Buying electronics from USA

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bnr88

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Hey everyone.

I want to a buy some equipment from a US store which has a voltage requirement of 110v. They told me i will need a 230v transformer to use it here. Anyone know anything about this?

Thanks for your help.
 
The power supply in the US is 110v not 220v like over here, you'll need a step down transformer to use stuff designed for their market, as long as the device is okay for 50-60Hz that should be all you need
 
Just make sure that the transformer that you buy can handle the current required.

BTW if the equipment uses a power brick then it may be better to just buy a suitable power brick.
 
Jola said:
Just make sure that the transformer that you buy can handle the current required.

BTW if the equipment uses a power brick then it may be better to just buy a suitable power brick.
Click to expand...

So the voltage rating applies to the power brick and not the device itself?
 
Most of the devices nowadays can handle both voltage levels so I would worry much about that.
 
What is the total power draw in Watts specified of the 120V or 110V appliance you want to run? You will need to purchase a step down transformer with a higher Wattage rating than the specified power draw of your appliance. (If only current (Amps) is listed on the appliance see point 3)
Does the appliance you want to power have a motor, heating element, pump or compressor?
If so these appliances will require a considerably larger transformer model than indicated by the power draw specified. These appliances generally have a much larger start up power requirement than their normal power draw, usually between 2 to 6 times the stated load.
If the power draw is only specified in Amps (current) on the appliance you want to power simply use the formula below to calculate Watts required:

Watts = Amps x Appliance Voltage

As an example: If a 110V Japanese appliance stated it draws 5 Amps then using the formula above: 5 (Amps) x 110 (Volts) = 550 Watts, so you would need a step down transformer that delivers higher than 550 Watts to run your appliance*.. easy!) (*please take into account point number 2)
The stated Wattage of each step down transformer is the MAXIMUM load it can handle over a 1 hour period. Its continuous output capacity is less and varies with each model. The continuous output of each step down transformer is highlighted on each product page in the specifications section and we recommend you use that figure when selecting the appropriate voltage converter.

As an example: Our 100W 8ZED Step doen transformer has a maximim output of 100W over a 1 hour period and a continuous running capacity of 80W. Unless you are only going to be running your appliance for very short periods of time you should base your purchase on the 80W figure.
Appliance power ratings are not always accurate and are often a "best case" scenario. This being the case we strongly recommend that you give any appliance at least a 15% to 20% buffer to account for any variance between the stated power draw and the actual power draw of the appliance. This is especially important if you expect to run the unit for extended periods of time.

As an example: If you have an appliance that states it will draw 70 Watts while it should run fine from a 100 Watt step down transformer we suggest using a 200W step down transformer to be sure it will run correctly rather than risking overloading the step down transformer. This is especially important if you will be powering the unit for longer periods of time.
 
Just have a look, some products take both 220v and 110v so you can plug it in without a transformer, just a plug changer thing
 
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