As you have notice i haven’t been to the hive for a few weeks as i am in
Jamaica until end of July.
While here i really your help with an issue that is plaguing me in my
office.
The grid supply in Jamaica is 120Volt AC, 50Hz therefore appliances
manufactured in USA are which use 120Volt AC 60hz cannot function
satisfactorily when used in Jamaica. I need help to design a circuit board
that will convert the 50Hz frequency to 60Hz direct at the same output
voltage using a microprocessor like arduino. The out put power is about
1000watts.
I know many of you are busy with your day to day projects so I willing
offer an incentive , maybe a quadcoupter , Jamaica beer, odroid-x2
So just an FYI, if you are trying to run something like a computer or anything with a brick power supply 99.99% of the time you will be able to just swap the plug it in and use it on the 110VAC/50Hz grid (which is what jamaica has). No need to spend money on a convertor! (just double check on the power supply, normally they are rated 80-240VACish and a frequency range)
For things that are fixed frequency and need 60Hz your best solution here is going to be a Variable Frequency Drive. Generally used for power electric motors, but they are also occasionally used for this purpose. You can get a solid state one or a rotary one (basically two motors tied together, one that is 50Hz and spins the 60Hz one acting as a generator), or a solid state one. If you don’t mind the noise of two large motors running then feel free to go with the rotary one!
After a quick search I came upon this website with a range of VFDs that hopefully won’t be too expensive. They don’t like a price, but it should be easy enough to contact them. This is a 1.5KVA (around 1.5KW) for a bit of over rating the thing. http://www.50hz.com/Solid/1ph/01KSS6050.html They have some on aliexpress from China for around $120-180, but unfortunately they are all 220V or higher. Expect this website to be a good bit cheaper!
This isn’t really a problem you can just throw an arduino at unfortunately. It’s a little bit more complex than that!
Computers and electronic equipment are not the main problem - they work on the 50Hz although designed for 60Hz The problem is inductive loads such as refrigerators, washing machines, pumps etc. when connected to the 50 Hz supply the energy losses is high about 17 to 20% and over heating, which reduces performance. I am really looking to design an energy efficient device, that is cost effective and not bulky.
I looked at the link you sent and the equipment is designed for industrial applications and would not be suitable for residential appliances. Thanks for the link
I will think about it again and see how best i can solve the problem