[new2here]

Hi;
trying to locate a company that sells 120vac to 220vac power convertors. Various amperages from .5 to 20A.
Bringing European electronics that require new PSU's or convertors for various gear.
Thanks

 

[57]

Is this move permanent (or for several years)? If it is, many people sell their equipment in Europe instead of moving it and buying various conversion devices. It's my understanding that electronics are much less expensive here, so the overall cost to you will perhaps be roughly the same (after sale of used equipment and cost of moving is taken into account) and you'll have new equipment, appropriate for North America. You may also run into the PAL/NTSC issue, depending on your (video) electronics...

BTW, if you wish to proceed with power converters, you'll need 120 to 220, not the other way around. Sorry, I have no suggestions on where to purchase.

 

[new2here]

Yes I realize that, but you do not have PAL TV's & DVD players, so we are bringing them with us. Some other gear that cannot be found locally for the prices we bought them also need tx's.

 

[classicsat]

I don't know where you are moving to, but in the larger cities they have shops which cater to needs such as yours, which sell and support foreign appliances. Such shops should sell larger converter transformers.

In some cases, you can get dedicated 240V receptacles installed, and often European appliances will work fine off of it.

If you need 20A at 240V, you will need to have a dedicated 240V receptacle installed, or leave that appliance and get our domestic equivalent. 20A at 240V would require 40A at 120V, and no domestic receptacle provides that.

I would look at replacing the larger appliances with Canadian ones, and power hungry hair care devices with Canadian ones.

 

[ExRobotGuy]

220 info

Try "The House of 220" in Little India on Gerrard St E. in Toronto,

http://www.google.ca/search?client=...oe=UTF-8&redir_esc=&ei=dmQeTPf_A8L48Ablu9ynDA

 

[cfraser]

Yes I realize that, but you do not have PAL TV's & DVD players, so we are bringing them with us. Some other gear that cannot be found locally for the prices we bought them also need tx's.

Further to what 57 said, many disc players don't care whether your discs are PAL or NTSC, or what region your discs may be coded for; if desired, they can convert format too. Many panel displays sold here will also handle both PAL and NTSC if required (i.e. player doesn't convert). VHS or other gear that uses synchronous motors would be an issue though (50Hz vs 60Hz).

Transformers, even the size to "just" handle a display or a smallish amplifier say, buzz enough you definitely will hear them if in the same room with the volume turned down. That said, Hammond is a well-regarded Canadian brand that can supply what you want. They are typically sold at the best prices in the Toronto area at electro-sonic; they have branches/stores in other large Canadian cities. You are probably wanting to look under "auto-transformer" to minimize size/cost/buzz. Good luck with the move.

Edit: took a quick look, and e-sonic's site is about as helpful as their customer service usually is (IME), they are quite strict and inflexible re policies to deal with, I guess how they keep their prices lower. I was thinking of the Hammond EQMJ, I have one of those. It cost $250 some years ago and converts 120 to 240V, 2000VA. Next size up (and largest in this series) is ESMJ @3000VA for ~ double the price. Gives you an idea anyway. As you can guess, these transformers have a lot of iron and weigh a lot, so I was thinking a local vendor (to your relocation) would be best to keep the shipping cost less than the trannie cost... Otherwise, Signal makes some very nice stuff.

 

[apn]

Been there, done that. What you need is an autotransformer (made by Hammond and other companies) and usually available at electronics distributors; Digikey has some, Electro-Sonic might have some. You could also check Future Electronics.

I didn't bring a lot of electronics, but have slowly converted all but one to run on 110VAC (i.e. replaced the internal transformer). My last holdout is an old Yamaha Integrated Amplifier, which I just hauled out of the basement to run a stereo in the pool cabana. It still works fine on the autotransformer, but it would cost ~$70 to replace the internal transformer, which might not be worth it. YMMV.

 

[Steve0]

Look at the specs for your electronic equipment, some electronics are rated 100 - 240 VAC.

 

[apn]

Look at the specs for your electronic equipment, some electronics are rated 100 - 240 VAC.

That's often true for mobile electronics (cell phone chargers, laptops etc.) and universal power supplies found in PC's, but generally not the case for AV components. Still, it's a good suggestion and worth checking if your devices have a 110/220 switch on the back.