split phase?
It's split phase since it's 120/240v. It's basically the same as a standard distribution transformer in the US just without a high voltage primary.
Would you be able to use this on 120v incoming service to create 240 split for an inverter input?
@@roqm1248 It should work as long as the incoming service is a pure sine wave and the inverter won't use a higher wattage than the transformer/120v power supply can handle.
a 120v 15 amp breaker can handle 1,800w continuous power, but it might use a bit more current because of bad power factor from the transformer so you would probably be good if the inverter takes 1,700w or less with nothing else on the breaker.
Then a 120v 20a breaker can supply 2,400w but same with the 15a you probably would be good with 2,200w or less.
If you go from 120v to 240v the current on the 120v is 2 times the current on the 240v current, + power losses from bad power factor.
Voltage × Current is the Wattage, Wattage ÷ by the Voltage is the Current.
I just came a one of your old videos with the shipping container and the off grid power set up. Like I said in the comment wanna build an egg farm in Liberia on an off grid piece of land and a set up like that I what I need. How can I contact you? You really know your shit!! I live in Laurel MD.
Do you have to have a auto transfer switch
Great description of this product, user manual doesn't include the detail you did
this could be the tool I'm looking for!
Is the transformer bi-directional?
Let me explain!
in the case of a 230/230 transformer:
a plug and play grid tie photovoltaic micro inverter connected to the transformer output would sense the secondary voltage and activate!
bypassing the "anti islandig" protection and providing photovoltaic production!
Does the transformer accept voltage at its output?
does the induction current flow back to the primary?
the objective would be to activate the micro inverter by allocating the supply to a line separate from that of the electricity provider.
What is the idle draw?
Will this work with a floating neutral inverter where both blades are 60v each?
Bonding the neutral to ground would be an issue. But Otherwise yes
So do you use the open L1 and L2 terminals as both the input and output?
Yes. And the N wire
Would it be ok to connect this transformer to a 2000 watt inverter which puts out 120 volts then run the transformer to a 200 amp breaker box connected to a trailer for my solar system?
Maybe. Maybe not. 200 amp breaker box???
Am I correct when I say that 120 volt 50 amp in would get 240 volt 25 amp out? Doubling the voltage cuts the current in half.
In theory, yes. But this device is limited to 25 amps x 120v. So only 12.5 amps x 240v out. Did you see how small that wire is?
thanks, i have a 400' well with 2hp im guessing 3000 to 4000 watts. so far i have 7 100 watt solar panels and 4 186 ah 6 volt golf cart batteries. im getting another 4 barreries. what size inverter and transformer?
You need a 5kw inverter and probably a soft start.... at a minimum. Also golf cart batteries are a waste of money unless you got them free, get lithium.
I have this exact unit. It is drawing 10 percent of my power from my inverter, all of a sudden. Any ideas on why this is happening. No loads hooked up.
10% of what?
Would the level 2 charge an electric vehicle if I wire this up in my garage?
Please note that this will halve the available amps, so that power going out = power coming in (minus some induction and heat losses).
If your car absolutely cannot support 120V charging (please check, because many do), then this will allow you to charge, but it must do so very slowly. Otherwise you may trip the breaker.
Can you please write me name of the U3 IC
I assume on the flip side you can also use the autotransformer to go in the opposite direction from 240Vac by hooking up L1/L2, and get a neutral for a split phase 120V?
Yes this is what this transformer was actually created for. David Poz actually explains how this transformer works.
Technically, but you never should because it isn't isolated and the primary is shared, it means you can end up at a minimum damaging equipment and potentially getting electrocuted if a leg of the auto transformer is shorted it will cause voltages to be where they should not be and be a hazard. Always use an isolated transformer for step down!
If transform volts by a equal amount as 4 times more the curent is dropped by 4 times less. If lower the voltage by 4 times more if volts 4 times less. Its ohms law of equal eqation. If higher voltage it makes less amps uses smaller wire or winding. If lower volts increases amps and uses more amps a biggwr size wire or winding.
need some help here , on a solar edge transformer. I am having a hard time finding wiring diagrams for this unit. it shows in a few videos I found that it has a spot for a temp control wire, but does not explain.. is it self-regulated? do you have to add a temperature probe yourself? is this just for a lead to the inverter ( which I suspect it is )
The AT has the temperature sensor built-in. Connect the probe to the device's temperature input port
@@MrSummitville thanks
I have this transformer and I'm trying to build an Off-Grid setup on my RV and my inverter output is 240v single phase. Do I just connect my inverter to L1 and N and then I'll have 120v from L1,N and L2,N ?? And where do I get the ground connection since it's an RV?
If your inverter output is 240 volts single phase then you would connect onto l1 and l2 and your neutral would be created on the n terminal.
@@HighTechLab thanks for responding! I got it working! Now how do I hook up the ground? The inverter has a ground with the AC output but I don't have anything connected to that terminal yet. I'm thinking maybe I should attach the neutral>ground bonding screw into the panel box and then attach a ground wire from the inverter to the panel box. Thanks again for your help!
It looks like you use the same terminals for both the input and the output. How else would you do it besides pushing two wires into each terminal?
Use a junction box and wire nuts
If I run a wire from my 120v generator to the AT terminals L1 neutral and ground then to get 240 I'd have to run another set of wires back out of the AT terminals L1 , L2 and neutral out of that same terminal block.
Unless I crimp pigtails on L1 and neutral wires before they get clamped into the terminal box. It'd be great to actually see how some people are doing it because it's hard to visualize what to do although I understand it in theory. Only thing out there is people sticking multimeter probes in the holes to show 240. Thanks Sir
So can I use a solar generators 120v output voltage and connect to this transformer to run my 240 well pump?
Maybe
Not going to be enough current unless you have a very large solar generator.... 240v well pumps are usually over 2kw
what if i have a Single Phase 240 volt (AC) Inverter and I want to split it into 2 legs of 120vac?
Yes but you have to make sure on the inverter the neutral is not bonded!
@@HighTechLab where will i put the Leg of 240 in the Solar Edge Transformer? and where will my (2) 120 volt legs come out from. Sorry of the questions, I almost feel that its very basic and I am missing something really simple. I get that the Neutral from the Inverter cannot be bonded.
You need an isolation transformer, an autotransformer is the wrong type and is not safe for step down as during a short you can have 220v on the neutral...
Yup. I ended up learning everything about transformers. The core of my business now.
Is it possible to connect 2 of this autotransformers in parallel to increase output ?
Maybe. Maybe not
Yes. You can do it. The autotransformer need to be the same capacity to work safely.
my house gets input voltage of 220Vac. If I plug in a 110V device into the socket, will the auto-xformer detects it?
Huh?
NO.... do not use an autotransformer to step down its an electrocution hazard.
I want to go from 230-40 to 120 but my inverter is a single face 230 output can I use that solar edge my inverter is not a split phase output but a single phase 230 line and neutral.
Yes it is possible.
You need an isolation transformer, autotransforers are hazardous to use for step down because if the problems that occur if there is a short it causes the coil to be unbalanced and you end up with high voltage on your neutral.
@cusbrar1 I scrap the whole idea went and bought me two 120v hybrid inverter chargers
Is that transformer connected in star or delta ?
Neither. It is Split Phase
So, I see this transformer is rated at 5kw continuous. If I were running a 3kw inverter into this unit, have I now made this, essentially, a 5000 watt split phase inverter? Or is it still limited by the input to 3000 watts?
Still limited to the inverter spec
The AT can handle 25 amps max. But that does not magically make your inverter a 5KW unit.
Transformers don't change power, they only trade volts for amps and vice versa proportionally with some losses. 3kw is still 3kw.
Hi! I just bought an electric car, can I use this transformer to get 240v in order to charge my car with 240v? Thanks
Maybe. Maybe not. More details needed
Yes but it won't make it go any faster than the circuit supports...call an electrician and have it done properly.
Is it possible to parallel these auto transformers?
Maybe. Maybe not
Generally no buy one big enough for you loads.
So really....any 220v to 120v split phase should work the same way correct? I have a Midnight Solar 3024 that I need to run a minisplit with...issue is...the only way I can get a floor mounted mini split (can't use a wall mount) is 220v. I need to take the 120v out from inverter and step up to 240 volt. From this and the very limited resources out there....I can purchase pretty much any 220v yo 120v split phase step down and do the same thing?
An auto transformer is efficient and safe for step up, but NOT safe for step down.... for step down always use an isolated transformer with separate primary and secondary coils. Typically called an isolated distribution transformer.... you can tell becayse when measuring with a multimeter the inpts and outputs are fully isolated.
@@Wingnut353 this was some time ago, bur thank you for the reply. I've learned a lot over the past year or so...mainly because I obsess about things and research relentlessly until I find what I need to or end up on a path of clarity.
I went a different route. Wall mount mini split and decided the circuit just isn't worth backing up or running off my solar generator.
FYI...dont buy Midnigh Solar inverters. It died on a week long power outage lent to my mom. The line input stopped working and could no longer be charged from a generator. PV only. It was only charged via a 1700 watt inverter generator and it still failed. I replaces it with a sungold that accepts 500v of PV over the Midnight's of just 150v.
I still have a use case for a transformer, and appreciate your input. Thank you.
Is that the SolarEdge SEAUTO-TX-5000 Autotransformer? If so, could you show how to connect the 120Vac input and 240Vac out?
I did, there is an article on my website at www.currentconnected.com . Look under power switching
You use this Auto transformer with a 240 volt inverter system to give you your neutral wire for your 120 volt devices. I'm pretty sure it wasn't designed to be used as a "step-up" transformer. Go to David Poz TH-cam channel to see how these transformers are actually used.
Cheap Autotransformers are almost always step up only, you can run them backwards but it is hazardous to do so because the output is not isolated, so if the output shorts it can case over voltage and electrocution hazards. ALWAYS use an isolation transformer for step down... David Poz doesn't have a clue what he is doing and will get people killed.
Just btw: please dont put a tinned wire into a screw terminal, or at least not longterm. Over time the tin would "crawl" away and cause arcing.
Was wondering about that... so tinned stranded wires in terminals not recommended(?) When I saw that in the video I thought, oh that's nice and neat with the tin so you don't get the several loose bent strands that don't properly make a connection... but I guess not a good idea.
can you stack 2 of these units together and get double the amount of power?
Maybe. Maybe not.
No, transformers trade volts for watts and vice versa... and add a little overhead so you have just a but less power from overhead of the transformer.
should have show a 240 load working
Looks like a centrr tap to me.
wow ,seeing is believing, so as a step up it will create a phase , as a step down will create a neutral of the central tap, the power efficiency probably what would would be negative
Yes. That is what transformers do.
Except step down is dangerous and you should never do that with an autotransformer... if a leg gets shorted you end up with voltage on the neutral.
Show 👀
So you put 120v into N & L1 and get 120v out from N & L2. Hmm Not very useful, I think you should have connected the output load across L1 & L2 to get 240v (according to your drawing) However it would be safer to use a standard transformer to step up the 120v to 240v and it would be galvanically isolated
You could indeed connect an output load across l1 and l2.
Good video, But this is not an Autotransformer. This is a Step-Up transformer.
It is an autotransformer. 3 terminals. Look up solaredge 5kva autotransformer
I agree.The interpretation here was not an auto transformer.The sought after use for this unit is to provide split phase power from 240 volt line to neutral input ( common European voltage ) not really sure as to why it would have 3 terminals on the input side. Solar edge does not have much info on line on this unit .
I think it IS an auto as it does not have electrical isolation between the primary and secondary circuits. A "normal" transformer has primary and secondary circuits that are only magnetically/inductively coupled with no direct electrical connection,
It is an autotransformer, which can do split phase / step-up / step-down depending on hookup. Check out the end of this Victron datasheet, which shows all the various hookups and things you can do with an autotransformer. www.victronenergy.com/upload/documents/Datasheet-Autotransformer-32A-and-100A-EN.pdf
@@billjohnson3344you can do step down but not safely with an autotransformer... if there is a short ion a leg it can cause a hazard so never do that configration and instead use an isolation transformer for that. Usually called a distribution transformer.
Watch the video why this is dangerous in Europe and most other countries with 240 volts,where you have this voltage over N and L1!
If you don't know how to properly wire the AT then don't use it.
@@MrSummitvilleThere is no proper way to wire an autotransformer for step down... its literally an electrocution hazard. Only safe for step up operation.
You not changed the wire size nor the winding. It burn up what you connect it to. Plus you not managed the hertz. It 50 or 60 hertz ? If equipment is 50 hertz and it puts out 60 hertz it hear up and melt core. But if it makes 50 heryz and equpnent 50 - 60 hertz it not melt core. As you saying double voltage and you hust cut amps it sends in half. Your equipment maybe needing 2 times more amps to work.but wire size to small to produce it.
It does NOT change the frequency. You are responsible for not overloading. Just like every other device you own.
Intresting what about power .....now that would probably shock you......
L1 L2 and N are from time Nikola Tesla experimented with 3phase but mr.Edison
Could not understand 3ph so for Edison was + and - that's it but mr Edison know how to sell things so America got L1 L2 and N .....and the rest of the world have 3ph....
@@bostjantrancar9605Edison promoted DC... no phases at all. 1phase, split and 3 phase are all Telsa...
You did nothing to demonstrate the 230v load... Or how you are supposed to wire the input and the output with only 1 terminal block that is not code to add 2 wires...
An external junction box