Bought a cheap 230V to 110V step down converter. It uses a MOSFET. Will it fry?

[sdifox]

I could say the hair dryer, because it has a motor, but strictly resistive devices should be fine. Or do triacs rely on the fact that there is an inductive device to function properly? Maybe they don't like purely resistive devices either. If that's the case you could just throw a choke in series with the whole circuit though. Since it's 60hz I don't know if you need a choke with laminated plates, or if ferrite would do?

The best thing is to just try it, what's the worse that can happen.

Just don't leave anything like that unattended, and monitor the temperature of the triac.

It's not the motor, it's the heat coil.

 

[Red Squirrel]

It's not the motor, it's the heat coil.

It's kinda odd it would be an issue though, triacs are used for light bulbs all the time (traditional bulbs) which are basically the same idea as the coils. That particular triac is rated for 30 amps. Not that I would push one that far, because have to account for peaks.

 

[sdifox]

It's kinda odd it would be an issue though, triacs are used for light bulbs all the time (traditional bulbs) which are basically the same idea as the coils. That particular triac is rated for 30 amps. Not that I would push one that far, because have to account for peaks.

Hair dryers draw a lot more current than lightbulbs.

 

[Red Squirrel]

Hair dryers draw a lot more current than lightbulbs.

But they're saying it's rated for 1875w. Would take that with grain of salt mind you but my point is that it's odd they would not like a resistive load, but other loads are ok.

 

[sdifox]

But they're saying it's rated for 1875w. Would take that with grain of salt mind you but my point is that it's odd they would not like a resistive load, but other loads are ok.

PMPO vs RMS type of thing. So peak vs sustained.

 

[Thebobo]

I could say the hair dryer, because it has a motor, but strictly resistive devices should be fine. Or do triacs rely on the fact that there is an inductive device to function properly? Maybe they don't like purely resistive devices either. If that's the case you could just throw a choke in series with the whole circuit though. Since it's 60hz I don't know if you need a choke with laminated plates, or if ferrite would do?

The best thing is to just try it, what's the worse that can happen.

Just don't leave anything like that unattended, and monitor the temperature of the triac.

Start a fire?

 

[Red Squirrel]

Start a fire?

That's why you don't leave it unattended. If you smell something funny, unplug!