wilees

I am travelling to the US from the UK next week and I am still confused about what electrical adapters I need. I understand there is a voltage change as well.

How do I know if I also need a voltage converter for my phones, camera, ipod etc?

Cicerone

With regard to the voltage change, your ipod CHARGER should be dual voltage as should your phone and camera chargers. I would be very surprised if they were not. It’s hard to buy chargers that are not dual voltage these days. Read the package or the charger itself. If it says "120/240" or "110/230", then the item is dual voltage and it will work in the US.

I don’t think I understand the other part of the question, as these items don’t work independently of the chargers, i.e. the ipod runs off the charger as does the phone. So if the charger is dual voltage, the item will work after it is charged or when it is connected to the charger. You can’t buy a separate voltage converter for a phone to the best of my knowledge. Just make sure your charger is dual voltage. If for some very strange reason you have a charger that is not dual voltage, then buy a charger than will work in the US.

The 3-pin plugs at the end of the wires on your chargers are going to be too large to fit into the 2-pin electrical outlet socket found in US homes and hotels. That is why you need an adaptor plug to “adapt” your UK plug to the US socket. You should buy some adaptors before you leave home, as these can be hard to find in the US (I live in Hong Kong and if I forget to bring them with me to the US for my electronics, I have had trouble finding them, you can try a shop called Radio Shack.)

There is a website called voltagevalet.com that in my experience is a fairly reliable source of information on the type of outlet configurations you are likely to find in virtually any country in the world. Another helpful site is http://www.escapeartist.com/global/W...wer_Guide.html

Hopefully your phone is dual or tri-band, otherwise it will not work in the US regardless of whether you can charge it up, as the US operates on a different signal transmission system than the UK/Asia.

Ida101

USA has 110V, most europesn countries 220V, also the plugs are different.
Any major electrical store (at the airport before leaving) sell the right converter plugs.
Most modern equipment will convert from 220 into 110, check your instructionbooks.

wilees

Thanks! That is exactly what I wanted to know. I will go home and check all of my electrical equipment to see if they have both voltages.

johngerard

Whilst the majority of UK electrical goods work in the US (with the adaptor) the same is not true for US goods. US Gameboys don't work & you need to but a UK adaptor when you return. Some computers will not work either & you will need to check on the packaging for compatability - don't trust the salesperson.

bookhall

I'm going back more years than I care to remember, but some items like clocks, turntables, tape decks and the like also have to be concerned about cycles. It's the small number.

The US is generally 110V 60; the UK is 220V 50.

Somebody who knows more about electricity needs to help me out here; I've forgotten most of what little I knew.

AnnRiley

As a regular visitor to the US from UK I got fed up when upon attaching my (UK) hair dryer/hot air brush (or whatever electrical thingy) to the adaptor, I found that the the voltage was so low it was nigh on impossible to syle my hair there was absolutely no power coming through.
I now obviously use (hairdryers) the hotels supply.
And for my hot air styling brush, i went on to EBAY and purchased one from the American site, even allowing for postage etc it was still a bargain, and now i take it on holiday and, whoa i can style my hair!!!!
(I never seemed to have enough time when on hols to buy one from any electrical shops, and when i did try a few they did not supply the type i liked.)