We're travelling, can we use a power convertor and power strip?

Factual Questions
1

We’re travelling. We have 110V devices (Nintendo DS, iPod, MP3 players, etc) that I would like to be able to charge in 240V countries. Can I get 1 transformer and plug a 110V power strip into it? It would be nice to top up the charge on all the devices at once rather than waiting for 1 to finish before starting another.

I’ve been trying to find the info on the web, but I am confused. What should I be looking for?

We’re headed to Tanzania for a couple of weeks. We also have a week in England, but seeing as the electric systems are the same 240V/50Hz my question covers both. My 6-year olds have MP3 players and DS units (to keep them busy on all 4 8-hour flights, plus down time on vacataion) and I want to be able to keep all the units charged.

I realize that some units can be plugged in using just an adapter, but I’m also not sure how to read the capabilities of the various plugs. I’m a little wary of frying 1 or more $100 DS players or the $200 iPod.

2

Look for something saying “Input 110-240v, 50-60Hz” on the power units for the devices. This tells you that they can plug straight into a 240v system with merely an adaptor for the different plug design. This will be the case with most electronic devices.

3

Yes, you can do this if:

  1. You are using an actual transformer - many voltage converters are just a rectifier, which will produce a waveform that some devices won’t like.
  2. You don’t exceed the wattage rating of the transformer.

We went to Italy, and I had three different setups:

  1. Plug adapters, for those devices that could take 240v, but had the wrong (US) plug.
  2. High-power rectifier converter, for the curling iron.
  3. Transformer, for low-power, 120v devices.

Note that better hotels have 120v outlets available…

4

Check the back of the wall wort for the DS. We were in Tanzania last fall, with 2 DS lites. The wall worts actually stated that is could be used with a range of voltages. We just used a converter (to match up the plug styles) and plugged them straight into the wall socket.

Actually, that’s true for all of your devices. Look at the back of the power supplies. They probably list the voltages they can handle.

Oh, if you are going to be in any game parks, something to keep in mind. There may be limitations to what/when you can recharge. I know of one camp that uses only solar collectors for electricity, so you can only recharge during the day. Another had a generator which they ran in the evening, so you could recharge stuff over dinner. If anything is going to get a lot of use while in a game park, consider bringing a spare set of batteries and charging everything before you get there. All of this also applies to cameras and laptops.

5

Not always.

Many such devices must be switched between 110-120V and 220-240V input power. Look for a small slider switch, usually located on back near where the power cord plugs in.

If you don’t turn the switch to 220-240V position, you can damage it (at the least, burn out a fuse).

6

Yup. Every electronic device I take when traveling has a switching supply, which can take 110 - 240V AC at 50 or 60Hz. I always carry an array of plug adapters for the countries I’m traveling in. My camera, my cell phone, my computer and my ipod all have switching supplies so I can charge them anywhere. I suspect your gaming devices also work this way.

7

It doesn’t seem like anyone other than beowulff has really answered the OP’s question. So, just to further clarify, he’s asking if he can connect the power converter to the wall, then plug a 110v power strip into that, so that he can then plug all his U.S. stuff into the power strip at once. The answer is, yes you can, as long as the current requirements add up to less than what can be supplied by the power converter.

8

I do this regularly in reverse - when I travel from the UK to the US, I bring a UK power strip and a plug converter, plug in all my UK devices, and go to town. I usually do this with laptop, phone, ipod, and sometimes a travel speaker set for the ipod.

So as long as the devices can handle the voltage, fill your boots! And most modern electronics, in order to save money in manufacturing (i.e. not having to build versions for every different voltage around the world) are capable of handling variable voltages. So check, but it should work fine.

9

Excellent replies, thank you.

I looked at the DS plug and it indicates US only. I think my battery charger says 110/240 so we’re ready to go there.

I think I’ll be packing a power strip to be able to charge everything at the same time, especially given the info provided by Tastes of Chocolate. Now I have to find a packable transformer (not converter) that can handle the load. Fortunately I think all the chargers take less than 10W each.

Most of our days will be filled with activities and don’t anticipate using the DS/iPods while we’re there (except rainy days). I sure as heck want them charged up for the flights though.