Jun 16, 2017 16:07:41 GMT 12 Owen Y said:

The label appears to say 100-120v?

You could slide out the fuse drawer at the rear socket to look - I think mine is 10A 250v.
But that is not a guarantee, esp if the label says otherwise.

There are no markings on the fuses, but the fuse cover says - use only 250V fuse?

The fuse will be stamped with Amps/Volts.

The tank rear label says 100-120v - yes?

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Jun 16, 2017 16:47:48 GMT 12 Owen Y said:

The fuse will be stamped with Amps/Volts.

The label says 100-120v - yes?

I looked at the fuses under a magnifying glass with good light - I could not see any markings.  Edit,  30mins later, been checking and rechecking fuses with magnifying glass, I think I can safely say they are marked 250V - the marks are very faint.

I am confused by the label - one would expect the boxes alongside all the basic info, such as model etc, to be ticked, just like yours, but on mine nothing is ticked.  The box alongside 100-120V has a dot in it, not a tick, so does that mean that voltage is deleted or selected!!??

So, before assuming it is 100-120V and buying a step down transformer, can the voltage be tested to find out for sure?

i have messaged the seller, so will see what he says.

Yes, best to ask the supplier to confirm.

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mine has the proper nz plug and has a spec. label riveted to the back stating 240v/50hz

I thought rocl's seller had run out. What link is it sub rocl that you used to buy?

mine was via ebay australia and shipped from sydney. must fire it up again this weekend!

Jun 16, 2017 19:03:06 GMT 12 rocl said:

mine has the proper nz plug and has a spec. label riveted to the back stating 240v/50hz

B.......r, looks like I will need to buy a step down transformer.   Found a very small label on the outer box, all Chinese lettering, but with numbers 110V.  Guess this must be for USA market.  Nothing on the packing slip and nothing in user manual.

still waiting for seller to reply.

would a 200W step down transformer be the right size?

Last I checked rocl's ebay seller had sold out of them

Jun 16, 2017 19:07:48 GMT 12 Citroen said:

I thought rocl's seller had run out. What link is it sub rocl that you used to buy?

Hmm, I got that wrong somehow - my seller is Fanjin Store, with outlets in China, Australia, Germany & USA.  The listing I bought from shows a photo with a label saying 220V 50Hz

www.aliexpress.com/item/6-5L-Digital-Ultrasonic-Cleaner-Bath-Tank-w-Timer-Cleaning-Machine/2055563425.html?spm=2114.13010608.0.0.fikiSg

so, will be cheaper to buy a step down transformer rather than pay for return shipping, and as per my last post, would a 200W version be ok?

Jun 16, 2017 19:33:44 GMT 12 sub said:

Jun 16, 2017 19:07:48 GMT 12 Citroen said:

I thought rocl's seller had run out. What link is it sub rocl that you used to buy?

Hmm, I got that wrong somehow - my seller is Fanjin Store, with outlets in China, Australia, Germany & USA.  The listing I bought from shows a photo with a label saying 220V 50Hz

www.aliexpress.com/item/6-5L-Digital-Ultrasonic-Cleaner-Bath-Tank-w-Timer-Cleaning-Machine/2055563425.html?spm=2114.13010608.0.0.fikiSg

so, will be cheaper to buy a step down transformer rather than pay for return shipping, and as per my last post, would a 200W version be ok?

it "should" be enough, but i would go a bit higher if you can. anything in the 250 - 500w range should be fine.

Jun 16, 2017 16:47:48 GMT 12 Owen Y said:

The fuse will be stamped with Amps/Volts.

The tank rear label says 100-120v - yes?

Owen, I apologise for my panicked posts yesterday - I was in a state of denial and did not want to acknowledge what was in front of me!
 Have only just realised how stressed I am over the whole process - never bought on line before from overseas, and having these experiences, I probably won't do so again.

The seller replied, said not to worry and they will fix it, and asked for photos to be sent - I have just sent the photos, so will wait their response before splashing out on a step down transformer.

From the barcode on the side of the box, which I hadn't seen at first, it clearly says 110V





cdn images

It's no problem - I'm sorry to hear about all this.
Just have to be patient now & follow through the process - my feeling at this stage is that returning/replacement is best.

However, the seller may advise how to reconfigure for 220-240v - if that is easily possible.

No, I would not opt for a stepdown PTX, which will cost best part of $150-200 I expect.
The tank is rated 180W + heater 200W.
Also, our mains freq id 50Hz - which tends to heat up 60Hz PTXs.

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Jun 17, 2017 11:03:38 GMT 12 Owen Y said:

No, I would not opt for a stepdown PTX, which will cost best part of $150-200 I expect.
The tank is rated 180W + heater 200W.

Just looking at moment until seller replies, but found this on TM

www.trademe.co.nz/Browse/Listing.aspx?id=1348839005

there are other similar listing for a few dollars more, but around $50 seems the going amount for a 500W item, 300W ones are a little cheaper.  In worst case scenario would one of these work?

Hmm, seller replied, saying - yes it is 110V, and has not replied to my requests for further information.
Now the seller has changed the listing - should,have taken a screen shot before now. Previously the listing showed a photograph of the US cleaner with specs panel showing, on which the device was clearly stated to be 220-240V.

That photo is now deleted, and a fresh heading has been put on the listing, saying - China warehouse 110V only.

Looks like I am stuck with it. If I raise a dispute, the seller will point to his listing, leaving me without a leg to stand on.

Looks like I will have to purchase a step down transformer, even though that is not ideal.

Leaves me with the impression that AliExpress sellers are not to be trusted - not recommended.

Jun 17, 2017 11:03:38 GMT 12 Owen Y said:

However, the seller may advise how to reconfigure for 220-240v - if that is easily possible.

No, I would not opt for a stepdown PTX, which will cost best part of $150-200 I expect.
The tank is rated 180W + heater 200W.
Also, our mains freq id 50Hz - which tends to heat up 60Hz PTXs.

Owen, thanks, still finding my way around AliExpress, and have just found in "My Orders" there is a link to a screen shot of the original order.  That screen shot clearly includes a photo of a US cleaner showing 240V, which is as I remember it and why I placed my order.

Have again asked seller, today, for assistance - waiting reply.

Re your point about step down transformers, I did some research via Google, re the use of e.g. American made hifi gear rated for 110V with step down transformer.  It seems many hifi components are designed to change AC to DC, in which case the 50Hz component of our 240V supply does not come into play.

The point I am arriving at is - does the PS30A US cleaner operate on DC?  Because I note it operates at 40KHz, iso there must be some form of conversion going on.  The manual, if you can call it that, is silent on that point, as is the label.  If it does convert AC to DC to operate, then it will be ok to use a SDT?

sub - the bott line is that we don't know the design of this device.
We know only that it is designed to receive AC mains power.
It may not actually have a PTX inside, it may be switch mode, but I do know that it is full of TXs and/or chokes.
I peeked inside a while ago...

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Thanks again Owen. Will wait for seller to clarify or not!

Thinking more on this, there are 3 ultrasonic transducers attached to the bott of the tank & each (I think) is wired to its own transformer, which you can see on the base plate pcb/s.

You could take a look inside, but (i) you can see here that the transducers are avail in 100-130vac or 220-240vac versions & (ii) the yellow transformers in my pic are labelled '220'.

So, my guess is that the different voltage tank options have different voltage transducers on board - unfortunately.
But I could be wrong

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Took the bottom off, see pic. The transducers are not marked for voltage- have a label stating "Hesen 40KHz 60W, with the numbers 170221138 but each have a different last three numbers, 196, 176, & 140.

Two of the transducers are piggy backed off the same transformer, labelled 110/220 DG2,, and the third transducer from a second (smaller) transformer labelled 110/220 DG1.

The other devices are clearly labelled 110. Therefore, it would seem much would need to be replaced to rewire for 240V.  In fact the layout on the PCB in your photo is very different to mine.

The seller has not replied yet, although it is still early Monday morning in China. But it looks like I will need to raise a dispute and see how I get on!

Jun 17, 2017 11:03:38 GMT 12 Owen Y said:

No, I would not opt for a stepdown PTX, which will cost best part of $150-200 I expect.
The tank is rated 180W + heater 200W.
Also, our mains freq id 50Hz - which tends to heat up 60Hz PTXs.

Yes, my understanding was that SDT only transformed 240V to 110V, but that frequency in Hz remained at 50.

So, can I trust the answer I received to a question of a seller on TM - see pic?





upload my photo on internet

Well, still not much progress. The seller asked me to cancel my dispute while we negotiated a resolution, but I asked AliExpress help line, and they said if I cancel dispute, I would lose buyer protection and would not be able to raise a dispute again.
Today, the seller asked me to obtain price for posting back. DHL and their ilk only seem to be available to commercial customers, and NZPost says it will cost $149 to post to China. Which is about $102US, and the device cost $112US, so they will probably regard it as not economic to return. May get a refund. But seller has not responded yet to that information.

Anyway, thinking about using it with a step down transformer. I know that the SDT does not convert frequency, which means the device will be receiving 110V at 50Hz rather than 60Hz. (At least that is what I understand from all my Google searching). This can cause problems. The device will not run optimally, and some heat will be generated.

I think that means the transducers will not reach 40KHz. However, looking at the website Owen provided a link to above, it seems that company produces two near identical devices, one of which (for slightly more money) can adjust the frequency at which the transducers vibrate, with values between 25KHz and 40KHz. Which raises the question, will it really matter if the transducers operate at slightly less than 40KHz?

As to the heat, would that be an issue if the device is only turned on for a maximum of 15 minutes at a time? Just thinking out loud and seeking answers!

If I did go the SDT route, I understand the device can draw 180W and the heater 200W, a total of 360W if both are used together. I think, from my reading that I would need a transformer at least twice total W, therefore around 720W. The transformers I have seen jump from 500W to 1000W, thus a 1000W transformer.would be required.

I have also read, that there is a big difference in efficiency between transformers with copper windings as opposed to aluminium.

Is my thinking too far off track?

sub - I have never used heating for record cleaning.

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Jun 20, 2017 19:12:54 GMT 12 Owen Y said:

sub - I have never used heating for record cleaning.

Thanks, so would only need a transformer rated around 400W?

just now AliExpress has rejected my claim, but have asked for further evidence, which I have provided.  What a b........y mission!

Well, problem may be over, after messaging with seller, I agreed to list it on TM, did so a little while ago, and someone has already bid the reserve. I very carefully pointed out the 110V in listing and that it had to be used with a step down transformer.

So, all going well, I will start shopping again soon, as soon as the money is in my bank a/c!

edit- not to be, trade me have removed the listing!

probably 'cos it's not nz voltage ?

Jun 22, 2017 16:48:54 GMT 12 michaelw said:

probably 'cos it's not nz voltage ?

Exactly, although I clearly explained it was 110V and needed to be used with a step down transformer for safety reasons.  Plenty of similar voltage devices in NZ being used like that safely.
Have  to wait now for AliExpress to arbitrate on my dispute!

What a bloody nightmare Sub !
For what it is worth,I have had excellent service using AliExpress for numerous electronic items to date ( touch wood ).
I did receive a faulty headphone amp once but they arranged a refund for me.
Hang in there.

I've bought hundreds of items from Aliexpress.

I've had two problem orders:
One item was of poor quality, so got refunded.
One seller wanted more money for posting an Ultrasonic machine...

The rest were mainly small electronic items, but also clothes and household items, all without incident. Just like buying off any site, such as trademe or ebay, checking the seller feedback before buying can help but not always a guarantee.

Your first experience with Ali has been a disaster but its not the sites fault, just that particular seller's description not being clear.

I'm not that clear on the voltage matter....
Was the listing description unclear?
Or was communications with seller difficult or unclear?

The 2nd matter is the seller asking for more postage $$.

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