Amp power adapter?

Sevenspeed

Hi,

I just got a small practice amp from ebay in the UK. The brand just says GA-10.
The problem is that I think it has been fitted with an italian plug. It has 3 rounded pins all in a line. On the back it is ticked as being 240v. What do I need to do to get it working over here? Is it a case of just using an adapter, or do I need some type of transformer?
There doesn't seem to be a screw where you can change the voltage of the unit. Maybe I don't need to do this?
Any help would be appreciated as I am not getting a response from the seller.

Paolo_M

Sevenspeed wrote: »

Hi,

I just got a small practice amp from ebay in the UK. The brand just says GA-10.
The problem is that I think it has been fitted with an italian plug. It has 3 rounded pins all in a line. On the back it is ticked as being 240v. What do I need to do to get it working over here? Is it a case of just using an adapter, or do I need some type of transformer?
There doesn't seem to be a screw where you can change the voltage of the unit. Maybe I don't need to do this?
Any help would be appreciated as I am not getting a response from the seller.

Italy runs 220Vac/50hz just take off the eixting plug and fit a Brittish (it gauls me to say it, we should have our own mad Irish standard but anyways) standard 13 amp, three pin plug, job done.

Ireland is supposed to signed up to the European harmonised standard of 230Vac/50Hz. Many places in Ireland (inlcuind my estate and the rehearsal rooms I use) still run at the old Brittish standard of 240Vac.
Wall voltage varies quite a bit and a tolerance -10/+6% is built in to the European standard and so 220Vac-240Vac is pretty much the same thing for electrical equipment complying with CE.

It's only when you get equipment marked 110-120Vac/60Hz that you need transformers.

Hope that answers your question.

Eoin Madsen

+1

You just need a new plug or plug adaptor, no transformers required.

Sevenspeed

many thanks,
before i cut it off and try it, do you know if colour coding for wires is same? neutral, earth ,live?

Sevenspeed

I haven't cut it off yet, but looking at the italian plug from the outside, there is no way to tell which wire is which (internally). It looks like the type of plug that you can plug in two ways, if you know what I mean (Like a shaver plug - it doesn't matter which pin goes into either of the 2 sockets.)
Would this mean that I can cut the plug off and put the 2 (or maybe 3) internal wires into any side of the plug I want?

Paolo_M

Sevenspeed wrote: »

many thanks,
before i cut it off and try it, do you know if colour coding for wires is same? neutral, earth ,live?

The earth is the middle pin.
The Italians didn't see fit to polarise their plugs and so the live and neutral wires are interchangeable.
Instead it's a strict requirement to doubly insulate their appliances.

The colouring scheme is supposed to be the same though I've never wired an Italian appliance.

Sevenspeed

Okay thanks for the help, seems impossible to find an adapter, so will give it a go

Gaspode

Paolo_M wrote: »

Italy runs 220Vac/50hz just take off the eixting plug and fit a Brittish (it gauls me to say it, we should have our own mad Irish standard but anyways) standard 13 amp, three pin plug, job done.

Totally OT, but we do have a 'mad Irish' Standard, its called:
"I.S. 401 Safety Requirements for Rewireable 13A Fused Plugs for Normal and Rough Use Having Insulating Sleeves on Line and Neutral Pins. Covered by S.I. 173/ Industrial Research and Standards (Section 44) (13 A Plugs) Order, 1987."

We just dont any (afaik) Irish companies making plugs and more so you dont see the IS mark on plugs.

Paolo_M

Gaspode wrote: »

Totally OT, but we do have a 'mad Irish' Standard, its called:
"I.S. 401 Safety Requirements for Rewireable 13A Fused Plugs for Normal and Rough Use Having Insulating Sleeves on Line and Neutral Pins. Covered by S.I. 173/ Industrial Research and Standards (Section 44) (13 A Plugs) Order, 1987."

We just dont any (afaik) Irish companies making plugs and more so you dont see the IS mark on plugs.

That's just the NSAI putting the BS 1363 in our own words.

I was thinking more of a mad standard with 11 pins, a strobe light, is flood proof and occassionally zaps the French and English but is perfectly legal!!

Eoin Madsen

Paolo_M wrote: »

I was thinking more of a mad standard with 11 pins, a strobe light, is flood proof and occassionally zaps the French and English but is perfectly legal!!

The extra 8 pins are part of an elaborate nationality detection and discrimination circuit. :pac:

Paolo_M

Eoin Madsen wrote: »

The extra 8 pins are part of an elaborate nationality detection and discrimination circuit. :pac:

Now you're talking