Voltage converters

[yg17]

So the other day I was at Target and had to get a prescription filled, and to kill time while waiting, I went to see if they had any good deals on Blu Ray movies, but somehow ended up in the luggage/travel accessories section. New store, don't know my way around it yet so I got lost Anyways, I saw their voltage converters for overseas travel. Seeing as how I'm going to the UK and Germany in a few months and need one, I decided to take a look. I read the back of it, and it said something like "Not to be used with laptops, portable music players, phones, battery chargers" and I think a few other things.

Well, I have to charge a laptop (Dell Inspiron), iPhone (I know USB is an option but I don't really trust the laptop to put out enough power) and a battery for a Canon Rebel XSI, all of which are on that list. So, what sort of adapter do I need to buy to charge this stuff? Thanks

Oh, and I found the electronics department and they didn't have any good Blu Ray movies on sale

 

[aristobrat]

Well, I have to charge a laptop (Dell Inspiron), iPhone (I know USB is an option but I don't really trust the laptop to put out enough power) and a battery for a Canon Rebel XSI, all of which are on that list. So, what sort of adapter do I need to buy to charge this stuff? Thanks

So my two housemates and I spent two weeks in Germany last summer. Very awesome trip. Two of us had MBPs, the other guy had a Dell.

MBPs were easy as cake since the chargers have those pop-off wall plugs. We simply got the right wall plugs for Germany and were good to go.

Dell guy picked up the cheapest power converter that Radio Shack had. He totally underestimated how many watts his Dell used, so when we got to Germany and he used it, turns out it only put out enough juice to charge his Dell when the Dell was turned off. And .. it took a lot longer to charge. It really sucked for him.

So anyhow, jsut make sure you get a converter with enough balls errr watts ... to handle all of your power needs.

 

[synth3tik]

I am rather sure that was a lower wattage converter. Chargers usually suck up more power as they charge. I would look for one with a high wattage rating. It may cost more, but will work.

 

[foidulus]

As someone who moved from the States to Germany

I can safely say that odds are pretty low that you would need one. Almost everything nowadays that isn't kitchen or lighting is universal voltage(for instance the last Mac not to be was the first gen iMac g5), so odds are you probably don't need it. Even if you do get one, remember they suck up a lot of juice, and that isn't very environmentally friendly.

 

[rhsgolfer33]

You probably just need plug adapters for them. Check the plugs for their voltage ratings. Your iPhone should be fine for sure, just make sure all your plugs say 110-220 or the like (100-240, etc). Generally they say something like "Input 110-240 VAC." As long as they cover the 220 range you should be good. Most stuff with a brick is fine, but double check. I've never had any problems plugging stuff in over there. We ran a powerstrip in a ghetto hotel in Paris last time, I was afraid we were going to blow the fuses or have a nice fire start in the middle of the night, but it worked fine, haha. Needless to say I don't recommend doing that; if you want to just buy one adapter you could get an "international" powerstrip that is rated for 220, I think they run $20-$30, and it would probably be a little safer.

 

[garybUK]

Last time i went to the states i just brought along a UK 4-way and plugged that in using the little 3 pin uk to 2 pin US blade type plug, then plugged my laptop, camera, phone charger etc into the 4 way.... i'm sure you can reverse it for US -> UK/Europe.

BTW Germany and UK use different power outlets but all of Europe use the same voltage. just check your stuff to see if it's 110@60/220@50 dual voltage, if so your set!

 

[OutThere]

As posted above don't worry too much unless you want to bring stuff like an electric shaver, really old electronics or stuff without a power brick. I've been living in France for just about 4 months without ever using a transformer-type converter, just ones that change the shape of the plug.