Foreign converter kits

[ozochef]

I just bought a Jensen 500-1600watt converter. There is a warning that says only use w/ heat producing appliances whose rating is 500 to 1600 Watts. my question is can I use this converter for other things i.e. ipod or cell phone?

 

[dknguyen]

EIther way, it can only drive resistive loads since it says it only for heating (duh).

If it has a regulated voltage output, I would say:
You won't destroy the converter by running it less than 500W, but it may not meet performance specs, which means you could destroy low power devices if the voltage is not regulated up to spec.

If it has unregulated voltage output:
then that might mean that it is not able to run if the current is too low. I've seen a few converters that are like that, but this is just a mains step-down, so it's probably just a transformer inside. If this is the case, I see no reason why it wouldn't work.

Best case: it works
Worst-case: it doesn't work due to the converter not being able to supply less than 500W power. your phone won't be destroyed as long as the voltage is stepped down enough for your phone wall-wart regulator to work.

 

[ozochef]

what is my best bet?

 

[dknguyen]

PLug it in, see if it works. If you're really so concerned, just plug in a 100W lamp or something else less than 500W.

 

[audioguru]

I think it is just a rectifier diode. It "reduces" 230VAC to 115VAC. A heater won't care about the half-wave pulses but a transformer might be destroyed.

 

[dknguyen]

How does a rectifier diode reduce?

 

[ljcox]

How does a rectifier diode reduce?

A half wave rectifier has a half sine pulse on one half cycle and zero on the other half cycle.

So the average voltage is thus half that of a full wave recitifier.

The RMS would also be about half.

But remember that the peaks are still 230 * sqrt 2 = 325 Volt.

 

[dknguyen]

I see....why is the converter so big then? I would have though a transformer would be cheaper than a large piece of silicon.

 

[JimB]

I see....why is the converter so big then?

Where does it state the size of the converter?
I can see no reference here.

JimB

 

[dknguyen]

Oh, I did a websearch to find the picture.

https://images.bestbuy.com/BestBuy_US/images/products/7153/7153518_sa.jpg

 

[Nigel Goodwin]

No where near big enough for a 1600W transformer - I've recently used three 1000W transformers in parallel (although isolating ones), and they were HUGE!.

 

[dknguyen]

Oh, yeah. I keep thinking about the width of an extension cord and thinking that it's not very big...forgot that they are all coiled up.

I guess it can't be used for charging your Ipod then. I guess you just need a wall wart.

 

[Hero999]

No mention is made of the voltage or frequency.

Is it a 120V to 240V converter or vice verca?

It might produce a modified sinewave so conecting inductive loads might damage either the load or the converter.

If it's a diode converter then some heating appliances might not be safe if they use anything fancy like burst control or they might only work on full power as the could already have such a rectifier for their low power setting.

 

[audioguru]

It is a tiny little converter.
Its spec's say it converts 220VAC-240VAC to 110VAC-120VAC.
It is just a rectifier diode.

 

[ljcox]

It is fraudulent. The uninitiated could be misled by it and have their appliances damaged.

The only satisfactory way to do it is with a transformer.

 

[audioguru]

It is made for heaters, not appliances. A heater doesn't care about the waveform so doesn't need a huge and heavy transformer.