29
Apr
As summer approaches, more and more of you will be replacing the notebook bag for a backpack, and your suit for shorts. Which can only mean that it’s vacation time!
But one question I see pop up a lot is; will my electronics work abroad?
The only way to tell, is to check the back, bottom or side of your power adapter/charger. It’ll clearly state what input voltages it is rated for. The voltage you need, depends on the country you are traveling to. North America uses 120 Volts, Mexico 127 Volts and most of Europe is on 230 Volts. I’ve taken photos of some adapters I found here to show you what to look for:
This Canon battery charger is fine with anything from 100-240 Volts, which means it’ll work anywhere.
The 12V DC power supply is clearly only intended for use in North America, as it only operates on 120 Volts
Another charger that won’t work anywhere with voltages over 120 Volts.
And finally a charger that will work anywhere.
You may wonder what will happen if you plug an adapter only suitable for 120 Volts into a 230 Volt outlet. But trust me when I say that you don’t want to find out. The adapter could explode, you could cause extensive damage to the wiring in the building, and you could even injure yourself and others around you. Many adapters include some form of protection, but cheaper (non type-rated) devices may lack these simple features. I can’t urge enough how important it is to check the specifications on the charger you plan to bring abroad.
Once you have determined that the voltage is correct, you’ll also need to pick the correct plug. To make things interesting, there are at least 15 different plug styles in use around the world, the best place (in my opinion) to check voltages and plug styles is Steve Kropla’s "World Electric Guide". You’ll find specifications for every country in the world, along with photos of the plug you’ll need, and any additional information about their power grid.
If you really need to bring an adapter with you to a country that uses a higher voltage, then you’ll need a stepdown transformer. These devices take the higher (usually 230 Volts) and step it down to 120 Volts. These transformers vary from lightweight (for things like a mobile phone charger) to big and bulky (for high wattage devices). Once again, you’ll need to check the label on your device to determine which transformer will suit you best.
This Radio Shack model can power up to 85 watts, but to make life harder, not every device actually states how many watts it uses. It’ll sometimes be printed as "VA", but most of the time you’ll need to do a little math. Ohms law says that "Power = Voltage * Current). A quick Ohms Law calculator can be found here
So, if we look at the second charger I photographed above, we’ll take the voltage the device needs (120 Volts) and multiply it by the current (1.4 Amps) = 168 Watts. That means that the 85 Watt transformer Radio Shack sells will NOT work with it, you’ll need something bigger, like this 4 pound block of steel:
But to be honest, if things start to get this complicated, you really need to ask yourself whether it makes sense to drag that appliance along. Unless you are going somewhere without any kind of civilization, I recommend just buying whatever you need when you get there.
It can also make sense to purchase a new, universal adapter for your devices. Especially when it comes to electronic gadgets like mobile phones, laptop computers and gaming devices, you may be better off with a single adapter, like the iGo Everywhere85 power supply. These universal adapters will operate on all voltages, and provide an extra layer of protection for your devices.
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