• observantTrapezium@lemmy.ca
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    23 hours ago

    I had the opposite problem, I brought a soldering iron from Europe to Canada, and despite using a step up transformer, it just couldn’t get hot enough to melt the solder!

      • Rivalarrival@lemmy.today
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        22 hours ago

        Splice on a second plug, so you can use two outlets at the same time.

        (/s, mostly… this can actually work, if you can find two outlets on opposite phases.)

        • Trail@lemmy.world
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          21 hours ago

          But it wouldn’t be 200%, it would be something like 170% power assuming 3 phases, right. Too lazy to do the math.

          • Rivalarrival@lemmy.today
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            21 hours ago

            You’re correct, but not in North America. We don’t bring three phase to the home.

            Our final distribution transformers have a center tap on the secondary coil, bonded to neutral. So, one side of the coil provides a 120v leg with respect to that neutral, and the other side provides an opposing leg, 180° from the first, and 120v with respect to that same neutral. Most of out appliances use leg-to-neutral, 120v. But leg-to-leg is 240v.

            (Commercial and industrial facilities can get a wide variety of voltages in single or three phase, and we do have some actual, 2-phase generators and customers: the phases are 90° apart rather than 120° or 180°)