Jon Anderson wrote:

On 8/9/2011 7:14 AM, Pete C. wrote:

You *do not* want any "voltage converter", they are only intended
for odd little appliances for travelers.

I do know what the cheap little converters are and that's not what I was
referring to. I used the voltage converter terminology as that's what
the eBay auction called the heavy duty units they sell. These are in
steel cases with overload protection and can be had up to 10,000 watts.

What you need is a proper continuous duty rated transformer, and
240/480 to 120/240 transformers are quite common in the US and will
do the job if you wire them for 240 in and 240 out. In this
configuration they will accept your 240 only input, and provide a
120/240 center tapped output consistent with US power. These
transformers are commonly used to provide local 120/240 power from
480 feeders in industrial settings, and can be found used pretty
readily in most any size imaginable.

This however, sounds like a much better solution. Probably get a lot
more capacity, cheaper, than buying several of the units I was looking
at. I'll look up my buddy's electrician friend and see about scrounging
a used one and having him make -sure- I've got it set up properly before
I go.

Yep, those transformers I mentioned are very common and can be found in
any size you need used. Setup for 240V in and 120/240V out they will
give you the neutral you need for some items, or the output can be
configured for 120V only for more current. Don't waste a transformer on
anything that will take 240V only directly of course.