I have a US microscope (110v) with a built-in transformer using a 6v, 10w lamp. I want to use this with a 220 v supply. What are the specifications for the cheapest (external) transformer I can use for this purpose?
What do you accomplish by converting a 110v appliance to a 220v appliance.
cheapest would be a simple voltage regulator you build yourself. a 2:1 transformer.
You do not say what country you are in, so cannot give you links to an exact transformer. You are looking for a 220 to 110V step-down transformer. I am assuming you are going to plug the microscope into the transformer, rather than actually replacing the transformer in the microscope? The rating should be at least 10VA, personally I would go for at least 15VA for safety. That is quite a low rating and if you are lucky, you might be able to find a transformer meant for electric shavers really cheaply that should do the job. There is just one thing that concerns me, are you sure the transformer will only be powering the light and nothing else? If so, you will need a transformer that will handle a greater load. Somewhere on the microscope, or the PSU, or even it's box, there should be a rating Label, you can take the power supply rating from that. It is NOT true that VA Watts, but for something needing so little power, it should be near enough to give you the minimum rating. Good luck!
