Voltage converter
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A voltage converter is an
AC and DC
AC voltage conversion uses a
Practical voltage converters
Mains converters
A common use of the voltage converter is for a device that allows appliances made for the mains voltage of one geographical region to operate in an area with different voltage. Such a device may be called a voltage converter, power converter, travel adapter, etc. Most
Transformers do not change the frequency of electricity; in many regions with 100–120 V, electricity is supplied at 60 Hz, and 210–240 V regions tend to use 50 Hz. This may affect operation of devices which depend on mains frequency (some audio turntables and mains-only electric clocks, etc., although modern equipment is less likely to depend upon mains frequency). Equipment with high-powered motors or internal transformers designed to operate at 60 Hz may overheat at 50 Hz even if the voltage supplied is correct.
Most mains-powered electrical equipment, though it may specify a single nominal voltage, actually has a range of tolerance above and below that point. Thus, devices usually can be used on either any voltage from approx. 100 to 120 V, or any voltage from approx. 210 to 240 V. In such cases, voltage converters need only be specified to convert any voltage within one range, to a voltage within the other, rather than separate converters being needed for all possible pairs of nominal voltages (110–220, 117–220, 110–230, etc.)
Converters for devices
Mains converters
Another requirement is to provide low-voltage electricity to a device from mains electricity; this would be done by what is usually called a power supply. Most modern electronic devices require between 1.5 and 24 volts DC; lower-powered devices at these voltages can often work either from
Mobile converters
Voltage converters can be used in vehicles with 12 V DC outlets. A simple voltage dropper can be used to reduce the voltage for low-power devices; if more than 12V is required, or for high-powered devices, a switched-mode power supply is used. The output will usually be DC in the range 1.5–24 V. Power supplies that output either 100–120 V AC or 210–240 V AC are available; they are called inverters, due to the conversion from DC to AC rather than the voltage change. The output frequency and waveform of an inverter may not accurately replicate that supplied by mains electricity, although this is not usually a problem.
See also
References
- ^ "How to convert from AC to DC?". GeeksforGeeks. 12 March 2022. Retrieved 16 February 2023.
- ^ "Electric Current Information for All Countries". legacy.trade.gov. Retrieved 16 February 2023.