EU France Transformer info

[daverob]

Thanks Dave. When I saw that tiny covnertor, I though, How can that be rated at 2000W.

Yeah, I have a 1500W 230-110v isolating transformer here (which would be about the same size and weight as a 2000W autotransformer), it's about 200mm square by 250mm high (8"x8"x10") and weighs about 15kg (~35lbs). If you tried making it into a plug in 'wall-wart' box, it would rip your sockets/outlets off the wall (and take most of the wall with it).

I've also got switch-mode power supplies that are rated at less than 1000W, and they are also significantly bigger and require fan cooling.

So I suspect that the tiny converter is just a single rectifier diode in a box. It'll only give you half the input voltage on the output, and will work (for some very small, non zero values of 'work') for purely resistive loads (eg incandescent light bulbs and heaters without motors). Anything else is a gamble on whether it will tolerate being powered by it or just blow up.