L6-20 Plugs convert to standard 240v?
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The transformer seems to be acting as a control supply, although 30v 8.3amps seems a lot just for a control supply. Difficult to be sure, without a circuit diagram of the equipment.
Can you not ask the manufacturer is the equipment is rated for use on a UK 240v supply? The 50/60Hz ratings, seems to suggest it is designed to work fine in the EU 50Hz as well as the US 60Hz.
Can you not ask the manufacturer is the equipment is rated for use on a UK 240v supply? The 50/60Hz ratings, seems to suggest it is designed to work fine in the EU 50Hz as well as the US 60Hz.
Seriously? The UK supply has a nominal voltage of 230V and the equipment states it is for use on a nominal 230V supply. It would be difficult to get any closer.
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It doesn't say 'nominal 230v' on the equipment labels it says 230volts. UK supply is nominal 230v, but actually 240v and possibly as high as 250v, hence my reluctance to suggest it will definitely be OK. I would be happier, if it said on the labels 220-240v.
You can buy tungsten lamps in the UK, sold as for a nominal supply of 230v. I will guarantee you will only get a few hours of use out of them.
'couldn't plus the grinder' ????
A quick test should be fine, but I remain a little concerned about the long term reliability - until you have asked the manufacturer if it is suitable for UK voltage.
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The UK is 230 volt +10% -6% so 216.2 to 253 volt. We harmonised with Europe and their volts increased, and in the early years in real terms nothing changed, however as solar panels arrived they had to be designed so they would not cause over voltage, so at 253 volt they auto switch off, so to stop them auto switching off the DNO it seems went around dropping the voltage.
I had used a 65 watt fluorescent lamp for years, but the fat 65 watt tubes were discontinued, however the 58 watt tubes did work but shorter life, when the voltage was dropped however these 58 watt tubes reduced life to around 4 month from 18 month, so was forced to change to LED at 22 watt.
Fluorescent lamps with wire wound ballast are very critical on voltage, too low and fail to start, too high and the current goes way over design current, there is a problem with motors with low voltage when direct drive to compressors, fridges and freezers for example which can stall with low voltage, but motors do not seem to have too much of a problem with under or over voltage in the main. I have seen tower cranes with auto transformers dropping from 415 to 380 volt but it was next to Sizewell 'A' so over volts was common, it is rare to have a problem.
In the main where there is a volts problem the item will give the range 230 +/- 4% or 220 - 230 volt, where no range is given then it is a nominal voltage, so 230 volt is fine for UK. Today were the voltage is critical we tend to use inverters, we are seeing more and more inverter freezers and fridge/freezers, as it allows the use of 3 phase motors, and a softer start.
But when the plate says 230 volt 50 Hz it is OK for UK, and this UK is still really 240 volt is no longer true, as I have found with failed fluorescent lamps, there may be the odd home still with 240 volt where no solar panels have been fitted in the area, but very few today.
We have a few solar panels in this area and the supply is 239.1 V AC
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Your lucky, but 239.1 is well under 253 volt so likely it did not cause a problem, we were around the 246 mark most times I measured and then solar panels arrived and it dropped to nearly spot on 230 volt. And that seems to have been repeated around North Wales and Mid Wales.
I'm about to be educated 
Since solar panels output DC, dependant on solar input and load, surely any problems with respect to system over-voltage on the 50Hz lines lies with the design (or lack of) of the customer's inverter. Within limits, there's no reason a decent inverter design shouldn't be capable of outputting a 'fixed' 230V 50Hz when fed with whatever DC voltage a solar panel array feeds it.
Since solar panels output DC, dependant on solar input and load, surely any problems with respect to system over-voltage on the 50Hz lines lies with the design (or lack of) of the customer's inverter. Within limits, there's no reason a decent inverter design shouldn't be capable of outputting a 'fixed' 230V 50Hz when fed with whatever DC voltage a solar panel array feeds it.
100 yards from the sub-station, which also feeds up to 400 yards further up the road. I measured it as 240v 40 years ago and for various reasons quite regularly since then and it never varies by more than 1v +/-, unless we have a rare cable fault. I don't have solar panels, but there are several around here, on the same circuit. I really don't understand why the fitting of solar panels might make a difference to the voltage anyway.
I think there is some 'hair splitting' going on here. I can't blame you for saying that you would be 'happier' if it said "220-240V" (and presumably even happier if it said "216.2-253V", so as to cover the whole range of permitted \uk supply voltages) - but the reality is that they often only mention a single voltage (within the range), and I'm not sure that I've ever seen a bit of consumer equipment which includes the word "nominal" in its indication of the 'voltage rating'!
As above, I'm not sure I've ever seen a consumer product sold for a specified "nominal voltage". However, no matter what market it was sold for, to label it as "nominal 230v" would imply that it was intended to be useable up to voltages well in excess of 240V.
Kind Regards, John
I don't think it's so much that the fitting of supply panels 'making a difference to the voltage' - although the resultant reduction in net VD in the supply network will mean that consumers will tend to get higher supply voltages (during the daylight hours!).
As I understand it (and I may be wrong!), the main issue is that if people start installing solar panels in an area where the supply voltage sometimes gets anywhere near 253V, the DNO have to move the taps on their transformer to reduce the supply voltage in that area, to avoid the solar inverters being 'tripped off' by 'over-voltage' sensing.
Kind Regards, John
Older equipment transformers, back in the days when the UK had several voltage standards, would have several adjustable voltage tappings to cope.
Equipment has to either be designed to work with a range of voltages, or a set voltage. Modern SMPSU supplied equipment can be designed to work with anywhere from 100 to 260v. For the avoidance of doubt, I have come across motors with name plates specifying they are able to work on a range of voltages - that ability starts at the design stage. Others specify just a single voltage.
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