Does the 50Hz & 60Hz difference matter at all or not? (feddit.online)

submitted 3 days ago* (last edited 3 days ago) by animemann80@feddit.online to c/askelectronics@discuss.tchncs.de

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The 240-120 voltage problem can be remedied by using transformers but that doesn't negate the frequency difference between grids. Australia operates on 230v @ 50Hz while the US works with 120V @ 60Hz for instance, as certain electronics that are singular voltage (Hair Dryers, Desk Fans or Electric Blankets) have their frequencies disclosed even if the voltage on those are different than the one that country uses.

Does plugging in a device that has 120v-60Hz via a transformer on a grid that operates on 230v-50Hz ruin the device due to either heating elements or motors inside? Even between countries that work with 220-40v but one uses 50Hz while the other uses 60Hz, does that render those electronics (like dehumidifiers, power drills, curling irons) incompatible despite them using similar voltage (like 220v vs 230v)?

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[-] JustEnoughDucks@slrpnk.net 5 points 2 days ago

Anything with a motor will run differently, usually safely but not always.

Motor speed is 120*frequency/poles.

For example, a 4 pole hair dryer motor will run at 60Hz, the fan will run at around 1700-1750rpm instead of 1400-1450rpm.

For fans specifically, this can be a problem because fan load (torque) increases to the third power with respect to speed. This means that changing the frequency to 60Hz for a fan designed for 50Hz will run it at a significantly higher load which can make it run at a worse point of the torque curve where it is less efficient and ultimately overheat.

Some electronics have filters based on their designed operating frequency, so signals may get distorted by switching frequencies (notch filters on sensitive signal chain things like ECGs devices) though many are designed for both nowadays.

Things like electric blankets are just resistive loads so there would be little effect, but if they have very cheap electronics it is possible that the timer functions would be analog AC coupled so the timers might run fast or slow.

this post was submitted on 01 Aug 2026

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