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Battery Charger Rated 220v 50Hz but with Foreign Plug!

  • 21-10-2009 09:16PM
    #1
    IT Loser
    Closed Accounts Posts: 1,311 ✭✭✭


    Hi there, I got this charger as part of a deal involving Lithium batteries, it is suppose to charge the unit and has a rating of 220v 50Hz stepped down to 36v @5A I believe.

    However, two problems strike me immediately:

    1. The Plug
    This is clearly a fitting for the US Market, and carries only 2 wires, negative and positive, but no neutral.

    4032946644_7bfd1fd383.jpg

    Pardon my grubby hands. I work with felt fix and cement.:mad:

    2. The Skinny Wires
    These wires really do not look at all like our usual mains wiring. First off, the neutral/earth is missing. Secondly, the wires themselves are really thin in comparison to what you and I would be used to working with in Ireland.

    4032942918_60b086f4ee.jpg

    Does anyone have any suggestions as to how I should ready this piece of equipment for use on a 220v Mains. ? Many thanks.


Comments

  • #2
    Pete67
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,257 ✭✭✭Pete67


    Cut the plug off, replace with standard 13A plug, connect brown wire to live and blue to neutral, put a 1A or 3A fuse in the plug instead of the 13A one it comes with.


  • #3
    IT Loser
    Closed Accounts Posts: 1,311 ✭✭✭IT Loser


    Pete67 wrote: »
    Cut the plug off, replace with standard 13A plug, connect brown wire to live and blue to neutral, put a 1A or 3A fuse in the plug instead of the 13A one it comes with.

    Thanks for your advice- it is much appreciated.:cool:


  • #4
    IT Loser
    Closed Accounts Posts: 1,311 ✭✭✭IT Loser


    Okay, same old same old.

    Found a big bag of fuses....13A and 5A only.

    What happens if I use a 5A? Big Bang? Or just limited performance?

    Thanks again. Sorry to be a cannabaliser!


  • #5
    Davy
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 19,301 CMod ✭✭✭✭Davy


    You shouldn't get a big bang, the 5A will work fine, once whatever the appliance is doesn't draw more current than that.


  • #6
    Pete67
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,257 ✭✭✭Pete67


    No bang, the purpose of the plug fuse is to 'blow' and disconnect the mains only if there is a fault in the charger. A lower rated fuse will offer better protection as it will fail at a lower fault current. The 5A fuse will work fine, just might take a bit longer to blow than a 1 or 3A should the charger ever develop a fault.


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  • #7
    IT Loser
    Closed Accounts Posts: 1,311 ✭✭✭IT Loser


    Pete67 wrote: »
    No bang, the purpose of the plug fuse is to 'blow' and disconnect the mains only if there is a fault in the charger. A lower rated fuse will offer better protection as it will fail at a lower fault current. The 5A fuse will work fine, just might take a bit longer to blow than a 1 or 3A should the charger ever develop a fault.

    Ahhhhh....thanks for that.

    The charger is supposed to take 220AC and turn it into 36V DC delivered at 5A to a 36v 20AH Lithium battery pack.

    So the most current the Charger will be drawing is 5A, with the 5A fuse. Is that correct?

    Why would the setup work minus the earth which all Irish/UK plugs usually have?

    Thanks again:cool:


  • #8
    Pete67
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,257 ✭✭✭Pete67


    An earth connection is not needed for non-metallic equipment. If you look at table lamps, small radios, shavers etc etc you will find that the earth is not connected. However any equipment made of metal needs to be earthed. The reason being that if there is a short from the live conductor to the equipment casing then the casing would be live, which would be lethal. Once the metal casing is earthed then the short will cause a large fault current, tripping an MCB or blowing a fuse and therefore make it safe. If the outer casing is non-conductive then this is not necessary.

    Lowering the voltage requires higher current to deliver the same power, so 5A at 36V is 180W, however 180W at 230V is only 0.78A. A 3 amp fuse will be more than enough.


  • #9
    IT Loser
    Closed Accounts Posts: 1,311 ✭✭✭IT Loser


    Pete67 wrote: »
    An earth connection is not needed for non-metallic equipment. If you look at table lamps, small radios, shavers etc etc you will find that the earth is not connected. However any equipment made of metal needs to be earthed. The reason being that if there is a short from the live conductor to the equipment casing then the casing would be live, which would be lethal. Once the metal casing is earthed then the short will cause a large fault current, tripping an MCB or blowing a fuse and therefore make it safe. If the outer casing is non-conductive then this is not necessary.

    Lowering the voltage requires higher current to deliver the same power, so 5A at 36V is 180W, however 180W at 230V is only 0.78A. A 3 amp fuse will be more than enough.

    Thanks for that. You really do make it easy to understand. :cool::)


  • #10
    Solair
    Closed Accounts Posts: 7,226 ✭✭✭Solair


    IT Loser wrote: »
    Hi there, I got this charger as part of a deal involving Lithium batteries, it is suppose to charge the unit and has a rating of 220v 50Hz stepped down to 36v @5A I believe.

    However, two problems strike me immediately:

    1. The Plug
    This is clearly a fitting for the US Market, and carries only 2 wires, negative and positive, but no neutral.

    4032946644_7bfd1fd383.jpg

    Pardon my grubby hands. I work with felt fix and cement.:mad:

    2. The Skinny Wires
    These wires really do not look at all like our usual mains wiring. First off, the neutral/earth is missing. Secondly, the wires themselves are really thin in comparison to what you and I would be used to working with in Ireland.

    4032942918_60b086f4ee.jpg

    Does anyone have any suggestions as to how I should ready this piece of equipment for use on a 220v Mains. ? Many thanks.

    That product is designed for the mainland Chinese market. They use a plug for small appliances which is quite similar to a US plug, but without the holes in the side of the pins.

    Larger appliances use an Australian-style plug with slanted pins.

    If it's rated 220V 50Hz it will work fine here, as described in the posts above, just cut the plug off and fit an Irish one.

    Live = Brown (right side of the plug)
    Neutral = Blue (left side of the plug)

    Also, install a 3amp fuse in the plug if possible.

    The vast majority of small appliances, are double insulated i.e. typically have plastic bodies and do not require an earth. These only have 2-core cables and no earth wire.

    You can identify these appliances with the fig7.jpg symbol.

    Irish/British sockets are a bit weird, as they require an earth pin to open the shutters. So, regardless of whether it's needed or not, every Irish and British plug has to have an earth pin, otherwise the sockets won't open.

    In every other system on the planet, plugs only have a 3rd pin when it's needed. Small appliances can then have conveniently sized non-grounded plugs e.g. the flat 2 pin plug you'll find on the continent or the small US plug.

    European earthed plugs earth using scraping contact on the side of the plug rather than a 3rd pin.


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