Desperately Need Help with AC Power

All that is needed is the plug adapters to enable plugging the device into the receptacle. No additional transformer to step from 220 - 240 down to 110v - 120v is required.

Have a great trip!

(I'm a Massachusetts licensed electrician since 1986)

Thank you. I was cautiously charging my laptop computer now.

Paul

While stationed in Germany, we had transformers for all our electronic devices. If the device is "switchable" from 110 to 220, they should be okay, as they have an internal transformer. If not, I'd buy a couple cheap transformers to convert the 220 DC to 110 AC - just to be safe.

Joel

This was the reason why I had asked. I put the Garmin charger on the transformer and it started humming so I did not hook it up to the gps. Without the transformer, it did not hum. All my chargers though say 100-240V for their imput so I figure they should regulate it themselves? I do however have the adapter plug in a European surge outlet. I had brought my own hoping to use the US surge surpressor but their is a ground on it and the adapter only has the two round prongs.

I was in Spain 3 months ago.

I have the Garmin AC adapter and I used it a lot to recharge my C530 and it worked well. All you need is the wall adapter plug.

Have a good trip.

One thing not mentioned here is European power is generally 50HZ vs US Power of 60HZ. This won't be a factor in most chargers as they usually convert AC to DC. But this is a factor in motors, most clocks, some TVs, and other frequency sensitive devices.

RT

I think I am OK then. I only need to charge my laptop. Everything else I can charge from the laptop or a power monkey. My cell phone is EU.

Just to clarify what a transformer does, they do not convert DC to AC, they just step the voltage up or down

As long as the power supply indicates 100-240V, 50-60Hz you will be okay. You may just need the proper plug adapter to convert the plug configuration.

Hair curling irons can be an issue. While in Paris, my teenage daughter plugged in her curling iron without adjusting the voltage switch. It worked, but got really hot. When we started to smell a little burnt hair, we knew there was a problem. All turned out well though.

Never have any problem charging electronic devices overseas with AC chargers with 110-240V input voltage.
I only need the adapter plug to convert the plugs.

I have also start putting a label on the chargers indicating its input AC voltage and the associated device just to make it more visible. A lot of devices are using generic chargers that sometimes you forget to which it belongs.

Regarding converters

I purchased a converter many years ago, it has all the different outlet configurations built in, converts 220 to 110 and has worked well in my travels. It broke recently and I looked for an exact replacement, which I found at either Brookstone or Sharper Image. They had a warning not to use it with electronic devices which gave me pause… In the past I had used the one I had in that manner, for powered speakers, radios etc….

I suppose that plugging my laptop charger or other chargers into it didn’t matter because they work on either voltage. I managed to repair my old one and use it only as a receptacle adapter.

I guess what I am saying is be careful with at least some voltage converters, they may not be for electronic devices… It has been stated previously that most of the chargers today work on multiple voltages so the only problem is the receptacle configuration.