Need Quick Advice Please..on Bringing U.S. Sewing Machine to UK

Hi and happy holidays to all of you.

I have a quick question about bringing my Overlock machine to the UK.
Now i know i will need a voltage regulator if i am to use it in the UK but could i make do with the simple light weight " plug-in " type of transformer ? You know the kind that power small machines like radio/small hairdryer/etc. They sell them in the States pretty cheap...

The back of the overlock machine reads 120V 120W 60HZ.

I know the heavy bulky transformers are expensive and i am trying to determine wether or not it would be econonmical to bring it over...it will be i guess, if i can do with the small portable transformer and ofcourse the plug adapter.

I need to make my mind up in a couple days so any quick advice is greatly appreciated.

thanks a Mill.
Zufan.

I know that for my small kitchen appliances I had to buy a special big transformer. It's dependent on the wattage of the appliance and my most powerful one was (I'm pretty sure) 200W and so was too powerful for the little cheap-o one that I use to charge batteries for my MP3 player, etc.

Thanks AnneG-

I guess thats what i need to determine...wether 120V/120W is small enough to use the plug in transformers...if i had to buy the big bulky transformers then it wouldnt be worth it to bring the machine, atleast in my case.

So i need to dertmine maximum watts/volts those small plug in transformers handle...

Thanks again for your fast reply
Z.

Hi, again. I doubt this will help, since I have no clue if our transformers are similar, but I just ran upstairs to look at my little crummy one from Radio Shack, and it says 50 watts max....

The rule of thumb is that you double the wattage of your appliance to get the right transformer size, so you'd need one at least 240W (or 250W as that would be the next standard size).  This is quite a lot heavier than the small transformers you can find in travel shops.  I have a 200W transformer and it is about the size of a regular food can - but about 3 times as heavy.

Thanks AnneG-

I guess thats what i need to determine...wether 120V/120W is small enough to use the plug in transformers...if i had to buy the big bulky transformers then it wouldnt be worth it to bring the machine, atleast in my case.

So i need to dertmine maximum watts/volts those small plug in transformers handle...

Thanks again for your fast reply
Z.

It isn't just the voltage. The frequency also matters. In USA it is 60Hz as marked on your machine. In UK it is 50Hz. A transformer can change the voltage, but not the frequency.

Zufan, i thought you were over here already?
Are you not the same people (sometimes you were posting as a man, and sometimes as a woman) who moved to Hackney?

On transformers.
Transformer are actually rated in VA not Watts. (W=VI cos phi)
JaqChic is right. The transformer rating in VA needs to be higher than the appliance rating in Watts.

Thanks everyone for the quick response...my hubby sometimes responds when i dont have the time as i am usually too beat to go online when i come home..he is in the states right now to visit family, i told him to bring his home computer and my overlock machine..i know his HP comp has the switch in the back to use in UK, but i guess the cost of getting the bigger transformers will offset any value to bringing it over here.

...i didnt count on the frequency thing...so i guess that means i really shouldnt deal with bringing it over eh ?

Thankyou to all of you who responded as fast as you did...you guys might have just stopped us from lugging the machine all the way here for nothing.
Z.

I meant to say the cost of a new transformer....for the sewing machine that is...i know we would not need a transformer for the Comp since it already has the switch in the back . ( i dont think that was clear enough in the way i worded it )

On transformers.
Transformer are actually rated in VA not Watts. (W=VI cos phi)
JaqChic is right. The transformer rating in VA needs to be higher than the appliance rating in Watts.

Not sure I agree with your VA and W thing (power = voltage x current, so in units it would be W=VA), but the reason for doubling up the transformer size is that there are often voltage spikes when you first switch on the appliance, especially in motors.  If your transformer was just big enough for the running voltage, the fuse would surely blow when you hit the on switch.

Frequency isn't that big a deal - the appliance would just run slightly slower in the UK.  Presumably, a sewing machine has a speed control on it, so it would still be possible to run at the speed you like.

Not sure I agree with your VA and W thing (power = voltage x current, so in units it would be W=VA), but the reason for doubling up the transformer size is that there are often voltage spikes when you first switch on the appliance, especially in motors.  If your transformer was just big enough for the running voltage, the fuse would surely blow when you hit the on switch.

Frequency isn't that big a deal - the appliance would just run slightly slower in the UK.  Presumably, a sewing machine has a speed control on it, so it would still be possible to run at the speed you like.

Jaqchic
I am an electrical engineer...............

Thanks Jaqchic.
Can anyone suggest what a decent price would be for a transformer in this case ?
I am trying to determine wether or not its worth bringing it here. if the transformer is expensive then it would obviously defeat the purpose.

Z.

About $15?

http://www.world-import.com/transformers.htm

Thanks heaps Jaqchic-

That really helps a lot....just one more Q.
Since i am not " electrically inclined "

Would this be the right item for me ?
Just to make certain....

http://www.world-import.com/300a.htm

Z.