using american made amps in europe

[miquee]

hello everyone...
a quick question that may be a stupid one... if i get an amp in the states and i want to plug it in in europe, is a plug adapter enough or do i have to do some modifications. thanks

[Chance]

All you need is the correct adapter. One made to handle 220v. So long as the output matches the US adapter nothing should go wrong.

[worldwidese]

Europe

Adapter is a bit confusing. You need a converter, to change the current. from 110 to 220. They are usually a black or grey box with wires out of each side. Fairly heavy, so buy one when you get there.

You'll also need plug convertors as there are dozens of different wall receptacles with different pin configurations. Not standardized like in the States.

Always ask before you plug in! A fried appliance is not a pretty thing to see.

[Chance]

sorry for the interruption

Worldwise, with all due respect, you're all wet on this topic.

No voltage converter is needed as you have stated. I already said that so long as the OUTPUT of the 220v adapter matches the 110v adapter miquee already owns, nothing will go wrong. The INPUT does not matter, so long as the output matches: 110v in, with 13.5v out, or 220v in with 13.5v out, it's all the same!!

And the "pin configurations" are not a problem either, since all European adapters already have the correct pins. All Europe uses the same pins, except England.

For less than 15Euros I can find several styles of adapter that miquee needs, with no extra equipment needed. And all of them will be very small and light.

FYI- I've been building my own amps for the past 6 years here in Europe, so I do feel somewhat qualified to speak on this subject.

[Rex Boyd]

Some amps have the charger built inside like my Samson Expedition. I have two different leads for charging in the UK or in Europe and there is a switch on the side of the amp to change it over to 110 should I want to use it in North America.

Other amps have the charger seperate and you can just carry the charger you need for that particular country in which case the adapter plugs and the voltage settings should be designed for use in either 220 or 110. Like Chance said it doesn't matter as long as your output matches you battery ie. 13.5V for a 12V battery.

You can also use an American 110 charger or any other electric appliance on a European 220 Voltage provided you use a "converter" placed on the end of your American plug which then get plugged into the european 220 using the appropriate adapter for that country.

Adapters are very cheap and easy to buy. They just have the right shape of prongs and holes.

A good converter is harder to find but is essential if you are going to use a 110 appliance on 220. It does an actual change of the current passing through. You will probably need adapters as well if you are travelling to different countries, but like I said the adapters are usually easy to find. The converter isn't always so easy but is more important.

Using a seperate charger for each country or having a 110/220 switch already built into your amp is the most elegant way of handling the situation, but a converter will work just as well.

Rex

[worldwidese]

A clear statement needed.

Between us all (and perhaps especially me) I think the poor guy must by now be really confused.

First I would like to know what type of amp does he have. Is it a battery run, or a regular plug in to the wall electric run?

Knowing that, could someone please set out in list (1. 2. 3. etc) form, what exactly he needs to do. I submit that so far the posts have contained all the necessary facts, but they are a bit hidden in the verbiage.

I am definitely not a qualified electrician.. But I am an experienced traveler. I had a bad result in India, when I plugged a tape recorder and an iron into two plugs in the wall and both pieces of equipment were immediately destroyed. I wouldn't want that to happen to anyone else.

[Chance]

I accept the challenge

Again, with much respect to you Worldwise, the clearest, shortest answer was already given in my first reply. The water didn't get muddied until later... by you.

[Rex Boyd]

Chance is right about his answer being the most straightforward. I put in my response because he didn't tell the whole story.

Sorry if you might have to think just a little about this one but if you can just reread my earlier post and try to understand the difference between an adapter and a transformer then it will make sense. Every tourist gets confused about this at first. It's not just buskers.

Chance's is the easy answer: get the proper transformer/charger built for the country you are in.

Mine is the more full answer: you can use a transformer if you like.

What is easiest may depend upon what kind of amp you have and whether it's charger is built in to the case or is seperate from it.

The important part of either answer is that you can NOT directly use a North American 110V appliance on a European or Australian 220V unless you have the transformer in between.

Rex

[Rex Boyd]

Just to say again for those who may have missed it:

an ADAPTER is a cheap easily available bit of plastic and metal that allows you to plug into a different kind of socket like going from the UK to Europe or Australia. ( all use 220 but have different types of plugs )


A TRANSFORMER is a boxlike bit of circuitry that converts the supply from the wall from 220 or 110 down to 13.5V or some other smaller number. This is like the plug you get when you buy a walkman or a wireless mic to run it from the main electricity instead of the battery. Or like the charger for your cell phone. It usually has a tiny, circluar, pin-like plug. Chance is talking about one of these hooked directly to the battery to charge it. You just need to be sure of the right input and output settings and the type of little circular plug. You can also cut the plug off and attach the bare wires directly to the battery posts if that is more convenient. Make sure you keep positive and negative clearly marked like jumpstarting a car and don't let the wires touch each other when the transformer is plugged in to the wall.

Another kind of TRANSFORMER that will allow you to run just about any North American appliance in Europe, UK or Australia is one that converts the supply down from 220 to 110. Then you just plug your normal plug into this transformer and then the transformer into the wall. These are harder to find but it may be a good idea to know you have it before leaving North America just so you are sure you can charge your amp. If you want to save weight and are not worried about what could possibly be a very difficult search in a country that you are not sure about the language, then you are better off with the individual transformer made just for the country you are going to with the output that matches what your battery needs. (ie. - exactly what Chance first said )


There that wasn't so hard was it?

Don't get me started on PAL vs NTSC.

Rex

[Pyromancer]

Now we're on the subject anyways: when I was in Canada, I couldn't find an adapter with 15V output for my Crate Taxi - and I have been to several stores to look for it. I was told that the local current of 110V 60Hz is a lot more difficult to convert to 15V than the European standard of 220V 50Hz. A 12V adapter makes the charger LED burn, but I reckon they didn't supply a 15V charger for noting? Does anyone have a good suggestion for this, or have I been told bullsh@?

[Chance]

Hey Pyro, good to see you back. How was the summer?

Listen, converting either 110v or 220v to a lesser voltage is a very small thing. One is not "more difficult" to convert than the other. It's only a matter of placing some electronic chips/modules one way or the other.

In my own system, which I build myself as a hobby these days, I have several components (Mini Disc, wireless microphone, stereo amplifier, etc.) all running off the same 12v battery. But they don't all require 12v: one piece is only 3v, and others are 6v or 9v, for example. I have learned how to convert the voltage myself, using simple carbon chips found in any radio supply shop. Each chip costs only 1.50 or something. Very cheap, in other words. And very simple to use as well. If I can do it here at home, I am positive it can be done at factory level engineering!

Ordinarily though, I would never recommend using 15v when charging a 12v battery. In general this is too much current. It charges faster, sure, but the battery's life is cut way short. On the other hand, if the amp you have comes with a 15v charger already, then they have probably worked around this problem when designing the mother board inside. So, as I said earlier, always try to match the output, no matter what the input might be (either 110v or 220v)

Rex, I think your information would be easier to follow if you said "international voltage converter" at one point instead of "adapter".

[miquee]

thanks alot.
I'm actually living in italy but looking around here and on the internet i noticed that the prices are way cheaper in the states. also the ebay here sucks.
the info is very useful... and chance maybe the plugs have been standardized in europe but not in italy... in one room in my house there are three different sized holes for the prongs. appliances like irons tend to use one size with lamps and electric shavers another... then there is another one that i haven't figured out yet. but italy wouldn't be italy without the confusion.
by the way, if you are making amps, do you sell them as well?
thanks again for the info.
mike

[Chance]

easy peasey

Miquee, your troubles are much smaller than all this talk might make them seem. Just go ahead and get the amp you like best. It would help if it has a built-in charger, like Rex was saying. When I make mine, I also build in the charger. In even the most complex case you will only need a 220v=13.5v (15v?) transformer unit to replace the 110v unit that will come with it, plus a plug adapter to match at least one of your confusing wall outlets! And if you get lucky, and you shop around when buying the transformer, you won't even need the plug adapter.

Also, Miquee, please send me a private email when you get this. There are some things I'd like to ask you about Italy if you don't mind.