Electrical goods bought abroad

netvista

Hey all. not sure if this is the right forum so please feel free to move it.

Quick question. If i were to buy electrical goods abroad such as Laptops or computers for instance, then can i use these here if i simple change the plug on it. For instance on some pc you are given 2 different plugs to use, depending on which country you are in.

MickLimk

It depends. Firstly they have to be rated to accept the voltage that we use here in Ireland (about 230V) and they should also be certified with some European safety mark.

Generally it's no problem but you have to be absolutely 100% certain that what is plugged into the wall can take the voltage. It will be written on the power brick for a laptop but on most desktop computers there is a switch to change between 110v (USA) and 230v (Europe) beside where the power cable plugs in. If you have this set incorrectly and plug in the computer, it will blow up the power supply and may take out motherboard/RAM/hard drives etc along with it.

netvista

thanks for the reply micklimk. just to make sure i'm on the same page. if you buy electrical goods in Europe it's then just a matter of changing the plug to fit the country as all of europe is on 230v. anything bought in the US will be 110v so would need to change to 230v if possible before using. Also regarding laptops if i have on from the states which the power brick shows as110v would be to simpley just change it to a 230v power adaptor for use here?

thanks again for the advise. Electrical stuff is not my thing as you can see

MickLimk

netvista wrote: »

thanks for the reply micklimk. just to make sure i'm on the same page. if you buy electrical goods in Europe it's then just a matter of changing the plug to fit the country as all of europe is on 230v.

Usually the case, yes. Some online retailers are shipping items to Ireland and the UK with a 2-pin European plug and including an adapter in the box along with it.

netvista wrote: »

anything bought in the US will be 110v so would need to change to 230v if possible before using.

Not 'if possible' but absolutely necessary! Plugging in a 110V item into a 230V supply will blow it up.

netvista wrote: »

Also regarding laptops if i have on from the states which the power brick shows as110v would be to simpley just change it to a 230v power adaptor for use here?

All the laptops that I've ever had have been able to take an input voltage of 110 or 230volts. You would need to check carefully the adapter on yours to see if this is the case. If not, then you will need to buy a 230v input one which could be a lot of hassle to get.

Just as an example, the back of the power adapter that I'm currently using (Dell) says: INPUT: AC 100-240V ~ 1.5A(1,5A) 50-60Hz which means that I can use it pretty much anywhere without having to worry about the mains voltage.

Stoner

MickLimk wrote: »

All the laptops that I've ever had have been able to take an input voltage of 110 or 230volts. You would need to check carefully the adapter on yours to see if this is the case. If not, then you will need to buy a 230v input one which could be a lot of hassle to get.
.

Same here, it is uaually very easy to check this, anything with an external power supply unit will have the info you need printed, for example the charger on most new mobile phones will say 110V 60Hz----220V 50Hz

this will mean that is will auto detect. Some computers have a little sliding switch on the back (like the older electric shavers) this sliding switch will change the PSU from 110V to 220V.

90% of the electronic PSUs will auto detect the voltage for you, just get the plug type correct, anyway it's all about reading the label first, that#s where you need to be carefull.
If you have a particular concern , pop the details up here and someone will answer the issue directly.

netvista

thanks for all the help people. going to be getting some electrical stuff abroad later this year so just wanted to make sure.

MzFusspot

Hello, sorry for hijacking an old thread, I was searching for some info on using a n American plug here without blowing up my shiny new camera charger or causing an electrical fire and I think this thread answers it but want to make sure (I have a peculiar form of thickness when it comes to understanding anything electrical)

Shiny new camera battery charger has 110V-240V and 50/60HZ on the back of it, should that mean that I can just buy an adapter for the plug part and not worry about getting a voltage convertor?

Thanks a million

Stoner

if it has "110V-240V and 50/60HZ on the back " on the back then yes, all you need to do is get a 13Amp plug top on it.

MzFusspot

Thanks a million, appreciate it