Voltage converter in Japan

[deepbluevibes]

Voltage in Japan... I want to bring my laptop to Japan from the USA, so what kind of voltage converters do i need?

[PopCulturePooka]

I'm pretty sure America and Japan run the same voltage. 100V

[stillbornsinger]

no, america runs on 115 VAC, 60hz...

Japan runs on 100VAC 50hz...

look at the power supply for your laptop, it probably says 100-240 VAC 50-60hz input then some VDC value for the output.

The power supply for your laptop should be able to work with the 100 VAC in Japan, since it will be converting whatever voltage it gets to a DC voltage anyway.

I've been running my computer, laptop, and a whole tone of extra equipment for my home studio that all came from the states without a transformer.

The only issues you may have are...

1. Japanese plugs use 2 prong's with a ground wire instead of the grounding prong like the US plugs, otherwise they are the same... so if your laptop's power supply's cord has 3 prongs, you'll have to buy an adapter once you get there (they run about 100¥ [1$] so no big deal)

2. Your power supply may be stepping up the voltage before doing the DC conversion so it might put extra strain on the power supply and it might fail sooner... not quite as likely a proble, but I've had the power supply on my desktop fry after about a years worth of being continually plugged in... That could have been from several other things like power surges or whatever, but its also possible its from the 100VAC...

[Azrael]

I have never, ever had a problem with electonics brought from the states not working in Japan. And I find this funny, because in all the pre-departure orientations I went though, this was one of the most frequently addressed things. Nevermind that they never tell us about the really useful stuff...but eh, that's a dead horse I've already pulverized.

Anyway, the only prob I've had was the three prong thing. All the third prong is is a grounder, and is not necessary. So, *at your own risk*, you can actually just yank that thing out and use it normallly.

[stillbornsinger]

Az, sorry, gotta disagree with you there... What you are suggesting can be seriously dangerous or even deadly.

The ground wire is there for a reason, if for instance you are using an appliance and one of the wires becomes loose inside and comes into contact with the case which is not properly grounded because you ripped out the ground plug then you touch the case... you can get 115 volts running through your heart... no good...

I've shocked myself (only minorly) because of poor grounding in my studio when I was originally wiring everything up, before I had everything properly grounded. I wouldn't have shocked myself if it was grounded at the time.

So... no grounding is no good... just by the 100¥ adaptor and screw the green wire onto the little post that is provided, you could be saving yourself a shock or at the very least saving the life of your poor innocent appliance!

[koku]

I just know my friend went through the liberty of 6 stores 4 hours just to get an overpriced $100 voltage converter.

[akitaka]

I have never, ever had a problem with electonics brought from the states not working in Japan.

Same here. Even at my grandmother's house in Takasaki. And yes, you can take the grounder out at a big risk; you get fried, or your computer gets fried. Either way, it's a loss.

Want to test it? Unplug, and touch the grounder plug after you've finished using a computer. Ouch, ouch.

[4letterwords]

I never had a single problem with it either. I brought a lot of things too (cell phone plug, hair drier, curling irons, etc.) and even electronics I bought in Japan work fine here in the states.

I've only heard stories about computers, but a lot of Japanese made computers (ie toshiba) have converters already in their plugs so I don't think its much of a worry.


Since you're talking about your laptop, it all kindof depends on the laptop. What brand is it?

[Henjin]

Can't devices that rely on a quartz timer or something be thrown off if you use them in the 50hz regions of Japan?

[deepbluevibes]

I never had a single problem with it either. I brought a lot of things too (cell phone plug, hair drier, curling irons, etc.) and even electronics I bought in Japan work fine here in the states.

I've only heard stories about computers, but a lot of Japanese made computers (ie toshiba) have converters already in their plugs so I don't think its much of a worry.


Since you're talking about your laptop, it all kindof depends on the laptop. What brand is it?

it's a hp/hewlett packard, and it's a widescreen, so it uses more voltage than most laptops.

[BluZytrix]

Does anyone know of some good places to purches the plugs either here in the states or in Japan? I too have just over a week before I got to Japan and will be bringing an HP lappy. Also, are the acutal prongs the same? Us are like then rectangles but I have seen other plugs that are circular. If they are the same style of prongs, can't you just use a thre prong to two prong(w/o ground) that you can buy in nearly any store?

Thanks,
Blu - Only 10 days until I leave..

[Marblehead]

Does anyone know of some good places to purches the plugs either here in the states or in Japan? I too have just over a week before I got to Japan and will be bringing an HP lappy. Also, are the acutal prongs the same? Us are like then rectangles but I have seen other plugs that are circular. If they are the same style of prongs, can't you just use a thre prong to two prong(w/o ground) that you can buy in nearly any store?

Thanks,
Blu - Only 10 days until I leave..

Just look for any electronics store in Akihabara. You'll find one there pretty cheap.

[Henjin]

They're normal 2 prongs, but they're the same size. If you have a polarized plug (i.e. one prong is wider than the other), it may not fit.

[stillbornsinger]

Can't devices that rely on a quartz timer or something be thrown off if you use them in the 50hz regions of Japan?

yep yep yep...

I've heard of several people with issues with clocks.

Also, I haven't had any problem with the polorized plugs. That could depend on what outlets the electrician wired the place with.

An easy solution is to buy a surge protector while you're still stateside and bring it with you, then get one of the little adaptors and screw the green wire into the post provided on the outlet.

Look for a surge protector preferably with a little light to tell you that your ground is good...


You can find the adaptors at pretty much any appliance store or even a lot of convenience stores.

[YuriGlory]

Does anyone know of any problems in using British appliances in Japan? The British power supply is on 230V (I think... stupid GCSE Science, I've for gotten already) and Japan's is 110V...
why do us British have to be completely at odds with the rest of the world?

[Pazuzu]

Does anyone know of any problems in using British appliances in Japan? The British power supply is on 230V (I think... stupid GCSE Science, I've for gotten already) and Japan's is 110V...
why do us British have to be completely at odds with the rest of the world?

I never really had a problem over there with mine, I think you just need a simple plug converter, everything worked fine for me with that.

I've never heard of something blowing up due to having less voltage going through it, anyway.

[YuriGlory]

I never really had a problem over there with mine, I think you just need a simple plug converter, everything worked fine for me with that.

I've never heard of something blowing up due to having less voltage going through it, anyway.

True, but I was slightly more concerned about things not working due to a lower voltage.

[Henjin]

Yeah, you're gonna want to splice two power cords together so you can get double the voltage...

[Skree]

Please tell me thats a joke.

[Varia]

As far as laptops go, if your laptop's power cord has a small rectangular box on it about halfway down the cord or something, you're set. That's a converter. You'll also need something that will fit into Japanese sockets. You can get them at Radio Shack or wherever for like a couple bucks. It's pretty easy.
________
Rambler (Automobile) (http://www.dodge-wiki.com/wiki/Rambler_(automobile))

[YuriGlory]

Yeah, you're gonna want to splice two power cords together so you can get double the voltage...

so helpful, ne?

As far as laptops go, if your laptop's power cord has a small rectangular box on it about halfway down the cord or something, you're set. That's a converter. You'll also need something that will fit into Japanese sockets. You can get them at Radio Shack or wherever for like a couple bucks. It's pretty easy.

Thanks ^_^ I should be alright then.

[Kaji]

My laptop (a 3-year-old Dell) worked just fine while I was over there, running almost continually during my 5 months there. The one big issue is that it seemed to draw from the battery during heavy usage periods even when plugged into the wall. I think that a lot of this over the course of the time I was there created a memory or something to that effect since the battery was giving me about 40 minutes of life when I went over, and I was lucky to get 5 minutes from it when I got back...just something to think about...