AC Plug Adaptars for China & Possible Voltage Issues

[Steingletscher]

I'm debating whether I should get one heavy duty AC plug adapter for my power strip (if they do have such a thing) or a bunch of cheaper ones that I can use and simply buy a power strip there. My predicament is that all of my external hard-drives are from the US and used to 100-120 volt power outlets--which do not exist in China. My only rational for brining my power-strip is because of the surge protection, which I assume will regulate how much power through (though that reason is mostly likely faulty). So I'm wondering if there will be any problem with letting a hard-drive (most of them being 1 tb Western Digital Elements) receive more juice then it is used to or not. Or should I also get a few voltage converters?

Also, any recommendations (or pointers to good sites with more info) as to what AC plug adapters are good? And voltage converters?

[skylee]

Forgive my ignorance but don't most things nowadays have the universal voltage feature?

[陳德聰]

@skylee

Nope China and US use two different voltages with their home AC outlets.

@Steingletscher

Can't you just buy an adapter/step down transformer to plug into the wall... and then plug your power strip into that?

[skylee]

No, what I mean is electrical devices now tend to be able to take electricity input regardless of the voltage. For example, my hair dryer can be used on 120-230V and my laptop and wifi router 100-240V.

But perhaps this is irrelevant to the OP's questions.

[imron]

I agree with skylee.

Have a look at the plug of your HD/device at the part where it mentions the electrical specifications and see what the line "Input" says. If it says something like 110-240 then you're ok. If it only says 110, then you won't be able to plug it in in China without releasing the magic smoke.

For reference, my 1 TB Western Digital external HD has a voltage input range of 100-240V.

[liuzhou]

Please don't brine your power-strip! That would be extremely dangerous!

[imron]

Haha, just as I was about to reply asking why (I brought a power-strip back with me from China and it works fine*), the reason dawned on me

*because I didn't brine it

[陳德聰]

Seems like I misunderstood.

Fair enough about appliances being designed for 110-240V, so you won't have any trouble with your actual appliances being plugged into the wall.

But your power strip won't work if it is like mine, a 125V power strip with surge protection, because it'll simply turn itself off at higher voltages rendering it completely useless (though you could probably use it as a doorstop/paperweight/etc.), not 'regulate' the voltage like a low-pass filter. That's the idea at least, if anyone has experience to the contrary that'd be good to know 'cause I usually just leave it at home when I travel for that exact reason.

[imron]

If you're carrying a number of devices/appliances that only work with 110V, what you should be able to do is purchase a single adaptor with a transformer that converts the voltage to 110V, and then plug the power strip into that. It makes things easier than carrying multiple adaptors, especially if you want to have multiple devices plugged in at the same time, because adaptors are often bulky and can be difficult to plug in next to each other.

I should note however that I have not tried this personally, but theoretically it should work

I did however buy a power strip in China to use with a number of devices I bought there, however my home country and China use the same voltage so the only issue is plug shape/size and not voltage.

[abcdefg]

Power strips with surge protection and various plug configuration are readily available here in China, as are simple plug adapters with various specs. Many previous posts about them on this forum. It's a frequently asked question.

So I'm wondering if there will be any problem with letting a hard-drive (most of them being 1 tb Western Digital Elements) receive more juice then it is used to or not. Or should I also get a few voltage converters?

I don't know about that issue. Voltage converters/stepdown transformers are heavy, clumsy things. Difficult to pack and difficult to carry around from place to place when you are on the move.

[m000gle]

electrical devices now tend to be able to take electricity input regardless of the voltage.

This. I've been in China two years and have yet to have a single issue with voltage. My laptop, two external hard drives (2TB Fantom and a 2TB Seagate) , iPhone charger, camera charger, router, etc, etc all work without conversion. Plugged straight in the wall, or in a power bar, they're as happy as back home. There are almost no consumer electronics, these days, which are not 100-240V 50-60Hz, and this can be easily verified per-device by checking the unit and/or cable.

According to the Western Digital website, all of their hard drives are 100-240VAC 50-60Hz. So, you're fine

Most Chinese power bars, but not all wall outlets, also seem to come with universal sockets. So, you probably won't even need an adapter to make the plug fit.