Should I bring?

Six weeks to go!   Couple of electronic questions:

I have a Sony CD player/clock radio that I absolutely love. I do not think it is dual voltage. (I cant find any reference to voltage on the back or in the instructions, but a similar player on Amazon says its only 120V).  What would happen if I plugged it in simply with a plug adapter? Would it blow up, short circuit, play CDs at lower speeds, etc? 

Other electronics I'm considering bringing:

--My IBM laptop (dual-voltage)

--Sonic toothbrush (no idea about its voltage)

--battery chargers for all my digital cameras (no idea about voltage, but they worked fine in the Middle East with nothing more than a plug adapter).

--AA rechargeable battery chargers (no idea, but again they worked overseas with just a plug adapter)

You will fry the clock-radio and toothbrush with only a plug adapter!

john

Johns right. You will fry it!


When I moved here I had a few electonic items I was very attached to so I brought them over and invested in a bulky, expensive voltage converter. 5 years later I dont even know where those old American electronic items are.
The laptop is OK. Just change the cord over when you get here or put a converter plug on the end of your American plug.

if you can sell it all and get them here I would...even my laptop I just got a new one when I came over ..unless of course you'll be travelling back and forth so then I would do what Pebbles did..

You can buy a small convertor at someplace like Radio Shack which will convert small appliances of up to 1600 watts, usually something like an electric razor or hair dryer for example, maybe even your electric toothbrush.....anything bigger and you'll need a step up/step down convertor to handle more amperage. If you're shipping stuff like electric mixers or vacuum cleaners it may not be a bad idea to have one. They're not all that expensive (definitely cheaper than replacing the items altogether).....do a google search for voltage convertors, there's hundreds of sites that sell them.

 P.S.....a plug ADAPTER is only good for dual current items like most lap-tops are but you'll fry anything else not equipped with it.

since ebay.co.uk came to be ..replacing things hasn't been that costly...but then that's just me I can't be bothered buying converters and worrying about frying goods that I can just buy here...

You can buy a small convertor at someplace like Radio Shack which will convert small appliances of up to 1600 watts, usually something like an electric razor or hair dryer for example, maybe even your electric toothbrush.....anything bigger and you'll need a step up/step down convertor to handle more amperage. If you're shipping stuff like electric mixers or vacuum cleaners it may not be a bad idea to have one. They're not all that expensive (definitely cheaper than replacing the items altogether).....do a google search for voltage convertors, there's hundreds of sites that sell them.

 P.S.....a plug ADAPTER is only good for dual current items like most lap-tops are but you'll fry anything else not equipped with it.

We had an electric toothbrush and we got a converter from Radio Shack and it worked wonderfully. 

We bought a converter that was about the size of a paint can and cost £120. It was crap. Always blowing fuses.

Thanks for the advice, everyone. I may just forget about all this and just buy new stuff overseas rather than spend money on converters and transformers.

Thanks for the advice, everyone. I may just forget about all this and just buy new stuff overseas rather than spend money on converters and transformers.

That's what I'm planning to do.  I have a huge spreadsheet with a list of every electronic device in the house.  I will donate most to charity and take the tax write off.  Some stuff will go to family.  I will take my lamps because they can be easily rewired.

~Liza

I think the little travel transformer we got at Radio Shack for the toothbrush cost about $18.

I saw a voltage converter for about $22 on Magellens.com that says it will work with small electronic device. Anyone have any experience with these little gizmos on small, non-heating electronics like radios?

http://www.magellans.com/store/Electrical___Plug_AdaptorsEA256?Args=

do not bring anything that heats up unless it has a dual voltage switch that you can change when you get here (ie..hair dryers, curling irons, travel irons, toasters, even food processors and blenders).  You can run some of those things on transformers, but as stated they are expensive and still can ruin your appliances.  I ran a 110 microwave and sewing machine on a transformer for 7 years in germany and when i came back to the US with them - they just didn't work right.  As for the lamps - you just have to put a 220 v bulb and a convertor plug on them and they work just fine - no need for rewiring! 
For those asking about phoning back to the US from England - you can buy a phone card at the Post office (you can do almost everything at the PO here!  It is 3.5 p a minute, but charges by the second - so you don't pay for more than you actually use.  It will also be good in December to make FREE phone calls to america on Saturdays from noon to midnight.  They just offered it during May and June for free and I would spend 4-6 hours on a Saturday calling eveyone - and it didn't cost me a single p for any of that since you dial a 0800 number to use it!  Great deal.
Did you know you can also get a great deal on a personal loan at the PO (to use to purchase a car or other needs once you arrive) and the interest rates are good and there is no penalty for early payoff as there is with the banks! 

Did you know you can also get a great deal on a personal loan at the PO (to use to purchase a car or other needs once you arrive) and the interest rates are good and there is no penalty for early payoff as there is with the banks! 

Can you do this even if you have not established any credit in the UK, and have just moved there from the States?  Very interesting.

~Liza

(I cant find any reference to voltage on the back or in the instructions, but a similar player on Amazon says its only 120V).  What would happen if I plugged it in simply with a plug adapter? Would it blow up, short circuit, play CDs at lower speeds, etc? 

It will blow up...... Or at best it will burn out, blow a fuse, and most likely take a few other internal components along with it as well.    Don't even think about trying it! 

--My IBM laptop (dual-voltage)

If it's marked for 240V, it will be fine with a suitable plug adapter or replacement power cord.

--Sonic toothbrush (no idea about its voltage)

You need to check the device for the rating label which should tell you what voltage(s) it's designed for.  If it's a fairly new cordless, battery model, then the charger may be multi-voltage -- see below.

--battery chargers for all my digital cameras (no idea about voltage, but they worked fine in the Middle East with nothing more than a plug adapter).

--AA rechargeable battery chargers (no idea, but again they worked overseas with just a plug adapter)

Some chargers are designed for one voltage only, and you would either need to replace them or tun through a transformer to step the British 240 volts down to 120.    A few models (less common these days) have a little switch somewhere to let you select 120 or 240.

Many of the latest chargers are designed to operate over a very wide input range though.  Have  a look at the label on the unit, and if it says something like 90 to 250V, then you have such a unit.  These will work fine with the appropriate plug adapter.

By the way, in the Middle East there are some areas using 220 to 240V supplies while others run on a 127-volt system.  If your chargers were designed for 120V only you might have just been lucky and been in a 127V area.