Portable DVD Player Charger Q (Time Sensitive)

I'm pulling my hair out.

My mom got a Portable DVD player for her birthday in July. An RCA DRC6338.  It has a black box for a plug (like a mobile phone), so I assumed we just needed one of these for her to use it in Ireland and the UK when we go in September (we leave in three weeks).

Tonight, she was asking me if she could take her hair dryer and I was explaining she couldn't and she asked why we could take laptops, mobile phones, and the portable DVD player, so I grabbed the charger for the DVD player to explain to her the 120-240V thing and show her the symbols....only the charger for her DVD player?  Says the following:

HB Switch Power Supply
Model No: HB12-09010SPA
Input: 100-120V ~
50/60 Hz 0.4A
Output: 9.0V (long dash over 3 short dashes) 1.0A

Can someone please link me to the exact thing we need to purchase (preferably on Amazon or another reputable site, and preferably inexpensive) in order to make her portable player work?  Paul, I'm totally looking at you for this!

Is this what we need?  Or are we totally SOL and she should just pack her laptop?  We don't need power to play DVDs on it, just to keep it charged. Tim has a portable DVD player, but the problem is all of Mom's DVDs would be R1 and wouldn't play on Tim's player. 

Yes, I think that is what you need.

Thanks geeta. The whole thing baffles me because I really don't understand why the darn thing isn't rated for 120-240 to begin with....I'm just glad I looked at the plug before we went ahead and just plugged it in, though! 

If I buy the item I linked to, does that mean in the future I can plug pretty much any standard US item into it to use in the UK?

Some things just aren't dual voltage; I don't get why. But yes, good thing you checked it before you plugged it in!

I think you should be able to plug in most 120v items in that transformer.  I used my similar transformer for a huge variety of things, such as my hand blender, my curling iron, my friend's CPAP machine, etc.

Output: 9.0V (long dash over 3 short dashes) 1.0A

The long dash over short dashes you describe is the symbol meaning D.C. (direct current).

Is this what we need? 

Yes, a transformer to convert 240V down to 120V is what you need.  Looking at that specific unit though, I would avoid it.   While the charger for your DVD may well have only a 2-prong plug on it and need no ground, if you are planning on running other items from the transformer they might need grounding (i.e. have a 3-prong plug).   Although the U.S. outlet on that transformer is 3-prong, the supply cord doesn't appear to provide a ground connection.  Aside from that issue, those smaller units of that rating can tend to run rather too warm at their rated load for my liking.

For a few dollars extra you could get something like this unit:


You'd need to change the plug on it (the one pictured is for use in Continental Europe), but it's in a properly ventilated case and appears to have a full 3-wire power cord for proper grounding.

The long dash over short dashes you describe is the symbol meaning D.C. (direct current).

Thanks. I couldn't find a symbol for it in the character map, but figured describing it was the better way, since trying to take pictures of the plug didn't work too well.

Yes, a transformer to convert 240V down to 120V is what you need.  Looking at that specific unit though, I would avoid it.   While the charger for your DVD may well have only a 2-prong plug on it and need no ground, if you are planning on running other items from the transformer they might need grounding (i.e. have a 3-prong plug).   Although the U.S. outlet on that transformer is 3-prong, the supply cord doesn't appear to provide a ground connection.  Aside from that issue, those smaller units of that rating can tend to run rather too warm at their rated load for my liking.

I hadn't thought about it needing to be grounded, thanks.

For a few dollars extra you could get something like this unit:


You'd need to change the plug on it (the one pictured is for use in Continental Europe), but it's in a properly ventilated case and appears to have a full 3-wire power cord for proper grounding.

How would I go about changing the plug?  Just get Tim to re-wire it?

Hmm. that one's a bit on the heavy side...

what about this one?  or this?

I also noticed that the one I linked to first doesn't appear to have a UK plug on it, either.

How would I go about changing the plug?  Just get Tim to re-wire it?

Yes, just cut off the European plug and wire on a U.K. plug - Obtainable for less than £1 at any hardware store, even if he doesn't already have a spare one laying around the house.

Oops!  Cross-posted with you there, and as you say, the other unit you were looking at has a Continental plug too.

what about this one?  or this?

They appear to be fully grounded transformers, and complete with British plugs too, so should be fine.  They're the rather enclosed types and personally I wouldn't want to run them at the supposed 100/150-watt rating for long, but for your application you'd be using only a fraction of that, so overheating shouldn't be an issue.

By the way, as far as the DVD player is concerned you could just buy a U.K. "power brick" here which provides the same 9V D.C. output at 1 amp max., providing you can find one with the same connector for the player.  But if you might want the 240-to-120V transformer for other devices anyway, that's probably the better option.

Oops!  Cross-posted with you there, and as you say, the other unit you were looking at has a Continental plug too.

They appear to be fully grounded transformers, and complete with British plugs too, so should be fine.  They're the rather enclosed types and personally I wouldn't want to run them at the supposed 100/150-watt rating for long, but for your application you'd be using only a fraction of that, so overheating shouldn't be an issue.

By the way, as far as the DVD player is concerned you could just buy a U.K. "power brick" here which provides the same 9V D.C. output at 1 amp max., providing you can find one with the same connector for the player.  But if you might want the 240-to-120V transformer for other devices anyway, that's probably the better option.

I think the player takes 2 hours to charge, so it'd only be used for 2 hours at a time. 

Oooh, I hadn't thought about just buying a brick for it. I assume I could take the plug into Maplin's and get assistance?

Oooh, I hadn't thought about just buying a brick for it. I assume I could take the plug into Maplin's and get assistance?

If they have one suitable in stock, yes.  You need to match the supply voltage and current (9V D.C. @ 1A - although a unit rated at 9V D.C. and >1A is fine), the connector type, and the polarity on the connector (e.g. if it's the common concentric type, there is no fixed standard as to whether the center contact is positive or negative, so it needs to be the right way round).

If they have one suitable in stock, yes.  You need to match the supply voltage and current (9V D.C. @ 1A - although a unit rated at 9V D.C. and >1A is fine), the connector type, and the polarity on the connector (e.g. if it's the common concentric type, there is no fixed standard as to whether the center contact is positive or negative, so it needs to be the right way round).

Eek, sounds confusing! I'm wondering at this point if it's easier to just buy a new Portable DVD player that's rated for 120-240!

Eek, sounds confusing! I'm wondering at this point if it's easier to just buy a new Portable DVD player that's rated for 120-240!

If you have other 120V-only devices you might want to use here, I'd just go with the step-down transformer, since it will have multiple uses.