2idocs

Can anyone suggest a power strip & adapter for use in Italy and London?
Would like something that has at least 3 outlets.

logos999

No, London doesn't use common powers strips but some exotic thing that isn't used anywhere else on planet earth except for Hong Kong. Does this come unexpected? There are adaptors available that you can use in London and Hong Kong. You can buy them online.

elberko

If this is just to plug in a number of different things, we found it easy (and cheap) to just buy 3 plugs adapters (you'll need different ones for the UK and continental Europe, and didn't have any trouble recharging 2-3 items, even in B&Bs in Scotland.

~Liz

joannay

Here is a European power strip:
http://www.amazon.com/FIVE-OUTLET-PO.../dp/B0014J2XFQ

Then you'll need a 2 prong European to 3 prong UK adapter to plug it in in GB. And 1 adapter to plug your devices into the strip. These people have them all:
http://www.world-import.com/plugs.htm

I bought a "universal" adapter from them which I love.

Andrew

To be clear: most people use an adapter plug for these countries, and the adapter is just a simple metal thing with insulation that converts the plug. It doesn't convert the VOLTAGE, so any devices you plug into the adapter must be able to work on 220 volts. Most adapters - cell phone chargers, camera battery chargers, laptop chargers, etc. - can do either 110 or 220 volts automatically, with the adapter, but a few cannot. You can look at the fine print on the plastic of any power plug you plan to use with the adapter to see if it works on both voltages.

I have a couple of cheapo adapters I've used now for years on various trips. They are not all 100% the same, but I get by. At worst your hotel may have one you can borrow and you can probably buy adapters cheaply at local stores. Some hotels have a universal plug for an electric razor and in a pinch you can plug an American-style plug into one of them...but only LOW-CURRENT stuff like a battery charger. Your laptop may draw too much current from it.

joannay

I believe the request for a power strip was to enable the charging of several devices at the same time. I think it's a good idea as one never knows when there will be only 1 outlet available for use and 2 phones and a laptop or other gadget to charge.

logos999

Just as a reminder for more than 20 years now, the networks are fully integrated and the UK is using 230V/50Hz, Yet they still talk about 220V or 240V as if if was yesterday. Old habits die hard, but the voltage today is 230V AC /400V AC 3-phase everywhere.

Hooameye

"but the voltage today is 230V AC /400V AC 3-phase everywhere."

That funny, because I frequently measure supply voltages due to my job and they're virtually always 240/241v the lowest I've had in a couple of years is 238v.

logos999

Nope, that's incorrect, check you voltmeter.

spaarne

For information on European electricity see http://tinyurl.com/2y9zvv. A power surge strip is very handy because most hotels have one or none extra outlets in the rooms. A power surge strip with universal outlets allows you to unplug a lamp, plug the lamp into the power strip, and then plug in all your electronics.

<i>
logos999 on Oct 16, 11 at 3:23pm
Just as a reminder for more than 20 years now, the networks are fully integrated and the UK is using 230V/50Hz, Yet they still talk about 220V or 240V as if if was yesterday. Old habits die hard, but the voltage today is 230V AC /400V AC 3-phase everywhere.</i>
Officially the EU voltage is a nominal 230 v, +/- 10% at normal outlets. That would put it in the range of 207 to 253 volts. Where do you find 400 v 3 phase? That looks like an industrial spec, similar to 480 v 3 phase in the USA.

Andrew

Of course, you can just get a power tap like this one:

http://www.telstarpro.com/files/imag...2/AC-66web.jpg

to add AC outlets to your single converter plug. Disclaimer: these things may be rated only for 120 volts so I wouldn't run a ton of current through them - but a camera charger and your cell phone charger, for example, don't draw almost anything.

2idocs

So no need for a "step-down" converter if all chargers are rated for 240V?

I'm looking at a 240V power strip with an USA plug + 2 pin adapter for Italy + 3 pin adapter for the UK. Am I covered?

Andrew

Correct: no need for a step-down converter if the chargers all handle 240V. I've never had a step-down converter and charged numerous laptops and camera batteries over there off 240V. I did once nuke the cheapo DC adapter for a little white noise machine I used to have: looked after I plugged it in to see it was only rated for 120V. Oh, well, runs on batteries too.

Hooameye

"Nope, that's incorrect, check you voltmeter."

NO it's not incorrect I have 3 DVM's available to use in the department, all are calibrated every year. Measured voltage at home yesterday (installing outside lighting) and that was 240v with my own meter which is only 3 months old. If I was measuring only 230v on anything I was working on, I would assume I was seeing a voltage drop somewhere.

Hooameye

In the UK, the official 'declared' voltage is in practice 240V (although it's officially described by the EU as 230V with a different 'tolerance'). In the real world, the mains voltage at your studio's intake varies anyway with loading. In ideal circumstances — a 100-percent healthy mains source — it will centre on 240V and vary from say 235V to 246V throughout the day, as other users switch on and off. Most users are unaware of the mains' continuous and ceaseless fluctuation. Whenever the supply's loading in your immediate block, village, street, or the greater area is low (particularly late at night), the voltage will tend to rise above 240V. The maximum legally allowable is 254V, but voltages as high as 275V have been recorded.

DCJones

Amazon.com has the following for $25.00

VCT - 220V/240V AC 13A Universal Power Strip / Surge Protector with 6 Universal Outlets. 50Hz/60Hz - 450 Joules. CE Certified. Max. 4000 Watt Capacity - Heavy Duty European Cord.

May need plug converter for UK.

Scott_C

Here's what I did in both London and Paris. I took a cheap power strip - one without surge protection or even an on/off light. I used a plug adapter (not a voltage adapter). I then plugged chargers/computer power supply into the strip.

Here's the deal: look at the chargers - if they say something like: INPUT 100-240 Volts you're in business. If they don't you can't plug them into the power strip. I kept cellphone/cameras/and the computer plugged in that way in both Paris and London. We had one device that was only rated for 110V input - it had to be plugged into a voltage converter.

If you think about it, it is easy to understand. The cellphone charger already converts it's OUTPUT to match the device. If it is rated for 100-240 Volts input that means it's ready to convert any voltage within that range to the voltage needed to charge the cellphone.

Also, and this is more than you asked - higher voltage means lower current - a power strip built for use in a country that uses 110 volts is actually rated to handle a HIGHER current than one built in a country that uses 220 volts - so don't let someone tell you that the power strip won't be able to handle the current - it's just the opposite.

Have a fun trip!

ssander

During our most recent trip (May) we had no trouble using our cheap adapter in France with our camera battery charger, but in the UK (maybe it was just our hotel), it would not work -- no current at all! Was that because the "grounding pin" was plastic? So it wasn't really grounded and there was some safety device in their system?

SS

AnthonyGA

Many electronic gadgets have adapters or chargers that use switching power supplies, which means they can accept a very wide range of voltages on the input side. Always check the adapter or charger to make sure it will take the local voltage.

Hair dryers and curling irons use a great deal of current, and can easily overwhelm many voltage converters. If you want to use one of these appliances, just go to a local store and buy a cheap one, rather than try to use a converter. A converter can burn out the appliance or the converter, or both, if you use it with devices that draw a lot of current, as irons and dryers do.

Power strips and wires are rated primarily for current, rather than voltage, and current will be lower for a given power rating when the voltage is higher (nevertheless, the strip must be rated for the voltage as well). Strips only work if you don't need voltage conversion.

Mains power varies a great deal in voltage, so haggling over whether it's 230 or 240 volts doesn't serve much purpose. For what it's worth, I measure 236.4 VAC at the nearest outlet to me (yes, I'm one of those people who actually has a digital multimeter at hand).

Frequency is another consideration. Some converters and devices expect a certain line frequency, and bad things may happen to them if they don't get it. Line frequency is 60 Hz in the U.S. and 50 Hz in Europe.

Scott_C

ssander -- The only thing I can think of is that the outlet might have been switched off. In the states our outlets seldom have switches but it's more common elsewhere. Years ago we were in Australia and I just reached over and unplugged something - and was surprised (happily not shocked) when there was a sizable arc. My Australian friend reminded me that with 220 it's smart to turn off the wall switch first.

Anyway, it's just a guess - worth what you're paying for it I'm sure.