How can you use US appliances in the UK? (like a computer)
 

I bought me one of those converters so my appliances could plug into the socket.. but as soon as I turned it on I popped a fuse.

Anyone know what I need in order to get my appliances to work in the UK?

laptops work in all countries no need for a converter

no i mean for a pc or something

pc have a current selector on the back on the power supply box.

other appliances, it depends ...

do i need to buy a transformer or something?

as far as I know there are no transformers that you can easily buy in a supermarket. Special stores maybe, upon request.. but its not easy. If you don't have a current switch on the back of your PC then I guess you need to buy a new power supply for your PC. Its not that hard to switch it, and its easier to obtain than rather than shopping for a transformer.

make sure you doublecheck otherwise the US device is gone

US is 110 VAC 60hz
UK is 240 VAC 50hz

thats what the converter should do, are you SURE its a converter both voltage and frequency wise?

fak.. what about a monitor? (that does not have a switch)

i dont think this one converts voltage..
dammit >_<

in usa you have 110v, in uk 240v.So, be sure that your device supports this voltage.

doesnt convert voltage? then what kinda convert is it?

Im thinking youve got a powerSURGE that protects you against spikes n all. Sure hope your US device isnt fried cause if it popped a fuse it prolly is.

Post a link to the converter I can tell if you got the right one.

a converter usually costs $10 - $20 go out and get one lol

http://www.tlc-direct.co.uk/Images/P...e_3/SX6993.JPG

thats what you need - this is a huge one though 1000VA so for a microwave or so, its called a stepdown converter most of the times, the smaller ones are a few 100VA max, you cannot put a microwave vac cleaner etc on that just small electronics like a shaver

no thats a converterplug or a very small converter

if hes trying to hookup a device thats like 500VA or more you need a stepdown converter thatll cost a few 100 at least, depends what youre connecting and how strict the device is on what wave (sinus/block) the device needs

thanks all
so besides voltage considerations, what else do i have to make sure matches

cycles ... 60 vs 50 .. but a good converter does that automatically.

ah.. how about amps or power

lol I bet you just got a plug adapter rather than a transformer that changes the voltage.

Though if it's for your laptop, you should've be able to get away with that as I thought most laptops have a variable transformer that handles most 110-220V situations.

But apparently not in your case so just get the specs of what your device uses and head into an electronics store or the airport if you have time.

yeah he got a plug adapter for sure

bout the power needed, depends on what youre gonna connect

there are devices like a bulblight that take 100Watt but electric tools like a grinder can take up to 5 times as much as what it says on the device.

Just tell us what youre gonna connect and I can tell you what you need - quite frankly 99% of the times youll buy a new device on UK voltage, a converter for say a blender could easily be 5 times as expensive as the blender itself.

Way to plan ahead. :P

very true

He did say PC or "something" though so I figured laptop or pda

he bought a Hitachi magic wand in the US for his UK gf :)

Here is what it says on the back of my monitor
Rating: AC 100-240V, 50-60Hz, 1A

and on my PC, it says
115/230V, 50-60Hz, 10A/5A

do i have to buy a transformer, or will these work with just a simple adaptor? i dont want to plug these in and hear a pop lol

Go to some electronics store and describe your problem, I would think it's a pretty common problem now a days, with the weak dollar, and people buying stuff from the US, these transformer devices should be all over the place I would think.

You should just be able to go to your local pound store and buy a US-UK plug convertor, make sure it's got a 13 Amp fuse in (otherwise go and buy one and smack it in), flip the switch on your PC to "230v" and away you go.

ok so as long as i can get the voltage to match ill be ok?

simple plug adapter will work .

In the case of your monitor, it would seem to have an automatic voltage selector built in, as you said it says "AC 100-240V" - meaning it should be capable of adapting to any voltage in that range. As for the PC, it says "115/230V", which would assumably mean that it can handle either 115V (USA) or 230V (UK), and so suggest there is a switch there to change the voltage to one of the two options.

So basically, as I said before, just go to your local pound/dollar store (I don't know if you are in the US or the UK right now), buy a US-UK plug adapter, make sure it has a 13 Amp fuse, if it doesn't, buy one and fit it to the plug, then plug your PC and monitor in, flick the voltage switch on your PC to 230V and you should be off an running.

EDIT: Just before I forget, if you have to buy one US-UK plug adapter per item (i.e. one for the PC and another for the monitor), make sure that the monitor US-UK plug has a 1 Amp fuse in and the PC US-UK plug has a 10 Amp fuse in, as that is what you said both appliances are rated at. Sorry if my previous advice confused you, but you'd use a 13 Amp fuse if you had some kind of multi-plug to a single plug adapter, and then plugged this into the US-UK plug adapter.

For reference, this little red switch is the voltage selector on a PSU:
http://z.about.com/d/compreviews/1/0/G/2/DIY-PSU5.jpg

Sorry to double post, but I've made a mistake in the last post and can't edit it.

Where it says "PC US-UK plug has a 10 Amp fuse in" should read "PC US-UK plug has a 5 Amp fuse in".

Don't know, but I would have a better feeling if the PC voltage switch was " flipped to 230V " BEFORE plugging in the unit... :2 cents:

I would highly recommend not just switching the button at the rear of the unit or just getting a U.S 2 prong > 3 prong U.K converter.

Maplins are good (maplin.co.uk). They sell what you need (a proper voltage converter that copes with more demanding voltage products).

Alright - fair enough; I made a mistake. You should flip the voltage switch first.

Why? I'd be with you if we didn't have any power specifications for the products at hand, but from what Myst has said, the monitor is auto-switching, and therefore technically able to work on the UK power grid with little more need than a US-UK plug adapter, or a different kettle lead & the PC's power supply will be the same one they sell across the world, the main difference being how they flip the voltage switch in the factory before they send it to you/fit it in your PC.

Now, if we were talking about bespoke appliances only distributed in America (i.e. a certain model and variant of said appliance that is only distributed in the USA), then by all means get a step-down transformer - it's going to be your only choice; but if the equipment is designed to work with UK and US power grids, why not use that functionality?

Gut instinct. I have some U.S equipment and I use a step-down for purely that reason (so to ensure that the unit is converted before it reaches the UK standard) but yes...I am no electrician so could be wrong and a converted unit may all work perfectly well. :)

Are PC's considered appliances?

If you are concerned about your equipment, then I suppose a step-down transformer is no bad thing, but it's just that from what Myst has said, I see no need to shell out the GBP 30 or so for one when a few plug convertors and fuses for less than GBP 5 in total would do the job.

I wouldn't say so, as they are a series of components which can be upgraded by the user, and which manufacturers of the various components (motherboards, hard drives, optical drives, power supply units, processors, RAM etc.) provide for. An appliance, on the other hand, would be something which couldn't easily be "upgraded" by a normal consumer unless they had enough electrical knowledge to solder on new components and somehow understand the circuit structure of the internal components.