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Can I power this with an inverter and a step-down transformer?

I am looking at buying a baseball pitching machine from the USA and using it in the UK. The machine uses a 90 watt (1/8th HP) motor and runs off AC power. My plan was to use a battery pack with a 300W inverter, plug in a step-down transformer, then plug the machine into the AC socket. Would this actually work? If so, would my transformer need to be rated to 300W to allow for the inverter's output, or would it only need to be rated to 90W to allow for the power of the motor?

Thanks.

Update:

My inverter has an output of 240v with a standard UK power socket. I presume this means that I'll definitely need a transformer otherwise it'll overload the pitching machine which is supposed to use 120v. One of the answers suggested that I wouldn't need a step-down transformer, but I hadn't made it clear what the output of my inverter was.

4 Answers

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  • Anonymous
    1 decade ago
    Favorite Answer

    You shouldn't need to use a step-down transformer. The 300 W is the power the inverter can produce. This isn't a voltage rating. If the inverter is producing the correct voltage for the pitching machine you're good to go. 300 watts just means that the inverter can easily handle the 90 watts the pitching machine needs. The pitching machine will draw the current it needs as long as you provide the correct voltage. Watts (power) is simply voltage times current (amps). So, if the pitching machine needs 120 VAC and the inverter produces 120 VAC you don't need anything else. Plug the machine in and have fun.

  • Nomadd
    Lv 7
    1 decade ago

    Sounds complicated, but it should work. Inverters are very efficient, around 90% and 300W is enough to cover the rule of thumb that an inverter should be rated for twice the power a motor requires.

    There's no telling how efficient the stepdown transformer will be. It would be better just to get the right inverter in the first place.

  • ?
    Lv 7
    1 decade ago

    Should work.

    The 300 watt inverter is a maximum rating, not what it always uses or puts out.

    If a circuit only draws 90 watts, the transformer on needs to handle 90 watts.

    That said, most motors use a lot more current/power when first started as they come up to running speed.

    I'd look for a transformer rated at about 150 watts.

  • 4 years ago

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