I will be in the UK for several weeks and will be bringing a half dozen or so electronic devices. All of these are either battery chargers or "appliances" (e.g., laptop, shaver) that do not consume a lot of power. I will not be bringing power hungry devices such as hair drier, iron.... All of the electronic devices can operate with 110 volt, 60 cycle power or 220 volt, 50 cycle power. I am assuming that the places where I will be staying do not have an abundance of electrical outlets in each room; the worst case would be just one outlet so I plan to use a power strip/surge protector so that I can be charging several different batteries at the same time. Two options for handling this situation are: (1) purchase a transformer that will convert 220 v to 110 v and 50 cycle to 60 cycle - plug in an American power strip - plug in the appliances as they currently configured; or (2) purchase a UK power strip that handles 220 v, and plug in the appliances each with a plug adapter. Do both of these approaches work equally well or is one better than the other? I plan to be recharging batteries while I am out of my room so whatever option is used should be one that is relatively foolproof from overheating and setting the place on fire. Thanks for your input.
Posted by
Lakewood, Colorado
19272 posts
"purchase a transformer that will convert 220 v to 110 v and 50 cycle to 60 cycle " A transformer can convert 220V to 110V, but can't change the frequency. It usually takes a motor driven generator to convert 50 cycles to 60 cycles. You don't want to carry that much weight around. But you really don't need to. Electronic devices convert the AC to DC so the frequency doesn't matter anymore. Depending on the design, your electric shaver might run slower. (My shaver in the 1980s ran slow, and it felt like it was pulling the hairs out rather than cutting them off.) For years I used a three outlet adapter hooked to one plug adapter, but I was only charging a laptop and a camera at night. Do you really need to charge that many devices every night? By the way, some electronic devices can be charged using the USB ports on your laptop. Also, check the name plate on your devices and power supplies. Many (most) electronic devices today run on dual voltage (120-240 VAC)
Posted by
Northamptonshire, England
33778 posts
In a previous thread I have discussed about extension cords, and by extension the same discussion is valid about power strips. You can find it midway down this thread . Bottom line, if it is "dumb" you can either use a US power strip with one adapter or a British one with several adapters. Either will work. I usually only charge one thing at a time, while I am in the room. Camera batteries usually last several days, video batteries a bit less. Phones usually go much longer. Netbooks need it every day but they charge so fast. The less you take the less you have to carry.
Posted by
Vernon, Canada
32349 posts
Geor, Lee and Nigel have covered the pertinent information well. Based on your description, it sounds like all of the devices you'll be travelling with are designed for "world operation" from 100-240 VAC, 50/60 Hz. I'm really not comfortable leaving devices charging when I'm out of the room, so that's not something I would ever recommend. Although the products you're using all have low current draw, my concerns would be greater when charging multiple devices while out of the room. If you're going to pack along a Power Bar from the U.S., be sure that it's just a very basic model without surge protection and/or RF filtering. If any of the devices you'll be travelling with is equippped with a grounded Plug, you may want to use a grounded Plug Adapter. One point to note about power points in the U.K. is that these are often controlled by a small Switch. It will probably be located beside the outlet. Happy travels!
Posted by
Mission Viejo, Calif., USA
1010 posts
One thing to remember. In some hotel rooms in Europe, the power is turned off when you leave the room. Then your power plugs will obviously not power up your items. We didn't have that problem at the Crowne Plaza Kensington, London but we did in Rome, Paris and some hotels in Turkey. In some hotels, you must a card into the power source. When you leave the room, you of course have to take the card with you.