Everyone knows that the voltage standards in various countries and regions around the world are inconsistent, leading to a series of troubles such as the inability of domestic appliances to be used under voltage conditions in other regions. Have you ever thought about the so advanced technology, why is the global voltage standard not the same?

So today, I will give you the reason behind this science and introduce the corresponding coping strategies.

 

 

Global voltage standard inventory

 

100V

 

Japan, North Korea

 

110～130V

 

United States, Canada, Panama, Cuba, Lebanon, Mexico, etc. and Taiwan, China

 

220～230V

 

UK, Germany, France, China, Singapore, Italy, Spain, Greece, Austria, Netherlands, Philippines, Thailand, Norway, Singapore, India, New Zealand, Australia, etc.

 

(Of course, in countries with 220-230V voltage, there are also cases where it is necessary to use 110-130V voltage, such as Sweden and Russia.)

 

It turns out that there are still quite a lot of countries in the world that use 220V AC. However, the problem is not over yet: Why is China not using the same 110V AC as the United States? The idea of ​​a small partner is generally: the voltage is lower, it seems to be safer.

 

Speaking of electricity, this goes back to the classic AC-DC war in history, and we have to start from the two heroes. In the early days of power use, Edison invented DC, and its General Electric Company first used 110V voltage to supply DC power to customers in the United States. Later, Tesla invented the 3-phase 240V AC, but for safety reasons he also reduced the voltage to 110V. Due to its advantages of smaller long-distance transmission loss, his AC system eventually defeated Edison's DC power and became the US power supply standard with the support of Westinghouse Electric.

After the success of commercial AC, Europe quickly introduced it. After the 110V voltage is low, the current is large when transmitting the same power, and the copper is used more. The transmission loss of the power grid is large, so the voltage specification is doubled to 220V. Because the technical transformation is relatively simple, there is not much power facilities and electrical equipment in Europe after World War II. The cost is not very large, so the European countries have formed the 220V/50Hz AC grid standard.

 

Later, the United States also considered switching to the 220V mains standard. However, at this time, household appliances with 110V voltages increased. If the voltage specifications were forcibly changed, not only would a large number of active electrical appliances and equipment be eliminated, but also complaints would be caused. So I have missed the best time. The final compromise is: 220V power into the home and then divided into 110V to power the appliances.

 

As for China, there is no uniform standard for AC grids during the semi-colonial period;

 

As we all know, the old China's low productivity and economical failure can reduce the loss and reduce the consumption of copper and other metals. Of course, it is very good. The 220V is easily accepted by the power supply operators. In the 16th year of Guangxu reign (1890), Shanghai began to use incandescent lamps with a voltage of 100V. In the 27th year of Guangxu (1901), the Shanghai public concession began to supply power to the day and night, and the voltage was changed to 200V.

 

On September 12, 1930, the National Government announced China's first voltage frequency standard in the form of a construction committee order, stipulating 220V and 50Hz as China's standard voltage and standard frequency.

 

After the founding of the People's Republic of China, the power grid construction complied with the Soviet standard, and the Soviet Union adopted the European standard. Therefore, 220V/50Hz eventually became China's power grid standard. Due to historical reasons, some of the original concession areas in the Northeast and Shanghai were still using the 110V voltage standard. Until the late 1960s, they were gradually unified to 220V.

 

In addition to 110V and 220V, there are many different voltage standards such as 100V, 200V, 230V in various countries around the world, but the international mainstream voltage is still 220V and 110V.

 

So, is 110V electricity safer than 220V?

In principle, the lower the voltage, the higher the natural safety. Some people have calculated that the time required for 110V is really longer than 220 volts, and the difference is about 100ms. In fact, 110V and 220V greatly exceed the safety voltage. range. In addition, in the case of electric shock, the actual size of the current is determined by the magnitude of the current, so whether it is dangerous or not depends on the electric shock environment.

 

Another issue that is very concerned by a small partner is:

 

Some common electrical appliances are used abroad, will it cause problems due to voltage differences?

 

Common electrical appliances that belong to the same voltage system are used abroad. The voltage is generally not a problem, because most electrical appliances have a 20% voltage fluctuation range such as electric furnaces, rice cookers, etc., because sometimes the voltage is the highest in the country. It can also reach 250V, so the voltage of 230V just makes them heat up faster, no big problem.

 

For those electrical appliances that are more stringent in voltage and more expensive, even if they belong to a voltage system, it is recommended to use a travel transformer if the voltage is different, so as not to burn the appliance or affect the service life of the appliance.

 

If high-voltage appliances are brought to countries with low voltages, such as China's 220V appliances brought to the US 110V environment, it is generally not available, even if it can barely be used, it is often used to delay or use the same function as the old cattle cart. Great discount.

 

However, in the context of globalization, some smart international companies may have noticed the difference in voltage among countries. Therefore, many of the designed electrical appliances have their own adaptive voltage, which can be suitable for voltages of 110~240V, such as Haier Color TV. The floating range is marked with: AC 90~260 volts, 50Hz, so it can be used as usual at voltages of 90~260V.

 

Of course, if you go abroad often, the general travel agency recommends that you go abroad to bring your own travel adapter and travel transformer.

 

The correct posture of 110V electrical appliances used in China

Mobile phones, notebooks and other appliances are compatible with global voltages. That is because their power consumption is small, and a small-sized adapter can realize the function of voltage transformation, so it only needs to be connected to the plug converter to be universal.

 

The high-power appliances such as hair dryers and rice cookers will not work. If you want to be compatible with global voltage, the size of the adapter will be quite large, which is obviously unrealistic. Therefore, the voltage of high-power appliances on the market is fixed. It is consistent with the regional voltage standards.

 

Since the voltage standards of different countries are inconsistent and cannot be achieved consistently, it is necessary to pay special attention to the high-power electrical appliances brought back to China through Haitao and other means. Otherwise, if you come back with hard work, the results will burn out in an instant. For low-voltage appliances like 110V, you must use a power transformer to use it domestically.

Dove
2019-6-6
 

 声明： Disclaimer: This article comes from individual, KRECO has the right of final interpretation.