U.K Stereo moving to the US

Don't know about the adaptation that is required (it could be as simple as a different power cord or an adapter if the receiver will accept 120 VAC / 60 hz intead of limey power.

BTW, we here in the Colonies tend to think our power system is an upgrade from 'yours'.

You may be lucky enough to have power transformers with multiple taps, otherwise you can get a 120>240 autotransformer and run the stuff off that, I've seen them on ebay, and last I checked

Shouldn't be a problem. More than a few places can sell you a transformer to run your gear off the obsolete N. American system (even Radio Shack has a small one - 40 W). Going back the other way can result in many problems however.

I have an NAD amp here in the UK, and it is internally adjustable to 110 volts. Dunno if this applies across the range, though.

The normal way would be to use an auto transformer to get the 240 volts. But it may be cheaper to sell your gear in the UK and replace it with similar US spec - thus saving the cost of the transformer and the carriage costs.

The speakers will be fine - as unless they have built in power amps (ie, have a mains connection too) don't have any reference to the mains.

Travis....thanks for your feedback! I laughed at your referal to the "Colonies". Nice one!

Dave....many thanks for your feedback and response.

I don't know where you would get the idea that your power was an upgrade on ours. We NEVER EVER get brownouts here. This is largely because the higher voltages we use on our crosscountry distribution network, allows for lower transmission currents, which result in lower voltdrops at any resistance points at junctions.

We can also run high watts appliances such as ovens and driers, without having to use cables as thick as your arm, and 6 inch nails for fuses. Oh, and we also did away with ugly overheads and pole mounted transformers at street distribution level, years ago ....

So your system is an upgrade ?? Hmmmm ...

True, serving about 330 million people, compared to a few on a little island is a real big upgrade... :-)

Dolittle2

Really? And one squirrel or untrimmed tree blacks out power to half the continent? Special!

on

Yep. It still surprises me that the lights here dim everytime a heater switches on. Weird.

Well, actually, our " little island ", as you so quaintly put it, is actually connected to many millions of other users in mainland Europe, to form a hedged power distribution system which doesn't suffer from cascade failure when the weather gets a bit cold, or major outages when the sun flares a bit ... ; -)

Did you know there are approximately 10 times more fires per capita in the US than the UK caused by poor or inadequate house wiring?

I was not aware of that. So, even with unfortunate fires, chances are that the US upgrades approximately 10 times more than the UK.

Do Little2

On this side of the pond "many millions" is not even close to 330 million +.

True, but think about the enormous length of the electricity network in the US and Canada compared to the UK. The UK (and that part of Europe that the UK could possible support) would easily fit about

Just out of curiosity: How many Megawatts of electricity is the UK capable of exporting before its own network collapses?

Do Little2

It would seem quite the contrary. House wiring more than 40 years old is uncommon in the UK. Seems not so in many parts of the US with older houses.

So you think the population of Europe is tiny compared to the US?

It's an exchange scheme. Like all proper grids with multiple power stations feeding them.

Dunno - it's never happened. The whole idea of a grid is that you share power, so any fault is likely to be local. And in event of a grid failure, the power may be routed in a different way.

FWIW, I can't remember an outage here in this part of London. Nor do I have or need an UPS etc. Of course there are rural parts that still may have problems due to overhead lines etc.

Yes, but the limiting factors are the few wires connecting to Europe. How much voltage/current can they handle? Certainly, for the bottom line, someone in the UK will know just how much electricity they can export/sell or must import/buy on any given day.

True, I also heard some horror stories about old electricity switches in some rural areas of the UK. Apparently they were still using "open air

Do Little2

They're used when demand is low in one country while high in another.

Don't be silly. All overhead supplied domestic supplies are RCD protected. Fitted by the supply provider.

None of the silly thermal devices so loved across the pond. ;-)

That is the principal idea for most electrical grids or networks. But since all the European grid connections are routed through a few wires in one tunnel towards the UK, one tends to think that this is a very limited or primitive grid. A 'real electrical grid' will have more than one access point! Maybe there isn't enough room for another grid connection on that small island? :-)

air

Not silly at all, I only wrote what a Canadian visitor saw in a barn near Whitby in the UK.

Good point! However, most thermal devices have been outlawed (in the 1970's ?) in television, radios, etc..

BTW, just how do they adjust the electrical heating for the houses in the UK ? :-)

Do Little2