I bought a 220 --> 110 voltage converter from the Shack with the American style plug holes in one end and various plug types (for different countries) coming out the other end, and took it out to examine it. What struck me as odd is that none of my plugs fits in the American plug side of the converter. Is it not supposed to let you plug stuff in until the converter itself is plugged in?
The converter instructions does tell you that you’re supposed to first plug in the converter, and then the appliance, but I didn’t think it would actually enforce that as a design feature, especially since I now wonder whether it’s faulty…
That’s weird – I went to the Radio Shack site and those intructions only applied to certain obsolete, no-longer-sold models. The newer models all say to plug in the converter first, then the appliance.
Not to assume any stupidity on your part, but the converters have a polarized outlet (one slot longer than the other), and appliances with polarized plugs can only fit one way. Did you try reversing the plug?
Yes, I did try that with several plugs, and none fit. Do you think my copy is defective? I’m already long gone from home but not yet at my ultimate destination, so I can’t go back to the store or actually try it out yet…
Well, that’s embarassing. What I meant, of course, was that the newer converters from Radio Shack have you plug the appliance in, and then plug the converter into the wall. So it looks like you’ve got an older converter there. It’s possible that it does have such a safety feature, though, so wait and see.