Transformer 240V to 110V how many watts do I need?

Hi I'd appreciate some help.

I have a NiMh battery charger which has AC input of 100~120VAC

50~60HZ, 1.2A.

It outputs at 36VDC, 1.8A.

How many Watt transformer do I need to use this charger in the UK where we have 240V? The output of the charger itseff is only 65W, but the input is more, but I'm not sure how to take the phase into account.

Cheers, EF

Reply to
EF
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Power = volts x amps so its about 65 watts. Given allowance for less than

100% efficiency, 100 to 150 watts would be my guess.
Reply to
Charles Schuler

If the input spec's are correct then the input could be up to 144W so, assuming inefficiencies as you suggest, I'd be looking to maybe 175-200W. Seems ridiculous for the job but there you go.

Ken

Reply to
Ken Taylor

--
The input is 120VAC @ 1.2A, so that's 120V * 1.2A = 144VA, not 144W,
which pretty much takes the phase into account.
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Reply to
John Fields

Yeah, it seems over the top when the charger only outputs 65W. Normally I wouldnt worry and just go for the larger transformer, but in this instance weight is important as I need to carry the charger and transformer daily.

Thanks, Menno

Reply to
EF

Many thanks for everyone's input.

How many watt is 144VA? I ask because some transformers here have their rating listed in watts, not VA.

Thanks, EF

Reply to
EF

Check inside charger to see if there is a mains i/p voltage selector setting (series/parallel switch for primaries), as there may be the opportunity of setting it to 230V. Otherwise If you are bringing the charger to the UK, you may source the step-down transformer in the UK. You could buy a 200VA, 240V to120V model from, for example, Maplin

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Reply to
Jim Gregory

Can we ask what it's for?

Reply to
CWatters

It's to charge a 36V 8Ah battery pack for an electric motor. I'm using the motor on a bicycle, so have to carry charger with me on the bike, which is why I wanted to see if a 100VA transformer would be sufficient, as they are a lot lighter. But from everyone's advice it looks like it would have to be 200VA.

But I'll follow Jim's suggestion first and open it up to see if it is switchable.

Thanks, EF

Reply to
EF

EF

*If* it proves switchable, ie, two primaries arrangeable either in parallel: 115V or in series: 230V, and you adjust it for the higher input, when you come over here you'll need to fit a new 3-pin plug, 13A (max) type but with a 2 or 3 Amps 1" fuse inserted... this connector carries an optional ground connection, as well. Any electrical shop, DIY store, pound shop, ironmongery sells them.
Reply to
Jim Gregory

--
If it's not switchable, you may want to look into getting an
autotransformer.  About 1/3 the weight for the same VA rating and
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Reply to
John Fields

EF schrieb:

If I understand it correctly the charger has 1.2 A at 100 VAC (and maybe

1.0 A at 120 V). Here in Europe we often have wide range devices with 110...230 V input. The input current noted on the device nearly always referes to the lowest input voltage.

So you need a transformer with output 100 V / 1.2 A with is 120 VA. You don't need any additional wattage.

Regards

--
Michael Redmann
"It's life, Jim, but not as we know it." (Spock)
Reply to
Michael Redmann

Interesting. I was also going to ask if the battey is 3 lead acid cells in series?. If so you might be able to rewire the batteries in parallel for charging and use a 12V car battery charger.

If they aren't lead acid then the problem is harder. You can buy chargers capable of charging 36V's worth of NiCad/HiMH cells (eg competition model aircraft battery chargers) but they tend to be very expensive and most (all) use a 12V battery as the power source to allow charging on the flying field.

Reply to
CWatters

Hi,

The output is 65W. Does the charger specify how many watts on the input side or maybe how much current it consumes on 120V? If it does specify the current then: Power (Watts=Volts *Amps) and that should tell you the minimum power your transformer should be able to handle. If nothing is specified for the input side, then I would estimate the efficiency of the charger to be at worst 75%. With this approximation, the input power should roughly be about 65W/0.75=87W. A transformer between 85W and 100W should be fine. The power for 120V or 240V will still be the same. The fundamental difference is that current is halved at 240V.

Hope this helps

Ciao

Fern

Reply to
blazeinferno

One more thing to worry about when a transformer powers anything with a rectifier if it also has a filter capacitor: The waveform of the current drawn by the device. The RMS current can be higher than that of a resistive load drawing the same amount of power and a sinewave current waveform - sometimes a lot higher. The RMS current is what will heat up transformer windings.

Try putting a low value resistor in series with the input of the charger, and looking at the current waveform on an oscilloscope. Draw it on graph paper and calculate an approximated RMS value. Or, you may be able to find an automotive lamp that, when placed in series with the input of the charger, glows without dropping a lot of voltage nor burning out. Find out how much current it takes to make the lamp glow the same way, and that's the RMS current drawn by the charger. Multiply RMS current by voltage, and that's what the transformer has to be rated for (often in volt-amps rather than watts).

- Don Klipstein ( snipped-for-privacy@misty.com)

Reply to
Don Klipstein

Don Klipstein schrieb:

The waveform's peak value divided by the rms value is called crest factor. For pure sine waves the crest factor is 1.414 but input currents into filter capacitors can easily reach crest factors of 10.

The crest facor is very important if you run uninterruptable power supplies. For the reason mentioned they have to deliver high peak currents to your computer's power supplies.

Regards

--
Michael Redmann
"It's life, Jim, but not as we know it." (Spock)
Reply to
Michael Redmann

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