Voltage Converters | How Do I Choose the Right Transformer?

There are many cases in which you might need to purchase a transformer or voltage converter. For example, if you recently bought an appliance abroad, and it uses a different voltage input compared to your country then you need a transformer. Using the wrong voltage on a machine can permanently damage the item and be a potential fire hazard. That being said, just because you need one, you can go out and buy any voltage transformer. There are different types of voltage converters, and buying the wrong one can be just as bad as it can also damage your item and cause fire hazards. To prevent any damages, you must inspect a couple of things to consider a suitable transformer.

Choosing the right transformer is relatively easy. Even if you don’t know anything about electronics or electronic devices, you can still calculate the total loading needed for a transformer.

Do You Step Up or Step Down?

The first thing that you need to know is the voltage requirement of the item and the voltage from your sockets. If you live in the US, they typically use 110 volts; Japan uses 100 volts; while most of the world uses 220 - 240 volts. Check where your appliance came from; see the manual to check what voltage it runs on. Then compare that to the voltage coming out of your sockets. For example, if you bought an item that works on 110 volts and your sockets give 220 volts, you will need a step-down transformer to convert the 220 volts down to 110 volts. Conversely, if the item needs 220 volts and your outlets can give 110 volts, you will need a step-up transformer. Often, the transformer's model will say what volts it receives and what it converts it to.

Appliances and electronic equipment have a label usually found at the bottom. The label includes information about the electrical requirements, the voltage, the wattage required and the amperage. You only need to know the voltage and the wattage. The voltage will tell you the kind of transformer you need, and the wattage will tell you the transformer’s power requirement.

Do You Have Enough Watts?

The thing that you need to consider is the wattage of the item in question. Watts is the amount of power that the article uses when it is running. If the transformers' rated wattage can't support the device’s requirement, it won't provide enough energy to manage the thing. Similarly, you can't just add an extension cord to the transformer and add more appliances to it since the transformer might have enough watts to power one item but not enough to provide for four devices. 

To compute this, you will need first to check how many watts the items need and compute the total wattage. Preferably, this number can be up to 75% of the capacity of your transformer so that you can have some overhead for safety reasons. For example, if your four appliances use up to 50 watts each, then 50 x 4 is equal to 200 watts, so a typical 500-watt transformer is more than capable of powering the devices. However, if the items are more power-hungry, you might need to consider buying a 1000 or even 2000 watt transformers.

If your items don't state how much watts they use, you can compute it if they say the amp rating is needed. Multiply the volts by the amp rating, and you will get the wattage required by the item. For example, a hairdryer running on 110 volts with a 0.5 amp rating will need 55 watts since 110 multiplied by 0.5 is 55. 

Transformers are pretty simple gadgets that ensure your electronic items and appliances work correctly and safely. There is a bit of preparation and basic math involved, but using the proper transformer will ensure that your appliances and electronic devices last longer and that your house is far from any potential fire hazards.