need to convert 60Hz to 50Hz ?

Discussion in 'Audio Hardware' started by Funky54, Nov 21, 2014.

Thread Status:
Not open for further replies.
  1. Burt

    Burt Forum Resident

    Location:
    Kirkwood, MO
    They should never have two black wires, hots are black and red. White is neutral, green is earth ground.

    Either hot to neutral is 120V, hot to hot is 240. This is not three phase, nor is it two phase. (Two phase power is no longer available from utilities.) It is single phase and is derived from a transformer winding whose secondary is grounded at its center tap. Either end is the same voltage to ground but they are 180 degrees out of phase.

    Three phase power has 120 degree separate phases. You have three conductors, A, B and C. A-B, A-C, B-C are equally available voltages. They can be in delta or wye configuration. Large buildings get all their single phase off one of the three phases. That's why if one wire opens or is shorted outside a big retail store, two-thirds of the lights go off. One phase still works.

    Three phase power is most certainly available at the pole, but the low voltage distribution is not brought out in some cases. It is generally utility policy to discourage or outright prohibit householders from having 3 phase service. However, the power you have is generated and distributed in three phase form all the way up to the 'pole pig'. They try to evenly distribute the single phase load off each phase so they are more or less balanced.

    Electronics people rarely deal with three phase, that's what industrial electricians do.
     
    robbosworth and CusBlues like this.
  2. alfajim

    alfajim Forum Resident

    Location:
    san rafael ca
    :edthumbs:
     
  3. KT88

    KT88 Senior Member

    You need both the 60hz pulley and a voltage transformer 120v to 240v.
    -Bill
     
    CusBlues and eddiel like this.
  4. Metralla

    Metralla Joined Jan 13, 2002

    Location:
    San Jose, CA
    Exactly
     
  5. KT88

    KT88 Senior Member

    That solves the frequency problem (hz) but let's not forget that he has two issues. The other is voltage and so as not to confuse him, he will still need a step-up transformer for the voltage.
    -Bill
     
  6. Metralla

    Metralla Joined Jan 13, 2002

    Location:
    San Jose, CA
    Agreed - the easy part.
     
  7. Funky54

    Funky54 Coat Hangers do not sound good Thread Starter

    A Bob at Roksan contacted me through email. His provided solution is to send them the brand new never used table (from US to England) and then change out all the parts. I assume shipping, parts and labor would all be my responsibility. I just can't spend that kinda coin on a brand new table to completely change it.

    I gotta make up my mind real quick. I wish Roksan would either offer to swap it, sell me a pulley and confirm the tranny and pulley would make it good or swap one with the distributor for me to change out.

    One thing for sure though, I need to make a decision in the next day or two.
     
  8. Metralla

    Metralla Joined Jan 13, 2002

    Location:
    San Jose, CA
    Will they send the 110v, 50Hz motor+pulley assembly and you could swap it and return the 240v, 60Hz unit?
     
  9. alfajim

    alfajim Forum Resident

    Location:
    san rafael ca
    Maybe vis a versa?
     
  10. Ghostworld

    Ghostworld Senior Member

    Location:
    US
    I would pack it up for a refund and buy from a US seller. Right now you have all the packing. It should be fairly simple to repack correctly. That's a real drag. You think shipping to the US someone would have thought to mention "voltage."
     
  11. Funky54

    Funky54 Coat Hangers do not sound good Thread Starter

    It's dissappointing... All the US dealers want $1000-1300 more for the table than the European dealers, meaning if I send it back, if PayPal and Ebay stand up for me... I'll get a refund, but no table.
     
  12. gcos

    gcos Well-Known Member

    Location:
    Trinidad
    This response from Bob is ridiculous. Roksan has an agent in Canada for the North American market is he saying that they ship 220v and 50hz units to Canada ?? NO !! so there are stock units available and there are stock pulleys available so why put a customer, who had so many other options available to him, through all that ordeal !! That is atrocious customer relations. I would call Roksan and ask to speak to someone higher than Bob.. it just does not make sense. Forget about the 220v that is a simple fix DEMAND A NEW PULLEY !
     
    Ghostworld likes this.
  13. KT88

    KT88 Senior Member

    All you need from them is the pulley. Ask them to mail you one. If they take forever or act stupid, then ask a US dealer to order you a replacement pulley. You can buy the voltage step-up transformer at many places in the US so don't even discuss that with them. It just clouds the water. If it all gets to be too much, sell the table back to someone in the UK and buy a table built for the USA like you wanted to begin with.
    -Bill
     
  14. Ghostworld

    Ghostworld Senior Member

    Location:
    US
    You bought it off ebay? I would like to see a link to that auction. Was it a British auction? I still contend it was pretty awful of them to ship a table the a customer in the US without inquiring about voltage. I agree with others. ask to talk to the president of the company.
     
  15. Doug Sclar

    Doug Sclar Forum Legend

    Location:
    The OC
    Easy to do if you have an oscillator and a decent power amp. Set the oscillator to your desired frequency and bump up the gain till you output 120v or thereabouts.
     
  16. Funky54

    Funky54 Coat Hangers do not sound good Thread Starter

    I'm pretty confident that a pulley and the step up transformer won't fix the issue. To many Roksan connected people are saying it won't be correct or run "right." All Roksan connected people are saying exactly the same thing. That the motor would have to be swapped and the power supply modified.... And the pulley. It's a beautiful table in prestige condition. It needs a UK home.
    I went ahead and went through eBay to request a RN for it.

    I believe returning it is the only smart move right now.
     
  17. I would think it's more on the buyer to understand what they're purchasing than to blame the seller for shipping a product someone knowingly bid - and won - on eBay (especially when shipping time is a factor eBay sellers are graded upon).
     
  18. Funky54

    Funky54 Coat Hangers do not sound good Thread Starter

    I was surprised, but I get it. Roksan is the manufacturer not the seller. A distributor of their product sold it to me. The distributor says he doesn't have US tables and I believe him. Roksan of course has US tables. They weren't willing to swap. They just kept saying ship it to them or a distributor for mods. I kinda get that too. Their a business, they have to make money. They have no idea what they'd get if they agreed to swap it. Yes it's new in the box, but they don't know that. They would take on risk receiving it. It sucks, and I wish they'd just swap, but they didn't. Just the way it is.
     
  19. Funky54

    Funky54 Coat Hangers do not sound good Thread Starter

    This was a ebay "buy it now" listing in English for a new table. Nowhere in his description did it specify any power information. I don't know what country you are in. I don't know how much of a worldly traveler you are. But I'm a small hourly guy who doesn't have the money to travel the world and know the ins and outs of everyone's electrical providers stats.

    I don't walk into Home Depot to buy a new drill and ask if it will run when I plug it in? I assume it will. Now if the advertised specs for the new drill said something like "hey bub when you buy this drill, it will never work for you unless you travel to Europe to plug it in" I would probably keep on walking and buy a different drill.
     
  20. Do you have a link to the auction, and was the seller outside of the USA?
     
  21. Funky54

    Funky54 Coat Hangers do not sound good Thread Starter

    Yes to both. I don't want to post that information for several reasons.
    1) I went through EBay and want my return settled without any of this being thrown into the mix
    2) The distributor (seller) is not some evil cheat. I think he would help me if he could. I believe him that he doesn't have a US table. He didn't tell me it was 220/50Hz, but I don't believe he deliberately tried to swindle me either. If I post a link and turn someone else away from doing business with him... Well that's not fair. He has a chance to make it right by working out the return. Truthfully that's all I can ask or should expect.
    3) I'm wanting a Roksan Radius table and I don't want to muddy things too much with other distributors

    Possibly your a distributor that sells on eBay? I understand why you might not want to except a return. I get why you might be a little hostile with me. You want to make money and you don't like someone wanting a return.

    I'm a guy... Not a business. I make a very modest amount of money. I save and save for something like this. A table this expensive is a once in a life time deal for me. Now imagine scrapping your pennies one by one for years to finally buy a dream... Your excited, you wait weeks to get it. It finally arrives!!! You open it very carefully with gloves on while it's still in see through plastic.... And immediately see a sticker that tells you it won't work.

    I tried very hard to be reasonable. I looked and researched transformers and converters. I contacted the manufacturer, the seller, seeked advice on forums. I did my part to try and make it work. I have a very expensive and useless paperweight. It won't work here. Returning it is what is reasonable.

    You might not like that, but it's not going to do what the seller said it would do. It won't play records. Unless you got a really really long water proof extension chord, this is a paperweight. That's not what I bought. I bought a R E C O R D P L A Y E R.... That doesn't play records.
     
    Last edited: Nov 25, 2014
  22. Ghostworld

    Ghostworld Senior Member

    Location:
    US
    Oh, this clears it up. I thought maybe you bought it factory direct from England. So you basically bought it from a dealer who doesnt have any US tables. Then it was nice of Roksan to agree to upgrade if you shipped to them. At this point, I agree with your move to return it. Better to lose (well, not great) to lose 2 hundred bucks in shipping than get stuck with a 2K table that youll never be sure sounds quite right. You'll find another.
     
  23. Burt

    Burt Forum Resident

    Location:
    Kirkwood, MO
    First, it would have been incumbent on 1) the buyer to ask and 2) the seller to mention that it is a 220V 50 Hz unit. Second, I believe Roksan is disingenuous in saying "it wouldn't work right" if the US operator wanted to come up with a 220-240V 50 Hz supply. I would want a schematic and a BOM for both the US and Euro versions to see for myself exactly what is different. Third, it might be better just to buy a second whole motor assembly, although the Mfr. should have offered that solution. Given shipping costs and my disinclination to ship for damage reasons.... But you have to make the decision you are comfortable with.
     
  24. Funky54

    Funky54 Coat Hangers do not sound good Thread Starter

    I don't believe it can be successfully, reliably and dependably converted. In four forums and probably over twenty hours on the Internet, have not found one person who has succsessfully converted from American power to 220 /50Hz using an AC synchronous belt driven table for any length of time. I have found many who tried it and had bad results. Like: " it eventually caught on fire" it stopped working after a couple of weeks" "it didn't work" I had to replace the motor, I'm not sure if it just went bad or it was because it was running at the wrong frequency"...... Not one long term happy person doing it. When you do hear positive it's direct drive tables.
     
  25. gcos

    gcos Well-Known Member

    Location:
    Trinidad
    Like Chadbang I thought it was supplied by the factory, so my apologies to Roksan for attacking them. I am however confused by their solution. We all have several appliances in our homes now that run on 220v, stove, oven, waterheater, aircon units, dryer so 220 v is not an issue. it is the frequency that cannot be successfully converted. That conversion in a belt drive turntable only requires a change in pulley unless in the construction of the table the pulley mechanism is mated inseparably to the plinth, which is unlikely. I bought a Pioneer TT that came with both pulleys and you installed the one that was applicable to your location. If Roksan does not want to send you a pulley, perhaps the N/American distributor in BC Canada may be able to order it for you. Cheers and good luck.
     
Thread Status:
Not open for further replies.

Share This Page

molar-endocrine