Electrical Question

[48thStreetCustom]

I bought a light like this:

That has a plug like this:

The plug says "2.5A 250V~"

It came with an adaptor like this that says "2.5/250V 10A":

Can I chop off the plug and rewire it with a US plug like this? It says "15 Amp, 125 Volt"

 

[hbarcat]

I just showed this thread to my father who is an electrical engineer and he said it's okay to cut the Euro end off and replace it with the US plug.

The adapter is just metal to metal and serves no other purpose than to connect the appliance to the wall.

 

[Downunderwonder]

Yes but I don't like your chances of plugging into 110v all the same. Needs more @agedhorse type input.

 

[mapleglo]

The specs of the device (the light) should be confirmed that it'll work with 110 VAC before rewiring the plug. If it's designed to work off of 250VAC, it may not work with 110 (or 120) VAC.

 

[Rob22315]

If the lamp was designed for 250, it may be dimmer or not work at all on 120. It looks like an LED light of some kind so the AC must be converted to DC. how the power conversion is done will dictate your results. If it's a series of small filament lights, then it will just be dimmer.

 

[Off-Beat]

Those diodes will not get the same wattage out of 110v, but the wiring is just wiring without anything else on those flat euro jacks.

Btw there's some sort of pcb in there. Might be a switchmode power supply or as Rob said a dimmer.

The diodes wouldn't need a DC supply - it's just more convenient. Think of christmas tree diode chains. Those produce a kind of DC themselves with half the frequency of the supply. 30hz would be enough to not have a flickering light.

Ah yeah, the 60hz might cause a problem depending what's on the pcb.

Why not buy one for US power supply?

 

[fdeck]

You have to look at the markings on the device itself. There should be a label with fine print, that indicates the input voltage range. Some devices (e.g., many newer cellphone chargers) can accept a wide range of input voltages, from 100 to 240. Others can't.

Chances are, you bought something that was intended to be sold in Europe.

 

[48thStreetCustom]

Thanks guys. It works when I use the EU to US adaptor so I'm pretty sure it works on 120V. The box says:

Voltage: AC 90-240V
Frequency 50-60Hz
Power 6-8W​

 

[48thStreetCustom]

Why not buy one for US power supply?

I thought I did. You never know what you're going to get on ebay. It only cost me $4 so I figured I'd take a chance.

 

[Off-Beat]

Thanks guys. It works when I use the EU to US adaptor so I'm pretty sure it works on 120V. The box says:

Voltage: AC 90-240V
Frequency 50-60Hz
Power 6-8W​

That's all you need to know, but be sure to leave some strain relief.

 

[48thStreetCustom]

That's all you need to know, but be sure to leave some strain relief.

So that means I can chop off the plug and replace it with a US plug? And what is "strain relief?"

 

[Off-Beat]

Usually those replacement plugs have a clip. When you tie the wires to the jack leave some spare wire between the jack and clip, so when you accidently pull it it won't come out.

 

[48thStreetCustom]

Usually those replacement plugs have a clip. When you tie the wires to the jack leave some spare wire between the jack and clip, so when you accidently pull it it won't come out.

Oh okay. Cool. Thanks for all the advice, guys. TB comes through again

 

[48thStreetCustom]

Usually those replacement plugs have a clip. When you tie the wires to the jack leave some spare wire between the jack and clip, so when you accidently pull it it won't come out.

Hey man, got another question for you. I saw this switch in the hardware store and I was thinking of wiring it in:

So it says "3A@125VAC"

How do I find out what the "A" amount is for my light? On the box, it says:
Voltage: AC 90-240V
Frequency 50-60Hz
Power 6-8W

 

[two fingers]

That switch will be fine. You will be running at most about .06 Amps.

 

[line6man]

Hey man, got another question for you. I saw this switch in the hardware store and I was thinking of wiring it in:

So it says "3A@125VAC"

How do I find out what the "A" amount is for my light? On the box, it says:
Voltage: AC 90-240V
Frequency 50-60Hz
Power 6-8W

8W/120V=~0.07A

 

[48thStreetCustom]

That switch will be fine. You will be running at most about .06 Amps.

Cool. Thanks guys!

 

[Killed_by_Death]

Amps X Volts = Power (watts)

As per what Line6Man wrote out.

 

[megafiddle]

Hey man, got another question for you. I saw this switch in the hardware store and I was thinking of wiring it in:

Those switches are designed for "zip cord" (SPT-2 type wire). The cord on the lamp looks like it uses an outer jacket with two inner wires.

When wiring the switch, one wire runs straight through intact, and the other is cut; the cut ends make contact with the switch terminals. With zip cord, the intact wire provides strain relief.

To wire the switch into that lamp cord, you would have to strip off a section of the outer jacket, leaving two fairly small wires to run through the switch body. The wires would not be secured well.

-

 

[48thStreetCustom]

Those switches are designed for "zip cord" (SPT-2 type wire). The cord on the lamp looks like it uses an outer jacket with two inner wires.

When wiring the switch, one wire runs straight through intact, and the other is cut; the cut ends make contact with the switch terminals. With zip cord, the intact wire provides strain relief.

To wire the switch into that lamp cord, you would have to strip off a section of the outer jacket, leaving two fairly small wires to run through the switch body. The wires would not be secured well.

-

Would this kind of switch work better?