Question On A Voltage Converter....Do I Need One For My Move To Thailand?

[BKS22]

Hello all,

I live in the States and am preparing to move to Thailand and would like to know if I will need a voltage converter to properly & safely charge my laptop and cell phone? Not merely a plug adapter for an American plug to fit a Thai socket....but an actual voltage converter.

In my previous trips to the LOS I just used my wall charger that came with my cell phone and it seemed to charge with no issues. On those trips I did not have a laptop, but I have just invested in a new high end laptop and am a little worried about the difference in voltage possible damaging the battery when charging.

The reason for my concern is last year when I was there I plugged in my hair trimmer into the wall at my hotel and the motor went ballistic, over revved, and began to overheat in a matter of seconds.

Appreciate any help & suggestions.

[rijb]

Most electronics (laptop, phone, etc.) don't require a voltage converter.

Check the label to be sure. It will show an input rating up to 240 VAC.

Also, most outlets here don't require a plug adapter (except for old houses and hotels).

[samuijimmy]

Check the small print for voltage on your laptop, it should be OK .... it should say 115 to 240 volts or some thing like that... most things like phones and computers seem to be dual voltage these days...

I guess not hair trimmers, that's shocking!

North American plugs are OK here too, in most places.... except some places may not have the ground hole....for the ground pin ... ... they have not quite figured why that is important.... ....but there are adapters for that but you still don't have a ground!!!!

[Crossy]

Yup, most portable electronics has 'universal' chargers, look on the rating plate / sticker for something like "Input 100-240V 50/60Hz", if you see that you're good to go global with no converter.

Do check your other electrical stuff as a lot of US market kit, even from global brands such as Sony, are 110V only and will require a converter. If you are bringing household appliances be aware that anything with a motor may run slow and hot on 50Hz.

[BKS22]

Yep! I was able to confirm the 100-240V 50/60Hz rating plate on my Vaio laptop charging cord brick just as Crossy said. Fantastic!

One less worry to check off the long list of things needed to be done prior to this move. Thank you guys so much for the quick replies, this site and its members are some of the best I have found online!

And yes samuijimmy....I guess the hair trimmer will not be making the journey with me, as it just about self destructed when I tried using it there. LOL I will have to find one at MBK or some place.

Cheers,

Brian

[lomatopo]

Don't bother bringing any 60 Hz/120 V only appliances, sell/donate them then buy new/used here. Converters aren't really recommended.

If you bring a desktop PC check the PSU, it may have a physical switch to allow for 50/240 use.

Most personal electronics use DC/battery (internally) and have a default AC adapter which can accommodate 50-60/110-240.

[WhizBang]

Look on the chargers. It will list (usually in black on black lettering) the voltage range the charger can use, along with wattage/amperage/hertz.

Most chargers for laptops are universal (90-240V). Most cell phone chargers too, except maybe anything actually US made.

As for the 2 or 3 prong US plugs, they will work fine here, although you may need a 3 prong to 2 prong adapter in some places.

[Pib]

If you bring over any electronic type devices from the States be sure to checkout the labeling/specs on the devices to ensure they can operate on 220V/50Hz. Most newer electronic devices are designed to operate at 100-240V/50-60Hz; however, some devices are designed just to operate at say 120V/60Hz (like US power) or 220V/50Hz. I bought over a couple devices which could only operate at/were spec'ed at 120V/60Hz like some electric toothbrushes and a few other small wattage devices (and operating at 50Hz vs 60Hz hasn't bothered them at all...the voltage level was the key thing). What I did was I bought in Thailand some some small stepdown/up voltage convertors...80 watt versions for about B200 (approx $7) each. And actually just by flicking a switch on the device, it can be used the other way to convert 120V to 220V which may come in handy when traveling. Just for example below is a picture of such a converter off Ebay....they are about the size of a man's fist....just plug them into the outlet and your device into the converter.

Now even though the picture shows a 150W version I was only able to easily find 50W-80W versions in Thai stores...so I bought some 80W versions approx 4 years ago...they are all still working fine. Whatever wattage converter you buy be sure it can handle the wattage of the device(s) you will be plugging into it. Usually the wattage is shown on the device's lablel...along with its voltage and amps ratings. If the label only shows voltage and amperage, for example 120V/500ma, just multiply the Voltage rating by the Amperage rating to get the wattage rating. Power = Amperage(I) X Voltage(E) or P=IE....to make it easier to remember just like the Pie you can eat. So, 120V times 0.5A equals 60watts. Another example: 120V/1.2A is 120 times 1.2 equals 144watts.

With the wattage known be sure just to buy a 220V to 120V converter which can handle up to the wattage with say around a 25% reserve capacity. For that 60W requirement above while a 60W rated converter would work it would be running at its max capacity and may have a short life span...and when it dies it could take the device plugged into it to heaven also....but 80W converter should have a long life span. Repeat: be sure the wattage of the converter with some reserve capacity thrown in can handle the wattage of your device.

[bangkok101]

laptops and most mobile phones are dual voltage however household appliances and things like trimmers, electric tooth brushes, etc are 110 volts only and cannot be used. The converters available here are questionable and I would avoid them. I brought an HP printer here that was originally sourced in Texas since it too had dual voltage rating.

[Pib]

So I shouldn't buy "Made in China" converters in Thailand; but if I buy them in the U.S. it's OK?

Yeap, some "Made in Thailand" electronics may not be as good and sometimes I will avoid them if there is a model made in another country...even Made in China. But it really all depends on the type of device I'm buying if I shy away from Made in Thailand devices...so many electronics are made in Thailand now days using foreign designs and quality controls measures...and Thailand is still the largest manufacturer of computer hard drives. You do have the grey market items here which can complicate the buying issue for some items in certain buying locations/stores. My Toyota is made in Thailand, many of my kitchen appliances made in Thailand, my Philips and Samsung TVs and DVD players made in Thailand, fans made in Thailand, York A/Cs made in Thailand, and the list goes on.

[BKS22]

If you bring over any electronic type devices from the States be sure to checkout the labeling/specs on the devices to ensure they can operate on 220V/50Hz. Most newer electronic devices are designed to operate at 100-240V/50-60Hz; however, some devices are designed just to operate at say 120V/60Hz (like US power) or 220V/50Hz. I bought over a couple devices which could only operate at/were spec'ed at 120V/60Hz like some electric toothbrushes and a few other small wattage devices (and operating at 50Hz vs 60Hz hasn't bothered them at all...the voltage level was the key thing). What I did was I bought in Thailand some some small stepdown/up voltage convertors...80 watt versions for about B200 (approx $7) each. And actually just by flicking a switch on the device, it can be used the other way to convert 120V to 220V which may come in handy when traveling. Just for example below is a picture of such a converter off Ebay....they are about the size of a man's fist....just plug them into the outlet and your device into the converter.

Now even though the picture shows a 150W version I was only able to easily find 50W-80W versions in Thai stores...so I bought some 80W versions approx 4 years ago...they are all still working fine. Whatever wattage converter you buy be sure it can handle the wattage of the device(s) you will be plugging into it. Usually the wattage is shown on the device's lablel...along with its voltage and amps ratings. If the label only shows voltage and amperage, for example 120V/500ma, just multiply the Voltage rating by the Amperage rating to get the wattage rating. Power = Amperage(I) X Voltage(E) or P=IE....to make it easier to remember just like the Pie you can eat. So, 120V times 0.5A equals 60watts. Another example: 120V/1.2A is 120 times 1.2 equals 144watts.

With the wattage known be sure just to buy a 220V to 120V converter which can handle up to the wattage with say around a 25% reserve capacity. For that 60W requirement above while a 60W rated converter would work it would be running at its max capacity and may have a short life span...and when it dies it could take the device plugged into it to heaven also....but 80W converter should have a long life span. Repeat: be sure the wattage of the converter with some reserve capacity thrown in can handle the wattage of your device.

Thank you so much for the very informative post Pib. I will take your advice and find myself a good converter just to have on hand, most likely an 80W just to be safe.

Much appreciated!

[Tywais]

Need to be a little cautious in selecting a travel converter and be sure it is the transformer (step up/down) type. If the converter says rated at 1000W or more then it is using solid state chopper and outputs a very poor wave form which can damage standard electronics. This type is generally for resistive loads such as hair dryers etc. Some are switchable between transformer (lower power) and the other (higher power) type.

Travel Voltage Converter Guide

[astral]

Don't trust the socket you see in Thailand.

They often look like American ones but carry 220V

and will kill your equipment unless you have checked as suggested above.

PC and phone should be OK, but do read what it says on the adapter

All other items are highly suspect and probably better left behind.