I'd like to suggest that we stick to facts. Saving that "is the power cycle for ac" and that AC is 240V is a statement that I can't quite understand, because alternating current can operate at any voltage and any frequency. A little research will suggest that 60Hz was chosen in North America because of several important scientists and engineers, including Tesla (who designed motors that worked best with 60Hz AC). Westinghouse actually started out working with 133.3Hz because they were using 2000RPM steam turbines and 133.3Hz happened fairly naturally. It was also good for lighting (fast enough to avoid flickering), but they found it to be a poor frequency for driving electric motors and they started looking at lower frequencies even before Tesla started pushing for 60Hz. In contrast, Germany seems to have been an influential factor in establishing 50Hz in Europe, which was based on an engineering preference to operate steam engines at 3000RPM. Each was developed on a different continent in an era well before today's global economy and communications. Likewise, each became so widely used that making a change is hugely cost prohibitive (not to mention really sort of silly since both work). I have not found anything that would suggest that either frequency is inherently superior to the other, although I bet some lighting designers would argue in favor of 60Hz because of the potential for 50Hz to produce a more visible flicker.

As for the voltages, I will re-iterate that none of us distribute at 120V or 240V. We distribute at much higher voltages because higher voltages allow us to have lower current when delivering the same power, which reduces wire size. It's simple economics. It's also why we use AC rather than DC in the first place. As for being able to "hold more people" on 120V, it's simply not true - 120V doesn't happen until the very end of the line and has no bearing on the distribution grid. A real reason that supports why 120V is used, on the other hand, is that incandescent light bulbs designed for 120V can employ thinner filaments than 240V bulbs while offering the same lamp life. That means they are cheaper to make, which was a really big deal eighty or ninety years ago (and still pretty relevant today). I've found some things that suggest power supplies for small electrical devices were also less expensive to manufacture. And by using a 120V/208V service, we can still use 208V for larger loads (such as ovens and clothes dryers) that benefit from the higher voltage. Likewise, commercial buildings can go up to 480V.


Yes, but nine months ago there were samples on hand. They may not get be standard, or the web site may not have been updated to reflect a running design change that doesn't really matter to most of Outlaw's customers. That's why I suggested asking Outlaw directly. They do monitor the forum, but they are fairly hands-off and may not have noticed your post here.


I agree with you on this - keeping it simple is always a good idea.

Also, DC power generation was never widespread because of the inefficiencies of distribution. The fight between DC and AC may have been spirited, but it was over long before anybody tried to establish national standards.

It's been a while since I did the math but I remember that when you look at the resistance of the human body and the amount of current that it takes to make one dead there are many more scenarios that can make one dead at 240V. Of course that is a gross oversimplification of all the factors involved.

The voltage at which the US operates the national grid varies from 240KV to 640KV. There are a few smaller voltages used but the are not common. Notice the voltage is at KILO-volts. This is the voltage which comes out of the power plants and on to the grid. Except for a very few exceptions it is always within a few ticks of 60 HZ. It is not possible to connect to the grid at any other frequency other than 60 cycles. The voltage has to do with transformers and the standards which were developed in the early part of the 20th century. AC power is much more efficient when it is transmitted at higher voltages and then stepped down to house voltage of 240 volts. This power is single phase and can be split into two circuits at 120 volts each. This is the way it is done and it is not going to change on this continent. In the second half of the last century all US power is at 60 hz. Gonk has already explained most of the reasons. Outlaw saw fit a while back to actually make a few 2150s which ran at the higher voltage but they likely need 60 hz power. That means you either run some converter circuitry or you don't buy one.

Actually, if I remember correctly, the 2150's in question were built with a power supply that was either 120V/60Hz or 230V/50Hz specifically as a way to support international customers. It would cost more as a result (not sure what all's involved, but you'd most certainly be dealing with a very differently-wound transformer) so I doubt that it became standard, but if they built a limited run that way for folks who wanted to use them in Europe and elsewhere I bet they've not sold a ton of them.

We do have a limited supply of dedicated 230VAC RR2150's. These units are not included in our current RR2150 promotion. The European version of the RR2150 is available for $799US. Orders for this special unit can be made by calling our order department at 866-OUTLAWS.

Is the power supply switchable between the two continents?

what I was getting at is 90% of the electronics gear within the US runs on a 120v system..

personally where I live it's 240v mains..

anything above this would be considered 3-phase wiring in relation to power demand, now in the case of the US this may sway a different way, as each country is different in regards to power generation and power supply..

No doubt. We are all clear on that. But what you were typing (and what we were all reading) was that it was somehow stupid for the US and Canada to have a 60Hz system, without trying to understand (1) how the electrical distribution systems evolved the way they did in different parts of the world or (2) why the US - the market where Outlaw has their business presence - uses a 60Hz system.


Which is why Outlaw has produced a small run of units with a power supply that supports either 120V/60Hz or 230V/50Hz. As Scott's post above indicated, they do have a stock of those. They don't list them on the site because demand is so small. If you want one, call or email them.


In the US, we see equipment at 208V and 277V that is single phase. We also see some 208V that is 3-phase, and most 480V equipment is 3-phase (although there is some 480V/1ph stuff out there - mostly equipment like small fan motors on condensing units that have 480V/3ph compressors). Large-scale power distribution is always 3-phase and typically at medium-voltage or high-voltage (well above 480V). All of that is secondary to what Outlaw builds, though, and we've gone over it before in this thread. US homes (at least the ones I can afford or am likely to be invited to visit) aren't served with 3-phase electrical service. Anything Outlaw builds will be 120V/1ph/60Hz because it is intended for home use in North America. The only product that might benefit from 208V/1ph would be the 7900 - it could probably support all seven 300W channels from a single 208V/20A or 208V/30A circuit - but it's much easier to go with a pair of 120V/15A circuits because that's how houses are normally wired. And even then, we're dealing with US power - 60Hz, not 50Hz. Voltage change is relatively straightforward - get a transformer with the right windings and go to town. You end up with some extra heat in the space and have to buy a box full of copper wire, but that's about it. The bigger problem is the frequency. It takes a little more care to address the difference between 60Hz and 50Hz. Since Outlaw is a US-based company with no sales network outside the US, it's hard to justify building power supplies that support both 120V/60Hz and 230V/50Hz. Why add cost to every unit built if only 1% or 2% of those units (or possibly even 0%) will ever be connected to anything but 120V/60Hz? That's why the standard RR2150 doesn't offer this feature.