THE BRITISH ARE COMING!....and they need 220v power...

S

Shawn Keck

Freshman
Mar 21, 2013
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Need someone to check my math...

Got a client headed to my neck of the woods from across the pond and need to provide 6 tables with 220V EU Connector power strips for a breakout session for their laptops and chargers. Fully comfortable with electrical theory as it relates to 110V in the US, but wanna make sure I am thinking about this correctly with minimal investment. Here are the components (not necessarily EXACT products) that I think I need:

110v to 220v Step up transformer with enough wattage to handle overall load:

Amazon.com: Goldsource STU-750 Step Up/Down Voltage Transformer Converter - AC 110/220 V - 750 Watt: Electronics

Then to not have to buy 220V cabling, adapt to back to 110v Edsion cable (knowing that any 110 devices will go *POOF* if plugged into):

Heavy Duty Grounded USA American To European German Schuko Outlet Plug Adapter - 6 Pack - Amazon.com

Then use standard edison cable to distribute to 220V power strips at the tables:

Amazon.com: VCT USP600 - Universal Power Strip 6 Outlets 100V to 220V/250V and 3750 Watts Built-in Universal Surge Protector with Window Shutters and Circuit Breaker for Worldwide Use: Electronics

Am I thinking about this correctly or is there an easier solution I am missing?
 
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Re: THE BRITISH ARE COMING!....and they need 220v power...

...then just realized this probably should have been posed in the "Lighting and ELECTRICAL" section!
 
Re: THE BRITISH ARE COMING!....and they need 220v power...

Shawn Keck said:
Am I thinking about this correctly or is there an easier solution I am missing?
Click to expand...

Ask them if their laptops really need 220V, or if they're universal power supplies like almost every modern laptop power supply. You may only need the Schuko power strips, or replacement power cables for the PSs.

If it is the British coming, are you sure they need Schuko outlets? British power uses a different 13A connector.

Mac
 
Re: THE BRITISH ARE COMING!....and they need 220v power...

mackerr said:
If it is the British coming, are you sure they need Schuko outlets?
Click to expand...

Good catch...client is from England but attendees are from another EU country...and yeah, we do have to provide some legit 220v power per their request. More of a convenience factor so they do not have to worry about the individuals carrying transformers for all their gack into the session.
 
Re: THE BRITISH ARE COMING!....and they need 220v power...

Yes...we will *probably* be fine with most devices...but per my client we NEED to provide this so our bases are covered...not looking for a way out of it, looking for a way to accomplish it.
 
Re: THE BRITISH ARE COMING!....and they need 220v power...

Shawn Keck said:
Need someone to check my math...

Got a client headed to my neck of the woods from across the pond and need to provide 6 tables with 220V EU Connector power strips for a breakout session for their laptops and chargers. Fully comfortable with electrical theory as it relates to 110V in the US, but wanna make sure I am thinking about this correctly with minimal investment. Here are the components (not necessarily EXACT products) that I think I need:

110v to 220v Step up transformer with enough wattage to handle overall load:

Amazon.com: Goldsource STU-750 Step Up/Down Voltage Transformer Converter - AC 110/220 V - 750 Watt: Electronics

Then to not have to buy 220V cabling, adapt to back to 110v Edsion cable (knowing that any 110 devices will go *POOF* if plugged into):

Heavy Duty Grounded USA American To European German Schuko Outlet Plug Adapter - 6 Pack - Amazon.com

Then use standard edison cable to distribute to 220V power strips at the tables:

Amazon.com: VCT USP600 - Universal Power Strip 6 Outlets 100V to 220V/250V and 3750 Watts Built-in Universal Surge Protector with Window Shutters and Circuit Breaker for Worldwide Use: Electronics

Am I thinking about this correctly or is there an easier solution I am missing?
Click to expand...

Don't forget that the European standard line frequency is 50Hz, vs. the US 60Hz. Whether or not this will cause problems depends on your loads.
 
Re: THE BRITISH ARE COMING!....and they need 220v power...

Rob Timmerman said:
Don't forget that the European standard line frequency is 50Hz, vs. the US 60Hz. Whether or not this will cause problems depends on your loads.
Click to expand...

Depending on the gear, this could be an important consideration as well as the voltage. Although most gear won't care, some might. Make sure to specify.

Also, I would strongly advise against putting 220 volts on any edison plug. While you will know not to plug anything into it, someone else may decide to, and then poof. Not good.
 
Re: THE BRITISH ARE COMING!....and they need 220v power...

60Hz will actually be easier on 50Hz transformers and power supplies. You will want to come up with appropriate power strips for the euro plugs, but a 240V 60Hz power drop should work OK.

Going the other way (running 60Hz iron at 50Hz) is the hard direction.

JR
 
Re: THE BRITISH ARE COMING!....and they need 220v power...

Brian jojade said:
Depending on the gear, this could be an important consideration as well as the voltage. Although most gear won't care, some might. Make sure to specify.

Also, I would strongly advise against putting 220 volts on any edison plug. While you will know not to plug anything into it, someone else may decide to, and then poof. Not good.
Click to expand...

It's a little more than "strongly advise"... blatant electrical violations will have you thrown under the bus when even the smallest bad things happen. Your liability insurance probably doesn't cover that, either.
 
Re: THE BRITISH ARE COMING!....and they need 220v power...

Im a Brit that works in the US regularly (LA and Tucson mainly) and as has been pointed out I've never need 220v due to the power supplies handling any voltage from 100 to 240.

The uk uses 240v by the way.

laptops normally come with one of three types of connectors , IEC ( kettle plugs) , figure of eight and clover leaf so I normally just carry a us plug to what ever my laptop needs.

The plugs used in Europe and the uk are both different so It might also be an idea to ask your client to ship over some uk and European multi socket extension cables then you can cut the plugs off and fit what ever the output from your step up transformer is.

Finally I would not use a us plug in a 220/240 circuit as they are not designed for that voltage .

hope this helps.

Kev
 
Re: THE BRITISH ARE COMING!....and they need 220v power...

Whenever I'm in the colonies I do as Kevin suggested and run whatever will on 110V with the appropriate cable. For 220/240 stuff then I'll connect an appropriate multi way to the step up in such a way nobody can plug a 110V device in to it. Our cable colours are brown--live, blue--neutral, greenand yellow stripe--earth. G
 
Re: THE BRITISH ARE COMING!....and they need 220v power...

Kevin Hunter said:
Im a Brit that works in the US regularly (LA and Tucson mainly) and as has been pointed out I've never need 220v due to the power supplies handling any voltage from 100 to 240.

The uk uses 240v by the way.

laptops normally come with one of three types of connectors , IEC ( kettle plugs) , figure of eight and clover leaf so I normally just carry a us plug to what ever my laptop needs.

The plugs used in Europe and the uk are both different so It might also be an idea to ask your client to ship over some uk and European multi socket extension cables then you can cut the plugs off and fit what ever the output from your step up transformer is.

Finally I would not use a us plug in a 220/240 circuit as they are not designed for that voltage .

hope this helps.

Kev
Click to expand...

Actual UK legally binding (Electricity Safety, Quality & Continuity Regs (ESQCR)) spec is as for Europe: 230V +10%, -6% (i.e. 216 volts to 253 volts). The UK used to be 240V RMS +/-6% and since that falls within the European spec, no changes were made when the UK standard was changed for harmonisation with Europe. Most UK supplies are actually nearer 240V than 230V. Mine typically ranges from 241V to 248V, depending on the time of day, weather and what's on the TV.
 
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