Taking UK electricals to the US.
Discussion
I'm emigrating in December and currently boxing up my worldly possessions. A lot of my electricals I am either selling or giving away. A couple of items (PCs) have PSUs which will automatically switch to the US power when plugged in (I'll be sourcing new kettle leads when I get to the US). I am however, a little confused over how to use the below:
Original Xbox:
SNES:
Am I correct in assuming these need a stepdown transformer to ensure safe usage? If so, can anyone guide me on what I would need? There seem to be hundreds online with varying reviews and prices.
I'm not too averse to spending ~£70 as both consoles do get used a few times a year.
Original Xbox:
SNES:
Am I correct in assuming these need a stepdown transformer to ensure safe usage? If so, can anyone guide me on what I would need? There seem to be hundreds online with varying reviews and prices.
I'm not too averse to spending ~£70 as both consoles do get used a few times a year.
offspring86 said:
Am I correct in assuming these need a stepdown transformer to ensure safe usage?
No, you'd need a proper converter of some kind to step up the voltage from 120v. It will be much easier/safer just to buy a proper, original US power supply for the device on ebay.Another point to note is that "voltage" is only half the battle. Europe has 230v at 50 Hz. North America has 120v at 60 Hz. Any device that needs the right mains frequency won't work correctly if it's on the wrong frequency (Hz). Typically this can mean clocks, motors etc.
Note that you device specifically requires 50Hz according to the label.
robwilk said:
Don't forget these are direct to the tv so will be the incorrect format as the UK is PAL and US NTSC maybe you get multi regionTVs these days.
When i took my DVD to Canada you could change it over not sure you could with old games consoles.
I'm planning to order an HD convertor, would this not remove this issue?When i took my DVD to Canada you could change it over not sure you could with old games consoles.
Panamax said:
No, you'd need a proper converter of some kind to step up the voltage from 120v. It will be much easier/safer just to buy a proper, original US power supply for the device on ebay.
Another point to note is that "voltage" is only half the battle. Europe has 230v at 50 Hz. North America has 120v at 60 Hz. Any device that needs the right mains frequency won't work correctly if it's on the wrong frequency (Hz). Typically this can mean clocks, motors etc.
Note that you device specifically requires 50Hz according to the label.
Apologies, yes I meant 'step up', from what I've seen most devices seem to to both up and down.Another point to note is that "voltage" is only half the battle. Europe has 230v at 50 Hz. North America has 120v at 60 Hz. Any device that needs the right mains frequency won't work correctly if it's on the wrong frequency (Hz). Typically this can mean clocks, motors etc.
Note that you device specifically requires 50Hz according to the label.
The original Xbox only came with only a cable, I'm guessing that means the power supply is built into the unit. Would this essentially render it useless in the US?
emperorburger said:
Your SNES can be saved with a replacement PSU. Buy a replacement XBOX, as its not worth the hassle of swapping out the internal PSU. As long as you are not outputting video signals over UHF, I don't think there will be any issues with 50Hz/60Hz on modern TV's.
Will there be an issue with games - aren't many region locked?vaud said:
emperorburger said:
Your SNES can be saved with a replacement PSU. Buy a replacement XBOX, as its not worth the hassle of swapping out the internal PSU. As long as you are not outputting video signals over UHF, I don't think there will be any issues with 50Hz/60Hz on modern TV's.
Will there be an issue with games - aren't many region locked?emperorburger said:
You would need a Super Famicom to SNES adaptor to play US game carts on a SNES. Cheap enough on amazon or ebay. I imagine a replacement 110v PSU for the SNES would be less than 10 bucks.
Yes, I'll be going down the new power supply for the SNES as this doesn't have it built into the unit.Xbox will be a different matter, and looks to be more trouble than it is worth.
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