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Clark Pace
09-17-2014, 2:39 PM
Hey,

My supplied transformer blew last night. Here is the odd thing. My transformer says it's 1000VAC, input 110/ out put 220 volt / 20 amp. I pulled the fuse and it says 20 amps, but that does not make sense to me.

How are you even getting 1000 Volts out of a 110 or 220 system?

And what does your converters say?

Oh yea and I doubled checked to make sure it didn't say 1000watts.

Bill George
09-17-2014, 3:32 PM
Are you talking about a step down or step up transformer or the laser tube power supply? Its Chinese electrical so anything can be labeled wrong.

Dave Sheldrake
09-17-2014, 3:37 PM
You can get 75,000 volts from a 9v DC battery Clark, it's all about current.

Bills got it, China seems to have it's on conventions on system labelling , which PSU is it you are on about (Lasers can have up to 6 or more)

cheers

Dave

Clark Pace
09-17-2014, 4:23 PM
So no it's not in the laser. My laser is a 220 system, and it has a 110/220 step up transformer. You plug in the laser 3 prong china plug into it and, then from the transformer you plug in to the USA 110 wall . I'm in the USA.

my machine.



You can get 75,000 volts from a 9v DC battery Clark, it's all about current.

Bills got it, China seems to have it's on conventions on system labelling , which PSU is it you are on about (Lasers can have up to 6 or more)

cheers

Dave

Dave Sheldrake
09-17-2014, 5:12 PM
That's one for Bill my friend, I don't know anything about external electrics :)

cheers

Dave

Bill George
09-17-2014, 5:39 PM
So no it's not in the laser. My laser is a 220 system, and it has a 110/220 step up transformer. You plug in the laser 3 prong china plug into it and, then from the transformer you plug in to the USA 110 wall . I'm in the USA.
my machine.

You will be better off getting rid of that POS China made transformer and just using the machine straight on 220 volts, actually Its more like 230 volts but whatever. We just went through the whole changeover to US 230 volts a couple months ago. If you have 230 volts available and you can follow instructions or hire someone who knows what to do as an electrician you will save yourself a lot of headaches.

George M. Perzel
09-17-2014, 5:45 PM
Clark;
If you have a conventional USA house electrical system then you have 220VAC available and you don't need the transformer. Just run a normal 3 or 4 wire 220 line from your ckt brkr box and change the Chinese 220 plug for a normal 220Volt USA plug. If you insist on using the transformer and the one you have is defective, PM me as I have an extra one that came with my Shenhui.
Best Regards,
George
Laserarts

Dan Hintz
09-17-2014, 8:00 PM
Think of it as a 1000 Watt supply rather than in volts.

Dan Wilhelm
09-17-2014, 8:13 PM
Think of it as a 1000 Watt supply rather than in volts.


Oh yea and I doubled checked to make sure it didn't say 1000watts.

That being said, it could be 1000 VA (not VAC) which stands for volt-amps, and if you ignore power factor, is the same thing as watts.

John Noell
09-17-2014, 8:25 PM
...and if you ignore power factor, is the same thing as watts. Yes, but the power factor may not be all that close to 1, depending on the type of load.

Clark Pace
09-17-2014, 8:39 PM
I don't have access. It's at my shop.

Well the fuse worked. But I think I may order a US version. Perhaps it will work better.

Dan Hintz
09-18-2014, 8:28 AM
That being said, it could be 1000 VA (not VAC) which stands for volt-amps, and if you ignore power factor, is the same thing as watts.

That's where I was heading, but I didn't think it worthwhile to muddy the waters with such a discussion.

Dan Foreman
06-25-2019, 3:45 PM
Clark;
If you have a conventional USA house electrical system then you have 220VAC available and you don't need the transformer. Just run a normal 3 or 4 wire 220 line from your ckt brkr box and change the Chinese 220 plug for a normal 220Volt USA plug. If you insist on using the transformer and the one you have is defective, PM me as I have an extra one that came with my Shenhui.
Best Regards,
George
Laserarts

Sorry to revive such an old thread. I guess I am late to this laser party and am a noob to this forum. Just wanted to revisit George's quote from above as its been a few years and things sometimes change.

My Chinese 130 watt CO2 laser machine arrives this week. They included a transformer to step up from USA 110 v to their 220 Chinese plug. So my question is, should I use their transformer, or use a dedicated 220 v breaker from my panel. (easy to do as my panel is 20 feet away with easy access)

Not concerned about exhaust and air compressor power as I have my own solutions for those that run on 60 Hz, independent of the laser machine. Just want to know the best solution for powering the machine itself.

Thanks.

Jerome Stanek
06-25-2019, 5:27 PM
Sorry to revive such an old thread. I guess I am late to this laser party and am a noob to this forum. Just wanted to revisit George's quote from above as its been a few years and things sometimes change.

My Chinese 130 watt CO2 laser machine arrives this week. They included a transformer to step up from USA 110 v to their 220 Chinese plug. So my question is, should I use their transformer, or use a dedicated 220 v breaker from my panel. (easy to do as my panel is 20 feet away with easy access)

Not concerned about exhaust and air compressor power as I have my own solutions for those that run on 60 Hz, independent of the laser machine. Just want to know the best solution for powering the machine itself.

Thanks.

Don't use the transformer Mine caught fire before I could get 220 to the laser. I was working on installing the outlet and was cutting some letters that had to go out that day. I was just getting ready to run the wire to the outlet and heard a boom and fire coming out of the transformer Lucky I was only 3 feet away and had a dry fire extinguisher handy

Kev Williams
06-25-2019, 7:42 PM
I used a transformer for about a year, then one of the relays started clacking, and then it fried something, which I fixed but it didn't last. I just wired up a 220 plug and been a happy laserer ever since :)

Dan Foreman
06-26-2019, 5:55 PM
Two votes for 220 direct from my panel. Good enough for me. Thanks guys!

Martin James
07-20-2019, 12:00 AM
Clark I use a "litefuze brand of transformer. The one I have says "3000 watts" $US140 It runs the cooler the air pump and the laser. I run from the box two 110v circuits on a felx cord (probably 12 guage) to a 4 gang box. This cord is grounded inside the box and to a stake as well (at the same wire length) Then there is a circuit protector box plugged into one of the 110v outlets and into that is plugged the "3000 watt" transformer which is connected to the laser. I bought that transformer because it had the thickest gauge cord for any transformer that size on Amazon.

This system works well on 60 watt tube and ok on about half of my 150 watt tube jobs. But the circuit protector trips on heavy cutting on the 150 watt tube.

I have just bought a second transformer to separately run my cooler and air pump to see if that will reduce the tripping.

In any case I try not to touch bare metal while the machine is firing and I have 1/8 silicon sheet laying over the hot end of the tube connections. (This to reduce arcing)

I am not an electrician. I have plenty of 220v at the 2 phase box in my shop. I use the transformer to make the Chinese one phase 250 volt power my machine was designed for.

Hope that helps. Cheers Marty

Bill George
07-20-2019, 8:16 AM
Our US power is 220 (230) volts across the two hot wires, the Chinese and overseas is 220 across the two wires. No difference, buy all the Chinese transformers you need, its the same thing. What thing your not changing is over there its 50 Hz, here its 60 but that makes no difference, except your AC motors run a little faster. Yes I am an electrician.

Make sure the green / green-yellow or equipment ground wire is connected inside your machine and its hooked up in whatever wiring you have put together back to your main panel.