Does 10 volts and 10 heartz make much of a difference

[eddieboy]

Speaking hypothetically if I was able to buy battery operated tools from the Us of A and not pay import duty or postage would the charger still work?

 

[telectrix]

only if it's a 220V charger. if it's 110V then you need to plug it in to your site tranny.

 

[HandySparks]

Think you'll find that it's more than 10 volts difference between ordinary domestic socket outlets in UK and US. However, if you check the detailed spec of the charger, you may find it rated for both supplies anyway.

 

[Besoeker]

Speaking hypothetically if I was able to buy battery operated tools from the Us of A and not pay import duty or postage would the charger still work?

Some wound components (e.g. chokes and transformers) might not work correctly at 50Hz.

 

[Guest77]

The 10 volts bit is no issue, most of our kit is designed to work at 220 volts which is what power outlets operate at in the states, it is 110 for lighting by the way, they have 2 phases in homes there, and power is wired in 2 phase which is 220 volts, the 60 hz bit will be more of a problem, the kit will not last as long as it will be under different fluctuations regarding AC current and the cycles we build kit here to run on, it should work but will not last as long IMO.

 

[shanky887614]

The 10 volts bit is no issue, most of our kit is designed to work at 220 volts which is what power outlets operate at in the states, it is 110 for lighting by the way, they have 2 phases in homes there, and power is wired in 2 phase which is 220 volts, the 60 hz bit will be more of a problem, the kit will not last as long as it will be under different fluctuations regarding AC current and the cycles we build kit here to run on, it should work but will not last as long IMO.

have a look at the back of your charger i bet it states 110-250 ish and 50-60hertz

i know guys that lopped the plug off there charger and fitted a commando and it has worked for years

 

[Guest77]

have a look at the back of your charger i bet it states 110-250 ish and 50-60hertz

i know guys that lopped the plug off there charger and fitted a commando and it has worked for years

What charger is that then :biggrin: I don't doubt the kit will work, just saying at 50 hz kit designed for 60 will not work as efficiently as 60 hz, thats all I'm saying, TVs which are designed for 50 hz can get pictures not as clear on 60 hz from memory.

 

[shanky887614]

What charger is that then :biggrin: I don't doubt the kit will work, just saying at 50 hz kit designed for 60 will not work as efficiently as 60 hz, thats all I'm saying

makita 18v li-ion battery charger

 

[Guest77]

makita 18v li-ion battery charger

I will have a look sometime, as I said before, I am not suggesting it will not work, I know I am right though regarding efficiency :biggrin:

 

[Guest77]

I think the point is whether the kit from the USA is designed to work at a frequency between 50-60 hz like the makita kit, we build high frequency lights here don't we which are designed to work at a higher frequency to allow lighting to operate without the flickering of 50 hz, whether the kit the op is refering to will work efficiently we will not know unless he posts up some information.

 

[Silly Sausage]

have a look at the back of your charger i bet it states 110-250 ish and 50-60hertz

i know guys that lopped the plug off there charger and fitted a commando and it has worked for years

Aye, you're right there laddie.
Just checked my Makita charger, 220-240V 50-60Hz.
It's just a glorified rectifier really.

 

[Guest77]

Aye, you're right there laddie.
Just checked my Makita charger, 220-240V 50-60Hz.
It's just a glorified rectifier really.

That is the word I was trying to think of regarding TVs, I know some TVs a few years back had to have rectifiers fitted if the frequency wasn't to our spec, today they well may be different, I expect if the Makita kit is 50-60 then possibly the USA kit may be as well so the OP should be okay.

 

[urbanmonkey]

Builder I've been working with brought over all his power tools from the states when he came here, all work fine, think he uses his core drill on 110v but all the chargers work for the rest of it work as normal. The gear is alot cheaper but if you are buying over the interweb the postage probably won't make it viable.

 

[shanky887614]

Builder I've been working with brought over all his power tools from the states when he came here, all work fine, think he uses his core drill on 110v but all the chargers work for the rest of it work as normal. The gear is alot cheaper but if you are buying over the interweb the postage probably won't make it viable.

shipping isnt that expensive from usa, i bought some stuff and with £30 shipping it was still a hell of a lot cheaper

 

[Besoeker]

The 10 volts bit is no issue, most of our kit is designed to work at 220 volts which is what power outlets operate at in the states, it is 110 for lighting by the way, they have 2 phases in homes there, and power is wired in 2 phase which is 220 volts, the 60 hz bit will be more of a problem, the kit will not last as long as it will be under different fluctuations regarding AC current and the cycles we build kit here to run on, it should work but will not last as long IMO.

Domestic is usually 120-0-120 and 60Hz.
Chargers are, for the most part, SMPS based and can accept a wide range of input voltages. Typically they are rated for 100V to 240V input.

That said, the last battery electric drill was rated for only 230/240V. No 100V option.

 

[urbanmonkey]

I thin the TV difference was because the scan rate was matched to the frequency of the power supply so they didn't flicker, a 60hz TV in the UK would have had a flicker to it in days of tubes and what-not.

 

[Guest77]

Domestic is usually 120-0-120 and 60Hz.
Chargers are, for the most part, SMPS based and can accept a wide range of input voltages. Typically they are rated for 100V to 240V input.

That said, the last battery electric drill was rated for only 230/240V. No 100V option.

You are quite correct, it is 120 volts and 240 volts not 110 and 220 which is what I said, apologies and thanks.

 

[Lucien Nunes]

For some types of kit the frequency is very important, but power tool chargers perhaps not. Many use a line-voltage switched-mode circuit that might have been designed in such a way that incorrect frequency would result in incorrect output, but in reality it wouldn't have made sense for them to do so.

What might deserve consideration is the single-insulated zip cord that often turns up on US-made chargers in place of insulated and sheathed flex on EU versions. It's heavy-duty insulation but I have met people who don't accept it for site use, and I'm not very keen on it either.

 

[eddieboy]

Thanks for the replies folks. I was toying with the idea about buying one of the Makita kits, 9 or 10 tools. I suppose I could just buy a UK charger, but from what some of you are saying it would work anyway. I would just cut the plug off and put on a 110 volt one.

 

[ferg]

Thanks for the replies folks. I was toying with the idea about buying one of the Makita kits, 9 or 10 tools. I suppose I could just buy a UK charger, but from what some of you are saying it would work anyway. I would just cut the plug off and put on a 110 volt one.

Be prepared to pay the duty on the item.

From memory 20% of item and shipping cost plus a fee that I can't remember.

You may get lucky and not end up paying it but it's a gamble and you wont get the item until the customs charge is paid.