American appliance to UK ?

[Shadytree]

Can I chop off the plug and re-wire on a UK plug (without earth of course) or is it best to use a US/UK adapter ?

Does it make any difference, power/safety etc ?

[Plotloss]

US appliances are rated at 110v rather than the UK/EU 230v

So you'll need a step down transformer.

Unless of course its got a switchable transformer to work with both voltages, like a laptop or the like.

Edited by Plotloss on Monday 20th October 17:07

[MrVelox]

There's the Voltage and Cycle thing......

We run 110-120v plus the Cycles we run are different.

[andyquantum]

Thats what I've done with the work Dell, but an Ipod thing I got in NY I also bought a worldwide multiplug, US in, UK out so it plugs into the wall

[Shadytree]

So the travel adapter answer works ok ?

[tr7v8]

It's not just the voltage, if it runs some sort of AC motor the n it won't be happy at 50Hz instead of 60Hz.
In some PSU's the lower frequency can cause overheating issues as the ripple factor for the capacitors is much higher.

[walm]

Shadytree said:

So the travel adapter answer works ok ?

You seem confused.

It depends what you are sticking in the wall.

Things like iPods and laptops all have adapters in between the mains and the device - they are those warm boxes attached to the power cable.
For those things the voltage rating is written on the outside and will say whether it can cope with 240v 50hz.
Most can, so the travel adapter works.

For almost everything else you need a step-up transformer which will convert the voltage to 240v.
The appliance may still not be happy with 50hz not 60hz but some transformers convert that too. Again check the specs.

[NDA]

What Walm said.

A travel plug/adapter won't make any difference.

What is the appliance?

[Shadytree]

NDA said:

What Walm said.

A travel plug/adapter won't make any difference.

What is the appliance?

Media player. The size of a DVD player really

[rich1231]

transformer, you no say daddy me snow me Ill go blame,
A licky boom boom down.
Detective mon said daddy me snow me stab someone down the lane,
A licky boom boom down.
transformer, you no say daddy me snow me Ill go blame,
A licky boom boom down.
Detective mon said daddy me snow me stab someone down the lane,
A licky boom boom down.

[tinman0]

Shadytree said:

Can I chop off the plug and re-wire on a UK plug (without earth of course) or is it best to use a US/UK adapter ?

Does it make any difference, power/safety etc ?

What's the appliance and does it have a psu in the middle?

US hairdryers don't work in the UK, as MsT found out a few years ago. She plugs it in, turns it on, turns it to max at which point the motor must have accelerated to a couple of billion rpm and then went bang quite effectively.

[NDA]

Shadytree said:

NDA said:

What Walm said.

A travel plug/adapter won't make any difference.

What is the appliance?

Media player. The size of a DVD player really

Can you Google the specs/manual off t'internet? Voltage and cycle are what you need to find out.

It may be the case that it comes with a 'transformer' style of plug that converts to a DC input. In which case you'll be in luck as these are commonly available in the UK. The only thing that you'll then need to check to see is if the socket is centre positive or negative.

One of these things:

[Shadytree]

Specs say this :

Power Supply
100-240V AC 50/60Hz

Power Consumption
Max power consumption [8] - 22 W Typical power consumption [9] - 9.2 W

[Shadytree]

rich1231 said:

transformer, you no say daddy me snow me Ill go blame,
A licky boom boom down.
Detective mon said daddy me snow me stab someone down the lane,
A licky boom boom down.
transformer, you no say daddy me snow me Ill go blame,
A licky boom boom down.
Detective mon said daddy me snow me stab someone down the lane,
A licky boom boom down.

can always count on you Richard

[londonbabe]

Shadytree said:

Specs say this :

Power Supply
100-240V AC 50/60Hz

Power Consumption
Max power consumption [8] - 22 W Typical power consumption [9] - 9.2 W

Then it's fine to just plug straight into a UK supply, with a uk plug or travel adaptor, obviously.

[Shadytree]

londonbabe said:

Shadytree said:

Specs say this :

Power Supply
100-240V AC 50/60Hz

Power Consumption
Max power consumption [8] - 22 W Typical power consumption [9] - 9.2 W

Then it's fine to just plug straight into a UK supply, with a uk plug or travel adaptor, obviously.

Just wanted to check before blowing the bastad up

Thanks and sorry for the numpty questions.

[MrVelox]

Shadytree said:

londonbabe said:

Shadytree said:

Specs say this :

Power Supply
100-240V AC 50/60Hz

Power Consumption
Max power consumption [8] - 22 W Typical power consumption [9] - 9.2 W

Then it's fine to just plug straight into a UK supply, with a uk plug or travel adaptor, obviously.

Just wanted to check before blowing the bastad up

Thanks and sorry for the numpty questions.

Might want to RTFM and see if there's a switch on the power supply, otherwise you might find Guy Fawkes celebrations of an unintended manner.

[Plotloss]

You bought that media streamer thing with a silly name, didnt you?

[crofty1984]

Plotloss said:

You bought that media streamer thing with a silly name, didnt you?

The cumgullett videotron?
or the spunknificent media-ificator?

[tr7v8]

walm said:

Shadytree said:

So the travel adapter answer works ok ?

You seem confused.

It depends what you are sticking in the wall.

Things like iPods and laptops all have adapters in between the mains and the device - they are those warm boxes attached to the power cable.
For those things the voltage rating is written on the outside and will say whether it can cope with 240v 50hz.
Most can, so the travel adapter works.

For almost everything else you need a step-up transformer which will convert the voltage to 240v.
The appliance may still not be happy with 50hz not 60hz but some transformers convert that too. Again check the specs.

Just for the record a straight transformer WILL NOT convert the frequncy.