I have a conveniently placed NEMA 6-20 240V outlet here in my lab. I'd like to use it to power my equipment by using a converter that steps down the voltage to 120V. I've been searching all morning for something that would fit my needs, but so far I have not found the right product.
I'm wondering if this is a bad idea, or if I'm missing something that would prevent this from working. My thought is that the 240V outlet would be great to run my whole bench from since it can supply a ton of watts for all my 120V equipment if I can find a way to set things up ideally.
Edit: I'm located in the US, and ideally I'm looking for some kind of all-in-one power distribution solution that will supply all the equipment on my bench. A combination of a step-down converter/transformer and a power strip might do the trick, but I need be sure that it will handle the wattage of my DC power supply, O-scope, function generator, soldering station, etc. I have a regular 120V outlet, but I'm running so much off of it already that I'm growing concerned. It would be nice to run my computer and other sensitive stuff from the 120V line, and use the 240V line for all the brute stuff.
Best Answer
Your least expensive option might be to replace the outlet with a 120V outlet, and replace the two-pole breaker at the other end of the wire with a single-pole breaker.
Of course, it might depend on whether you can do it yourself, or convince your landlord to do it him/her self, or whether you are in some institution where you have to fill out piles of paperwork to get it done.
Edit: A 6-20 outlet does not have a neutral connection, but if there is a neutral wire taped off in the box, and if there's room for more than one outlet in the box, you could have a 120V outlet on each of the two phases, and no need for access to the breaker panel at all.