A simple stupid question about the different voltage in European
 

hello,
Just wanna check and be sure, so if both my 2-proned cell phone and digi camera's chargers have 100v-240v written on them, that means that I can simply plug them in the outlet in France/Italy right?
thanks!!
:)

You will need a plug adapter to fit the French/Italian outlets.

Better not! It might create an awesome light show. What you need is a two prong adapter, which I think you can get at radio shack or at an online store. I know the two prong adapter works in France. Not sure if Italy is two prong or not. I'm sure something else on this board will fill you in.

There will be no light show. They will not fit. For 4 euros or less, they will fit into an adapter which will fit. You have interpreted correctly the meaning of &quot;100-240v&quot; - - you don't need a <i>transformer</i> (often called a &quot;converter&quot;).

Best wishes,

Rex

I bought an adapter in the U.S. for &quot;Europe&quot; according to the package. Using it, my curling iron got fried in London (there was no converter) so I had to buy another one while I was there. In Paris, the adapter worked to plug my laptop in without problems. I was also able to use the UK curling iron with the adapter in Paris. In Milan and Florence, the adapter didn't work at all as the two prongs were slightly off in size -- the hotels gave me yet another adapter to plug my adpater into. So, what should I expect in Spain?

Check out the chart on the magellan.com web site.

&lt;&lt; ...my curling iron got fried in London ...&gt;&gt;

A curling iron probably has 100 times the <i>wattage</i> of a charger, as &quot;llcc&quot; asked about, in the original question.

Rule of thumb: anything that is intended to generate heat... a hair dryer, a curling iron, a toaster, a steam iron, a microwave oven... do not bring them from the US, and try to use them with a transformer (assuming your transformer weighs under 30 pounds). If you need to have such a device in Europe, it must refer to dual voltage - - or buy it <i><u>in</u></i> Europe.

Just want to be sure I'm understanding this... a curling iron with dual voltage will be okay to use in Europe (Spain) with an adapter? No converter necessary? I hate to spend time in Barcelona looking for a curling iron...

A curling iron having a switch with 110V/220V positions should work without a converter - but be prepared for less heat than you're used to in the US.

You need to use the Low setting on the curling iron.

I find that my European curling iron doesn't get very hot for some reason.

I've never seen a switch on a dual voltage curling iron. You just plug it in using a plug adaptor. The low setting will get hotter than in the states so try that instead of high. Dual voltage hair dryers do have a switch that you must turn to the proper voltage. They also work better on low.

Just to summerise the answers here as I got confused reading them all..lol but it is early here.

a. Yes the chargers will work,
the voltage range is ok.
b. The plug you have is of a different shape, you will need an adaptor.

Good luck

Muck

Drempel and fishee - when you speak of prongs, you are apparently talking about the plugs. PLUGS HAVE NOTHING TO DO WITH WHETHER THE VOLTAGE IS 110 OR 240 OR WHATEVER. This is why it wasn't sufficient for you, Fishee, to you to simply put on a plug adaptor for your curling iron in London.

Simply adapting the shape of the plug to fit the socket/electrical outlet does not, in and of itself, adapt the 'shape' of the product's voltage to the voltage of the current supplied at said socket/outlet. (To use a rough analogy: assuming you could buy a gas nozzle adaptor so that your gas-powered car's nozzle is the same size as a diesel nozzle, this will not automatically convert your car into a diesel-powered vehicle. The nature of the fuel, i.e. the power, is quite separate from the nature of the receptacle through which that fuel flows.) You would need a 'dual-engined' car so that either type of fuel could be used, not just a nozzle adaptor. Okay, so electricity isn't the same as petroleum products, but the analogy is close enough for present purposes.

Now, many dual/multi-voltage products these days are 'self-sensing' when it comes to voltage - once you get the thing plugged in, it will automatically set the correct voltage itself. However, my dual voltage hair dryer is a bit antique - it is necessary for me to switch the voltage myself before packing the thing in my suitcase for Europe. There is a kind of screw on the side of the dryer - I use a coin or screwdriver to switch the screw to the '240' setting (with the device unplugged, naturally, when I do this!!)

When I get to the country in question, I add the appropriate plug adaptor so that I can plug it in. My dryer's plug has 2 flat prongs - sometimes (e.g. Italy) I need a 2 round prong adaptor, sometimes (e.g. the UK) I need a 3 round prong adaptor.

Chances are, though, that llcc's chargers are self sensing, and that the only thing llcc needs are the appropriate plug adaptors.

I'll translate.
Two issues.
a) Voltage and
b) your plug fitting their recepticle.

a) If your item is dual 110/220 volt then you are not concerned with the voltage issue. Then you don't need a voltage transformer.

b) You will need a plug adapter so that your North American plug fits a European recepticle. Very inexpensive.

Sharon Luggage &amp; REI will both have what you are seeking. The voltage is a different matter. Hopefully, you can leave the 'appliances' at home (if you have any).

I bought dual voltage curling iron, hair dryer, travel iron, and battery charger. I also bought the set of adapters at a luggage shop. The set includes all of the different ones you would need in most of the world. Everything worked great. Just follow the directions. Some of them had a switch to change it from one voltage to another, and some did not.

You can buy plug adaptors at any major European airport or at eletronics stores - such as stores like Dixons in U.K.

As far as curling irons go, read the instructions. If you don't have them, sneek a peek at them in the store. My curling iron does not have a switch for voltage, the iron automatically adapts to the voltage.

To all you electricians out there.....re curling iron. Yes, &quot;vanity, thy name is woman&quot;, but not all of us are blessed with natural curly hair. Question....my curling iron reads: 125-250 AC. do I need only an adapter for France? Wander

Wander, yes.