Power
From Eric's Brain
Note: I am not an electrical engineer, so follow this advice at your own risk. I have done each of these with 100% success in Europe, but your mileage may vary.
- Advice for all mobile electronic devices
- In general, you will NOT need to buy a special power converter in order to charge your mobile devices over seas as many mobile devices have self-adapting power supplies
- Check your power supply (a.k.a. brick, or the part that plugs into the outlet) and see if it says something to the effect of "100-240V" or some range starting in the 100s and going above the 200s. If this is the case, you will generally just need to buy an outlet adapter--much cheaper than a power adapter/converter--that will work in the country to which you are going. These can generally be had for around $5 - $10 and [eBay] is your friend.
<img src="/images/power.jpg" alt="power adapter label">
- Laptops
- I have not yet come across a laptop that does not have a self-adapting power supply, so check out the power supply as outlined above. This is why they usually have bricks you need to lug around: manufacturers then only need to make one power supply that works with all the world's power outlets, and then only need to sell outlet adapters specific to the region in which they are selling the laptop. This is also why most power supplies come with removable power cords
- Other mobile devices (phones, PDAs, music players):
- if you are bringing a laptop with you, try to find a USB charger for your device (iPods and some phones have these); it'll save you from bringing so many cords with you and then you only need one power adapter--basically your laptop becomes your charging hub
- if you are not bringing a laptop, but do have devices that can charge via USB, simply invest in a USB to wall power adapter (basically a USB port that you can plug into an outlet) , buy the afore-mentioned outlet adapter specific to the country to which you are going, and finally, buy a cheap multi-port USB hub, and voila!, you have a way to cheaply charge your USB devices
- if you cannot find USB charger for your mobile device, just check the power adapter--the part that plugs into the wall--for the same information as specified above. If it has a range from 100-240V, you should just need to buy an outlet adapter
