Technical Issues for Expats: Understanding Electrics, Phones, TVs and more ...

The bulb needs to be rated for whatever voltage you are feeding into the lamp.  So if you are running from a transformer which provides 240 volts, you need 240V bulbs.

However, you could use 120V bulbs by removing the existing U.K. plug from the lamp flex and fitting an American plug instead so that you can connect the lamp directly to a 120V wall outlet.   You can always use wiring and accessories rated for 240V on a lower voltage safely. 

For any given power a lower voltage means a higher current, so a 60-watt 120-Volt lamp will take twice as much current as a 60-watt 240-volt lamp, but at normal sub-100W bulb ratings used in table lamps, the current will still be under 1 amp at 120V, well within the ratings of the U.K. accessories.

Very interesting; I didn't know that lower voltage actually meant a higher current, and I'm not sure that I completely understand why, but we have electrical engineers in the family so I can consult with them and spare you here!

So, in sum, I can simply change the plug to a US plug, and plug the lamps into the wall without a converter?  With the same lamp, if I end up needing the UK non-ES bulbs, I can use them even without a converter even if they're meant for 240V lamps?

I didn't know that lower voltage actually meant a higher current, and I'm not sure that I completely understand why

Current is measured in amperes, amps for short. Power is measured in Watts. Watts = volts x amps, so a 240v, 60 watt bulb will take a quarter of an amp, 0.25 amps, and a 120v, 60 watt bulb will take a half an amp, 0.5 amps.

So, in sum, I can simply change the plug to a US plug, and plug the lamps into the wall without a converter? 

The wires in the lamp should be good for 5 amps, and if the bulbs are 120v, you don't need a converter.

Current is measured in amperes, amps for short. Power is measured in Watts. Watts = volts x amps, so a 240v, 60 watt bulb will take a quarter of an amp, 0.25 amps, and a 120v, 60 watt bulb will take a half an amp, 0.5 amps.

The wires in the lamp should be good for 5 amps, and if the bulbs are 120v, you don't need a converter.

Many thanks for that!     Off to find the lamps.   

The relationship between power, voltage, and current is why high voltages are used to transmit power over long distances. 

Anytime current (measured in amps) flows through a wire, part of the power is lost as heat.  The greater the current, the greater the loss.  That means that for high currents we need thicker, heavier wires to keep the losses down to a reasonable level.

By using higher voltages, we can send the same amount of power (watts) by using a smaller current, and thus don't need such large cables.  To take a very basic example, assume you needed to transmit 96,000 watts of power from one point to another:

96,000 watts / 240 volts = 400 amps

To send that much current any appreciable distance without suffering huge losses would entail gigantic wires.  It's just not practical.

However:

96,000 watts / 2400 volts = 40 amps

That's much more manageable with reasonable size wires.  Go up another magnitude of 10 and you get:

96,000 watts / 24,000 volts = 4 amps

That's why very high voltages are used to distribute power long distances around the country and around your town, and the power is only stepped down to 120/240V when it's a short distance from your home. 

Just beware that the basic watts = volts x amps formula holds true for things like lamps and simple heating appliances, but things start to get much more complicated when it comes to motors and other devices (just ask your family engineers to explain power factor ).

Thanks Paul.   

Also, do you think I would need one of these for my UK plasma in the States?  Not sure what it's for.  http://www.voltageconverters.com/Itemdesc.asp?Cartid=EVEREST{C2855AA0-9B09-4A3F-90C0-7E65411CE1F8}&ic=VA46&eq=&Tp=

Cheers.

That website isn't responding at the moment, but I found what seems to be their product code VA46 on Google's cache:



Is that what you were looking at?   

The cached description says "Video converter NTSC-PAL," which is misleading.  In fact it's just a physical adapter to allow you to connect a coaxial cable with an F-connector to a Belling-Lee socket.    F-connectors are the screw-on types commonly used on modern American TVs; they're the same as the socket you find for the dish connection on the back of a U.K. satellite receiver.   Belling-Lee sockets are the standard British TV aerial connections.   

This adapter won't actually convert NTSC to PAL.  It just allows you to physically connect the two different types of plugs and sockets together (similar to a simple power plug adapter which lets you connect a U.S. plug to a U.K. wall outlet but doesn't change the voltage).

So unless your U.K. model TV will accept broadcast NTSC on the antenna input (and most do not), this won't be a lot of use.

That is what I was looking at, thanks.  So then it probably isn't necessary to get.  I was thinking that maybe the tv's only had a different kind of jack for the coax cable --- kind of like the UK and US telephone jacks are different, and thus this would be necessary to connect.  It seemed strange -- I though the cable was a standard size, etc., but wasn't sure.   

The coax cables are similar, but the Belling-Lee coaxial plug which has been standard in the U.K. just about since TV began was never adopted in the U.S.

The compatibility issue on the antenna input is nothing to do with the physical cables or connectors, but the format of the signal -- Not just NTSC vs. PAL but also the precise way that the audio & video are combined into the overall broadcast signal, the frequencies used for each channel, and so on. 

If the TV does not have a tuner which is designed to handle the standard NTSC/American broadcast format, it won't work with off-air signals, or with the R.F. outputs of other devices such as VCRs, cable boxes, game consoles, etc. which are intended for use with American TV sets.

When you feed video directly to the composite/S-video/component inputs, you bypass the tuner and related circuitry.  Many modern U.K. TVs will accept NTSC video on these inputs, but do not have broadcast NTSC capability via the tuner.

When you feed video directly to the composite/S-video/component inputs, you bypass the tuner and related circuitry.  Many modern U.K. TVs will accept NTSC video on these inputs, but do not have broadcast NTSC capability via the tuner.

Paul_1966...  Would this work in reverse?  We are taking our LCD HDTV with us (USA - UK) as we are also taking our Xbox 360 and Media Server and need this TV to use those items.

Could we us this TV if we put the PAL video feed directly thru the composite/S-video/component inputs?

http://talk.uk-yankee.com/index.php?topic=45986.msg647714#msg647714

Never mind Paul_1966...  I kept reading and found this answer from you!  Thanks

Never mind Paul_1966...  I kept reading and found this answer from you!  Thanks

I like questions which are easily settled!   

But just to confirm, you will find that most modern TV sets, especially the large multi-mode LCD/plasma types will accept either British or American format video on the component inputs.  It when you start trying to connect via S-video/composite that the set needs to be NTSC/PAL capable, as appropriate.

Hello to all...

I am relocating to London sometime in mid February, and have only a minimal knowledge of electronics (beyond using them). This forum has already been ENORMOUSLY helpful  But I have a questions, which I think has already been addressed, but I am a little dense so I need to ask to be sure.

We are trying to determine if we can bring a 2.5 year old Samsung TV (not a flat screen).  We don't have a huge attachment to it, and we plan to buy a good flat screen when we arrive. However, we'd love to take this along if it can serve as a second TV.  I understand the 120 v. 240 issue, and I'd manage that with a step up/step down.  But I am not sure whether we can actually plug the TV in to cable/satellite and watch TV.  Is there a way for a US TV coax input to be converted to one that will work with a set top box or freeview box? or is this something that is too expensive and too much of a hassle to bother with for a TV that can probably be replaced for a couple hundred quid?

Hi Pjkmelvin,

Your last line basically answers it - it really isn't worth all the hassle and faffing around to bring over a CRT TV just for a second set. It'll probably cost you more in shipping charges than the Tv is worth, and also you can pickup a CRT tv here in the UK, even 'large' 25,28 inch screens for absolute peanuts.
With the Sale's on at the moment, and even when you do get here, you can pickup a decent brand 40 inch LCD flat panel TV for around £400 or so nowadays. Smaller sized screens are significantly less and no doubt easy to obtain at around the £200 ish you mention.
Had you been thinking to perhaps bring over a 55 inch or 60 inch latest LED TV - than that might be worth it all.

Good luck for your move here soon!
cheers, DtM! West London & Slough UK!

Thanks Dennis!  Much appreciated.  Thought that might be the case, but needed somebody who knew a bit more about it to confirm it for me.  Much appreciated!

Hi all,

Just got the word that I'm moving to London for work and this forum has been fantastic for sorting through various issues to prepare for.  The one that is really hurting my head is sorting through the various options for electronics.  I think I've figured it out but was hoping someone could let me know if I've got it right.

I currently have (all North American/NTSC):
Panasonic TH-50PZ85U Plasma TV
Pioneer VSX-918V AV Receiver
Wii
PS3

Right now, tv and PS3 go into the receiver and then into the TV via HDMI.  Wii goes in via components.

To watch digital broadcast programming in the UK, if I am going to use HDMI, then I will be fine as is with Freeview and an HD PVR purchased in the UK.  Is this correct?  Or would I still need to buy a PAL-NTSC converter like this ( newcomer link: http://www.avtoolbox.co.uk/avt1670.shtml [nonactive] ) and have to connect the HD programming via component inputs?  If I do need to use this converter, is the picture somewhat distorted or do you still get a perfect HD signal into the tv?  I called Panasonic and they confirmed the TV as is will not play PAL.

To watch new dvds and blurays purchased in the UK, we would need to buy a new DVD player, as the PS3 is not crackable to play both PAL and NTSC like some DVD players are.  But we could buy a new Bluray player in the UK and enable it watch both PAL and NTSC disks.   Again correct?

However, games for the PS3 are not region coded, so new PS3 games purchased in the UK would work on  the US PS3?  For Wii, no such luck so new Wii games would require a UK Wii?

And for the receiver, since this is just passing signals through it, it doesn't matter at all.  It's just a question of the NTSC/PAL compatibility of the TV and the component trying to talk to it.  Correct?


Would it simply be easier for us to sell everything over here and buy comparable used components in the UKand watch the old DVD/Blurays via a computer set up as a media server for the TV?  Work will cover the shipping (I think) so that isn't an issue.  I just want to figure out what is the most cost effective and least headache way to watch HDTV and new DVD/Blurays bought in the Uk while still being able to watch the 200 or so DVDs we already own.

Many thanks