Travel Voltage Converter Transformer 50-1600 Watt Kit with Worldwide Socket Plug Adapters- Step Dow

The product description of this item (Travel Voltage Converter Transformer 50-1600 Watt Kit) claims it "Converts 220/240-volt Electricity to 110/120-volt". But the fact is, it can only convert 220V to 110V at LOW setting, which works up to 50 Watts power.

This product is actually two different converters built into one package. At LOW setting, it uses a small AC transformer to convert 220V sinusoidal waveform into 110V sinusoidal waveform. This is the preferred approach which works well for any low-power electronic appliance. One obvious limitation is that the appliance's power consumption must be under 50W (most laptop computer's AC adapters are rated for 90W or higher, by the way). If you connect a higher-power appliance to this converter, the transformer's iron core will become saturated. This results in runaway input current, which may then cause smoke or even fire.

At HIGH (1600 Watt) setting, the converter simply uses an electronic switch to 'chop' the 220V sinusoidal input voltage into smaller segments, such that the average power delivered to output load is reduced. This is the same principle used by most incandescent lamp dimmers. It works reasonably well for simple HEATING appliances, such as travel irons or hair dryers. But if you try to power any electronic appliance that is rated for 110V-only at this setting, the high-voltage stress will likely cause the appliance to break down and burn out within seconds! (The product manual did warn that "DO NOT USE other electronics or items with electronic chips and circuits on 1600 watt setting." So the manufacturer is not liable in case of damage)

This is not to say that this product is completely useless, only that you have to be EXTREMELY careful about what you can plug in at each setting. Unfortunately, some appliances fall into the grey area between 'heating' and 'electronic'. For example, most people will classify a curling iron (hair straightener) as a heating appliance. Yet it contains electronic circuit and its power consumption is higher than 50W, which means neither high nor low settings can be used.

The good news is that most portable electronics (such as chargers for cameras, cell phones, laptops, etc) are already designed to handle universal input voltage. Check the AC adapter of your appliance to make sure. If it says "Input: 100 240V AC", then you don't have to use a voltage converter at all. All you need is a set of adapter plugs (such as the Travel Smart Polarized Adapter Plug 5 Piece Set), which allows you to physically plug into AC outlets in other countries, and you are good to go.

Used this in Peru. The many outlet plugs came in real handy as each hotel has it's own outlet style. The transformer itself is a little bit heavy so depending on where the outlet is there is sometimes a need to brace the transformer or the article your plugging into it with something. All in all this voltage transformer works fantastically and feels like a quality piece. I don't think you'll find a better transformer for the money.

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Surprised when package arrived. Didn't expect it to be so heavy but it worked like a charm. Came with a nice carrying case. Plan on doing a lot of international traveling and will be happy to have it with us.

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My Nexus 7 cannot be charged directly on the 220v current in the UK. I was told by a Nexus 7 customer service representative that a step-down voltage converter could be used safely. This voltage converter did the job on a recent visit to the UK.

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It did not work as it was stated. It shorted and was of no use after 1 hour. Then I had to try to find an alternate plan to charge my electronics.

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