[ARC5] [BoatAnchors] 125 VAC Line? Make Your BA's Happy, Cheap.

[Brian Clarke]

Hello Robert,

There are over 50 different mains pressure and frequency standards
around the world. My suspicion is that countries of the old British
Commonwealth of Nations (Australia, Egypt, Hong Kong, India, New
Zealand, Singapore, South Africa to name a few) all got lumbered with
240 Vac, because that was the standard in the UK; it also made
economic sense to the Brits to be able to offload their electrical
household goods to a larger buying public without having to offer
country-specific modifications. For instance, a tapped transformer is
ALWAYS more expensive to manufacture than an untapped one.

While 50 Hz was an almost universal frequency standard in most parts
of Eastern and Western Europe, the standard pressure was 220 Vac;
Japan was the stop-out with 100 Vac. With the move toward
harmonisation that started with birth of the European Economic
Community (early 1970s), after many years of negotiations, 230 Vac got
adopted throughout most of Europe and the ex-British Commonwealth
dependencies. Because this represents a market about 28 times that of
the USA, it makes economic sense to stay with the higher Voltage.
Also, only about half the copper is required for distribution and then
reticulation per household for its fixed wiring compared with the USA
and its dependencies. 

Just as a point of interest, the number of electrocutions through
'playing with' 230 Vac is almost negligible. It is virtually
impossible even for idiots to get across the mains - modern connectors
make touching live circuitry extremely difficult. This is not the case
in the USA.

Brian Clarke
BE, MBA, PhD, CPEng, FIEAust
MD, Clarke & Associates P/L

On Sat, 16 Jan 2016 21:15:38 -0600, Robert said:.

 Brian, Dave

 Robert W4RL here in Pensacola Florida USA.  I've always wondered why
yall have 230 VAC as a household standard versus our 120.  In
particular I'd rather be 'hit' with 120 than 230 any day in my
thinking.  Just the voltage numbers I guess knowing that it's the
current that can really kill you if through the heart.  I do remember
vividly years ago being hit by about 700 VDC in a transmitters tube
plate circuit and my forearm was numb for days.

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