Tony Miklos wrote:

Matt Whiting wrote:

Tony Miklos wrote:

Sorry antagonist. That is incorrect. The "phases" as you describe,
are still in sync with each other. Their voltage potential from
neutral/center tap is indeed *opposite*, but still "in phase".




But using this definition of "in phase", all power systems are "in
phase" as the respective phase angles are constant between all phases.
It doesn't matter if the phase separation is 90, 120 or 180 (as in
split phase). The reality is that you can't distinquish "split" phase
from "two" phase with 180 degree phase separation, as they are
identical. It doesn't matter if the two phases are created directly
from a rotating machine or from a center tapped transformer.


If you looked at, and understood the waveforms on an oscilloscope
comparing single (split or not) phase to 3 phase, I would like to
believe that it is impossible to mistake a single split phase for three
phase. Of course I do not know if you have ever *looked* at the two on
a scope? That could be the problem understanding the difference.

Read it again. I never said I was comparing split phase to 3 phase. I
said that "split" phase was the same as "two" phase with a 180 degree
phase separation. I've looked at a lot of waveforms on a scope and that
is why I know that there is nothing magic about getting two phases by
"splitting" a single phase using a transformer vs. getting two phases
from a two phase generator with a 180 phase separation. Someone earlier
suggested that there was something unique about getting two phases from
a single phase and that simply isn't true.


Matt