Old voltages in Europe

[nasadowsk]

Originally Posted by Telecolor 3007

B.t.w, there are in U.S.A electric engines or stuff runing at 208 V? In Bucharest we had 3phase 208 V (when we used 120 V in stad of 220 V).

Yes, but it's not overly common.

The US is 60Hz, but parts of Los Angeles were 50hz, and parts of upstate NY were 25hz at one time.

DC power was common in cities, though most paces were converted to AC. Con Ed had DC in NYC until recently though, for industrial loads.

Amtrak, Septa, and parts of NJ Transit, are still 25hz at the contact wire, with the signaling system being 100Hz or 92.something Hz. I think 100Hz for signaling is standard in 60hz power regions.

Standard industrial voltage in the US is 480 volts.

Almost all homes have 240 volt service in the US, along with 120. It's center tapped and 120V loads are balanced between the sides of the center tap.

Outlets are 120 volt, which can mean just about anything in the US these days... It's supposed to really be 117 volt, but can be anywhere from 110 to 125 in reality. Unless you live in the territory of a certain power authority east of NYC, in which case the voltage service they give you is just a suggestion...

Frequency stability in the US, however, is pretty darn good - it rarely deviates from 60hz, by more than a fraction of a Hz.