Voltage, adaptors, etc.

[tryshah]

I have seen several posts about voltage and adaptors but I don't really understand what a "dual voltage" appliance is. I have one appliance that you manually switch and another one that says it does both American and European, but has no switch. Are they both dual voltage? Is a voltage adaptor the same thing as a plug adaptor? And what about the low setting thing?

I would appreciate any information
Thanks!

[LHR02]

It is confusing, isn't it? First, plug adapters are just that...things that attach to the end of your American or Canadian plugs that allow you to plug them into the differently configured plugs in Europe. That's all they do....change it from for example two 'prongs' to three round ones. Dual voltage comes in basically two ways....most personal care stuff for example has a switch of some sort to change from 110 to 220 and you have to manually switch it. The 'low' power thing comes into it in that all of such appliances I have 'personally' encountered will only operate on the low setting when set to 220. Anyone have one that will work on high at the 220 setting? Many electronics....ie cell phone charges, PDA's, laptops etc are likewise dual voltage but the item 'senses' the difference and automatically configures itself to accept the higher voltage. NOT ALL of them, so you need to be sure, but most newer electronics do.

I'll add, as I have before, that hair dryers, curling irons, etc can be found just as cheaply there as here...in the 10 euro range and I have finally got to the point where I just buy one when I arrive and dump it at the end of the trip. No problems them with voltage, low power settings or plugs.

Has this helped at all or have I merely confused you further?

[Eagle]

Tryshah, a few comments on your questions:

A "dual voltage" appliance is one which is designed to operate on two voltages (typically 115 volts & 220 volts), usually for travel uses. Depending on the appliance, it may be necessary to manually set a switch to the appropriate operating voltage, or the device may be capable of auto voltage configuration.

All appliances should be equipped with a "nameplate" (usually on the bottom or back of the device) which lists the design characteristics (voltage) of the device. If the nameplate states "100-240 VAC - 50/60 HZ" then it's considered "dual voltage".

NO, a voltage adaptor is NOT the same as a Plug Adaptor! As mentioned in #1, a Plug Adaptor is a simple electrical device which is designed to adapt the North American two or three pin (grounded) plug to the Plug / Receptacle configuration of the location you will be visiting. To use you appliance in a foreign country, you have to first plug the adaptor into the wall receptacle, and then plug your North American appliance into the plug adaptor (DON'T forget your plug adaptor(s) in your Hotel room!).

The UK uses a different design (large rectangular prongs) of Plugs & Receptacles than does most of mainland Europe (two round pins). You will need at least one (or more, if you plan on connecting more than one appliance at the same time) plug adaptors for each region you will be visiting.

A "Voltage Adaptor" is an electrical / electronic device which converts the voltage of the area you're visiting (typically in a "step down" mode from 220 volts to 115 volts) to allow operation of appliances that are ONLY capable of operation at that voltage.

One important point concerning Voltage Adaptors / Converters is that these principally utilize two methods to "step down" voltage -- transformer and / or solid-state electronic conversion. Each method is designed for use with specific types of appliances. Without getting into a lot of technical jargon, Transformer conversion is best used with low power solid-state devices; solid-state Converters are designed for higher power (higher current) heating appliances such as Hair Dryers, Heating Elements, etc. There are models available which include BOTH conversion methods in the same Voltage Adaptor.

If you find that you need a Voltage Adaptor / Convertor, these are readily available in capacities to operate most common appliances that people travel with. Some Voltage Adaptor models require manual selection of either transformer or electronic conversion, while some of the newer ones are "auto sensing", depending on what type of appliance is plugged into them. Also, many of these come equipped with just the European Plug style - if you want to use these in the UK you would have to plug the Voltage Adaptor into a UK Plug Adaptor to use this. If you want to have a look at Voltage Adaptors / Converters, check www.magellans.com as they have a good selection. They also have some dual-voltage appliances.

For further information, you could also check www.kropla.com or www.adrianwarren.com as those sites have lots of technical info.

Before you travel, have a look at the nameplate of each of the devices you will be taking with you. Again as mentioned in #1, many newer electronic chargers (ie: Cell Phones, Digital Cameras, etc.) are designed to operate on a wide voltage range, so all you would need for these is a Plug Adaptor for each of the countries you will be visiting.

I hope this has answered your questions. Good luck with this, and happy travels!!!