eek, electrical question

[Kali]

european plug with an adapter that LOOKS like it should be for US, but it says 250V 6A and the ones I see being sold are saying 125-250.

this is for a camera battery recharger, and when we test it is seems to be in "charging" mode, but the battery should have been full (was charged in Germany Sunday night)

are we ruining something? we can go get another adapter but if we are just freaking out because I don't "get" electricity (do a search on me + electricalfor lulz) then we are probably OK, right.

[slackmaster]

1. Link to a reference site that may be useful

http://kropla.com/electric2.htm

[Kali]

12. thanks

looks like we need a different adapter, hope we didn't ruin the charger.

[slackmaster]

19. If the smoke didn't leak out, it's probably OK

[Old and In the Way]

2. Sounds like the battery is not holding a charge.

As long as the adapter is the correct design for the receptacle you plugged into, you shouldn't be having any issues.

[Recursion]

3. Would that that were true

There are physically compatible plugs that produce a fireworks display when you plug a 125V device into them (generally every country's system makes sense on its own, it's between them that there can be problems).

That said, a modern camera battery should be able to step down its own voltage just fine.

[tjwash]

5. Also euro-power is at 50HZ, and if your device was made for the USA use it will be designed for 60HZ

LAPTOP PS's have auto-ranging power supplies on them, but phones and cameras, it is hit-n-miss. A lot of hotels will lend you an adapting transformer for American devices.

[Kali]

8. device was made for Europe. trying to use adapter here in US

[bongbong]

13. CPS only matters to synchronous devices

Like electric clocks.

Anything that has a transformer and provides DC should be fine with 50 or 60 Hertz, altho' some modern cost-cutting/space-saving switching power supplies MIGHT run warm at the lower frequency.

[dballance]

4. I Don't Know if You're Ruining Anything

The US electrical system is a 110-120 volt system. The Europeans operate at 220-240 volts. I'd be curious to know if your adapter simply adapts the prongs from the European Plug to a US plug. If that's the case you're just not suppling enough voltage to the charger which might explain why the battery doesn't get charged. I am not 100% certain but you could be damaging the charger by not suppling it enough voltage. If you took a US battery charger to Europe and just used a simple adapter to make the US prongs fit the European outlet you would most certainly ruin the device by suppling it with about twice the voltage it is made to draw.

My best advice is go to your camera shop and buy a US battery charger. You can buy US to European voltage converters/transformers but unless you have several European devices you need to power just buying a US battery charger is probably cheaper.

[geckosfeet]

6. Do NOT plug a device made for a US outlet into a euro outlet - or visa versa

I would be surprised if they even fit.

If you are using a charger for a phone, the charger probably fried.

[bongbong]

14. Not always true

A lot of modern (i.e, Chinese-made) switching power supplies will run "auto-magically" on either 110 or 220 - just plug it in. Device should have a disclaimer somewhere on it saying something like "110/220". If you can find that, it should be fine.

YMMV if the device is an older one.

[Kali]

17. ok how does this seem

on the back of the charger it says

input: 100V-250V AC 50/60HZ
0.085A(100V) - 0.05A (240V)

output 4.2V "wierd lines" 0.7A

the wierd lines are a long dash on top and three short dashes on the bottom sort of like:
__
---


edit to add - this is the type adapter we had but it only listed 250V
http://www.cwc-group.com/eutousplsoad.html

[bongbong]

20. You should be fine

That's the kind of marking you see on power supplies that "auto-magically" switch between 110 & 220 when you plug them in.

All the adapter does that you listed (http://www.cwc-group.com/eutousplsoad.html) is "change" the plug shape. It doesn't change voltages.

[hootinholler]

21. That means it will operate correctly when plugged into that voltage range

So it sounds like you're good.

[Iterate]

7. Unplug it. Now.

I can't tell from what you've written if anything is wrong yet, but I can say that you're not sure it's right. Waiting to be sure won't cause harm, but being too quick with higher or lower voltage than the charger can handle will surely ruin it.

Edit to add:

You can take the charger into a camera shop where they will have an inexpensive replacement with the correct input and output voltage for the charger. I assume it's a wall-wart style and will have a designation similar to "9v 200MA" or the like.

[Kali]

9. yeah, we did that already

hence my post

[Iterate]

16. I think I get it now.

The low voltage (half of what the charger was expecting) probably didn't hurt the battery. The adapter just let you plug it in, but didn't make the output voltage high enough to charge correctly. A replacement US charger for that battery should make it right.

I tend to get excited about such things because half of what I own is the wrong voltage for where I want to use it. I blame Edison and GE.

[rug]

10. Oh, you're recharging your "camera" battery, are you?

[Kali]

11. well, apparently not

[bongbong]

15. How old is your charger?

Look for my other posts in this thread. If you still have more questions, post again and I'll try to help you out....

[Kali]

18. thanks so much! see upthread reply to you