Saturday, June 19, 2010

Why cant I use an U.S. made extension leads/surge protector on a step down 240V-120V converter?

I tried to plug the US surge protector extension lead in a step down converter %26 the surge protector got shorted straight away. Can someone please tell me why? Is it due to the restricted frequency (US @ 60Hz / UK @ 50Hz) or something else? Many thanks.



Answer:

Did you plug it into the 120V side or the 240V side? Have you used a meter to ensure that the 120 V side is actually 120V? It sounds like the surge protector saw too much voltage which is why it shorted out. I don%26#39;t believe the frequency had anything to do with it. The step down transformer will remove the earthing capabilities that you need for the surge protection circuitry.



This maybe the cause. I would say you are right about the frequency The US uses a 60 hz system Most other places in the world use 50 hz.



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