Gardner expressed precisely :
On 08-Aug-2011 15:35, Pete C. wrote:

Jon Anderson wrote:


He informed me that their 220 IS 220,
each leg, where ours is combined from two legs of 110.

Our 220 *is* 220, we just center tap the transformer to provide a
neutral in the middle.


In Australia (and other places that use 220) one leg is neutral (ie
has a potential that is very close to ground/earth) and one leg is hot.
This is just like in North America, except that in NA, the hot leg
is at 110 whereas in OZ it is 240.

In North America, 220 is made from TWO HOTs and neither leg is
neutral.

Many types of appliances are designed so that hot and neutral can't
be mixed up, and may have safety features that depend on the neutral
being, in fact, neutral. This is just as true of Australian appliances
as it is of North American or wherever.

Now you go putting two hots into an appliance designed for neutral
plus hot -- well, it may work fine. Or it might electrocute the
user. Your consulting electrical engineer would not sign off on
this.

Have fun.

__________________________________________________ __________________
Gardner Buchanan gbuchana(a)teksavvy(dot)com
FreeBSD: Where you want to go. Today.

In Australia and other 50hz countries the distribution is usually 3
phase 230/400 volts nominal but as it was 240 volts in years gone by
many areas still have 240 or more delivered (it is rarely below 240 at
my house). This is active to neutral and neutral is grounded at the
building entry. For higher loads the three phases can be used with 400
between them.
No metion has been made of the power required by this welder and
although the duty cycle may be short any transformer will need to cope
with the high start current.
Auto transformers are frowned upon and, I think, not allowed in some
cases because it is possible to have the 110 volts at the high end and
not at the neutral end if the wiring is not correct.

Pehaps Gunner could tell us what the power requirements might be??

--
John G.