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I have a Sanyo toaster (10 years old) with me which stopped working yesterday. It was a gift from a friend. Its a 220V 700W 60/50Hz toaster. So, had to run it off my 110V to 220V 1500W voltage converter for this long.

Upon inspecting I noticed that there are two terminals for the LIVE and NEUTRAL. The nichrome close to the live terminal has broken off (more like burned off)and split. So, I may loose like 1 to 2cm of nichrome to rejoin it back to the LIVE terminal. I tested and it works.

I measure the resistance of the nichrome wire and its 393.7 ohm/in. The nichrome wire strips are on some heat resistant plates, with wire length of 4.92 inches. There are total of 10 such strips per plate face. there are 4 such plates. Total 196.8 inches.

So, my question are: 1. Can anyone help to mod this toaster to run on 110V? 2. If I where to run at 115V 700W, do I need to more nichrome or less? 3. If I need more length, will it work by reducing the wattage(like 350-400W) for 115V to get same amount of heat?

NOTE: the third question is kinda dumb. The reason I asked is because my room heater which is 1500W at 115V. When I checked online most counterpart 220V heaters are rated for like 2200W. So, it seems like it needs have the watts half voltage for the= particular temp range. This is just my assumption.

Of course I can go and buy a new 115V toaster, but the point is I would like to know if I can get this back to life if possible.

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  • \$\begingroup\$ Why do you mix your units? \$\endgroup\$
    – StainlessSteelRat
    Commented Dec 1, 2017 at 17:37
  • \$\begingroup\$ @StainlessSteelRat I have updated the units to inches. I just added the resistance/cm in ohm because most people find that easy. \$\endgroup\$
    – The_Vintage_Collector
    Commented Dec 1, 2017 at 17:47
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    \$\begingroup\$ hmm.. Door A) Risk electrocution or starting a fire, or Door B) Spend $10 on a new toaster... \$\endgroup\$
    – Trevor_G
    Commented Dec 1, 2017 at 17:49
  • \$\begingroup\$ @Trevor thanks for the concern. But till now this question is just a question. I would first try it in my garage a test run to see if it fails if I ever tried this. But you are right its a dumb idea. \$\endgroup\$
    – The_Vintage_Collector
    Commented Dec 1, 2017 at 17:55
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    \$\begingroup\$ When you go out to get the nichrome wire, stop at the first Stop sign and think. Turn left and possible fire, destruction and death. Turn right and you could be enjoying toast from a new regulatory approved toaster for the price of a case of beer. \$\endgroup\$
    – StainlessSteelRat
    Commented Dec 1, 2017 at 18:51

1 Answer 1

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You want to use exactly the same nichrome wire that is already there.

The trick is to find the mid point and run it as two resistors in parallel instead of the whole wire in series as it is now.

Think of what you have now as two pieces of nichrome wire in series. Each piece sees 110 V across it. Arrange them in parallel, and you can put 110 V across the whole thing and each piece won't be able to tell the difference.

Added

As Trevor pointed out in a comment, while the nichrome wire won't see a difference, the rest of the unit will see twice the current. You have to make sure that the line cord, switch, and everything else where the full current passes thru can handle it. You say this is a 700 W device, so will draw about 6½ A at 110 V.

Another issue is whatever is in the toaster that decides when the toast is done. There are various mechanisms for that, and most probably won't work right with half the intended voltage.

All around, if your aim is simply a toaster that runs on 110 V instead of 220 V, go buy one. If your in this for the adventure, then go ahead and experiment with what you've got. Don't expect great results, though.

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    \$\begingroup\$ +1. No guarantee the wiring, switches and protection devices will be able to handle double the current though. \$\endgroup\$
    – Trevor_G
    Commented Dec 1, 2017 at 17:42
  • \$\begingroup\$ Obviously care must be taken when you add wiring into something that gets hot, The wire used to a center point should be rated for the environment. There are a couple of other ways to address the problem 1) simply put a diode in series (bump in the cable) to reduce the power in the elements or 2) use a simple Triac based lamp dimmer at a fixed conduction angle to set the power. All of course assume there is no electronics inside the toaster and as noted the components are viable at 220 V. \$\endgroup\$
    – Jack Creasey
    Commented Dec 1, 2017 at 17:42
  • \$\begingroup\$ @OlinLathrop So since I have 4 plates, I need to connect the first two plates in parallel to the other two plates. Right? The only thing I'll need to test is the timer assembly. But it just seems to be a simple resistor heater paired with NTC and electromagnetic latch holder. \$\endgroup\$
    – The_Vintage_Collector
    Commented Dec 1, 2017 at 17:51
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    \$\begingroup\$ heater power and latch current, needs to be modified to same power and current depending on series or shunt arrangements. Otherwise your toast may come out like mickeymousecollectibles.com/graphics/sanyomusicaltoaster3.jpg (j/k) \$\endgroup\$
    – D.A.S.
    Commented Dec 1, 2017 at 18:31
  • \$\begingroup\$ @TonyStewart.EEsince'75 Lol. Is it just me or everyone seeing a Mickey Mouse face in that toasted bread. :D \$\endgroup\$
    – The_Vintage_Collector
    Commented Dec 1, 2017 at 18:35

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