Thai to US plug adapter question

[yyba]

Last October I bought beautiful Bodhi Christmas string lights in a market in Bangkok.

The seller insisted that they require no adapter in the US, but now that I'm back home I've noticed they read 220V 3A and have 2 flat pins (please see photo). I found a thread on this forum titled "Calculating Power Consumption" but it is too technical for me. The pins seem to fit in the US plug but I'm afraid to try it. Would a simple plug adapter work or do I also need a voltage convertor? Thanks, Miriam

[attrayant]

Go ahead and try it. Household voltage in the USA is 110-120 volts, so you'll be under-powering your lights, not overpowering them. At worst, they'll just be too dim.

Edited September 25, 2014 by attrayant

[Thanyaburi Mac]

And, if that doesn't light up your tree, check a local hardware store for a cheapie 500 watt step-up transformer,

or Google: step-up transformer 110 to 220 500 watts

Mac

[yyba]

Yes, they are quite dim so I will look into a step-up transformer.

Thank you very much for your replies.

[crazygreg44]

you could have bought it in the USA for 2.50 dollars, made to the specs. Why americans always buy electric stuff on holidays worldwide, not considering their RARE 110 Volts home systems, is out of my understanding. Only in the South Americas they can find appliances similar to those at home. Everywhere else it is 220/240 volts. Reading helps

[yyba]

Learning the hard way, again...

However, these particular lights, decorated with dry bodhi tree Leaf, are very expensive in the US.

Since I paid for one set 90 Baht, I will consider this to be a "light" lesson.

[Crossy]

If they're actually lighting on 110V they should last forever

[ATF]

You could of course change all the bulbs to 110V.

[attrayant]

If they are the standard Christmas tree minis, a string of 100 draws only about 40 watts (408 mW per bulb). I've seen those decorative strings the OP is talking about and it looked like a lot less than 100. I'd probably look for a 40 or 50 watt wall-wart type of transformer like this.

[slipperylobster]

you could have bought it in the USA for 2.50 dollars, made to the specs. Why americans always buy electric stuff on holidays worldwide, not considering their RARE 110 Volts home systems, is out of my understanding. Only in the South Americas they can find appliances similar to those at home. Everywhere else it is 220/240 volts. Reading helps

That is a pretty dim view....

Actually, most electronic items are auto volt. You are years behind the times.

[Soutpeel]

you could have bought it in the USA for 2.50 dollars, made to the specs. Why americans always buy electric stuff on holidays worldwide, not considering their RARE 110 Volts home systems, is out of my understanding. Only in the South Americas they can find appliances similar to those at home. Everywhere else it is 220/240 volts. Reading helps

That is a pretty dim view....

Actually, most electronic items are auto volt. You are years behind the times.

Strange comment...seeing as I have read of at least 3 or 4 cases on TV in the last few months of people bringing applicances from the US and plugging them in, in Thailand and a "boom" results maybe the "auto-voltage" wasnt working on these applicances...

so it seems "crazytgreg" aint so far behind the times....

[Crossy]

you could have bought it in the USA for 2.50 dollars, made to the specs. Why americans always buy electric stuff on holidays worldwide, not considering their RARE 110 Volts home systems, is out of my understanding. Only in the South Americas they can find appliances similar to those at home. Everywhere else it is 220/240 volts. Reading helps

That is a pretty dim view....

Actually, most electronic items are auto volt. You are years behind the times.

Strange comment...seeing as I have read of at least 3 or 4 cases on TV in the last few months of people bringing applicances from the US and plugging them in, in Thailand and a "boom" results maybe the "auto-voltage" wasnt working on these applicances...

so it seems "crazytgreg" aint so far behind the times....

For some unknown reason many appliance models sold in the US are single voltage, even though the equivalent Euro or Asia models are auto voltage.

It's always best to check the rating plate of your appliance. I've not seen a report of a unit marked as 100-250V dying on power up here.

[lopburi3]

There is nothing strange about it. It is cheaper to make single voltage and US is low cost market.

[Crossy]

There is nothing strange about it. It is cheaper to make single voltage and US is low cost market.

Agreed.

But by that logic it would be cheaper to make the Euro / Asia market units single voltage too, and they're not.

[lopburi3]

Market size seems to be the factor - and the fact US market is more price sensitive in my experience - more expensive front loading washers had almost no market in US until recently (and believe that is more a Green issue of water usage than accepting the higher price for most buyers). The cent or two saved x the million sales makes it worth while to make it market specific I believe.

We have a lot of Scottish heritage. And looking for the cheap option seems to be right up there with the thirst for vintage whiskey.

[attrayant]

There is nothing strange about it. It is cheaper to make single voltage and US is low cost market.

Agreed.

But by that logic it would be cheaper to make the Euro / Asia market units single voltage too, and they're not.

I spent a decade (back in the fabulous 90s) repairing major brand consumer audio and I posed this question to some of my vendors. Both Sony & Panasonic said that their products intended for the US markets were less likely to travel, and therefore it wasn't cost-effective to include power transformers with switchable primaries. Simply put, it would have been an additional cost that was unlikely to result in higher sales. European market products, however, had to use voltage-selectable transformers because those customers were more likely to travel and therefore a 110-220 volt appliance was a selling point.

Also, Japan (home of Sony & Matsushita Corps.) was at one time a 110 volt nation. Not sure if they still are.

[lopburi3]

Japan is also both 50Z and 60Z 100 volts last I knew.

[harrry]

There is nothing strange about it. It is cheaper to make single voltage and US is low cost market.

Agreed.

But by that logic it would be cheaper to make the Euro / Asia market units single voltage too, and they're not.

Dual voltage using a Switch Mode Power Supply also has the effect of compensating for low voltage conditions too.

[Pib]

you could have bought it in the USA for 2.50 dollars, made to the specs. Why americans always buy electric stuff on holidays worldwide, not considering their RARE 110 Volts home systems, is out of my understanding. Only in the South Americas they can find appliances similar to those at home. Everywhere else it is 220/240 volts. Reading helps

Yes, reading does help. Go to this Wikipedia article, click to sort by Residential Voltages used and you'll see around 49 countries use 100/110/115/120/127V (i.e., that 110V ballpark). If desired, I'm sure you can verify by other webpages on the internet versus just Wiki. Besides the Christmas lights bought in the U.S. are usually made in China...just about as crappy and non-durable as the ones sold in Thailand (usually made in China also).

[attrayant]

It sounds like some of you aren't familiar with the item in question. It's not merely a string of $2.50 xmas lights. They are made into various silk sculptures, flowers, vines, trees and other forms of art and they look quite beautiful. I've never seen such a thing in the USA, so I can understand how enchanting and exotic it might look to a tourist on their first trip through Thailand.

[stephanienyc]

That is the standard American plug. The christmas-tree lights sold in this country come fitted with that very same plug. It will work, no problem on our 110 volt system...just be a bit dimmer.