I’ll be hunting in Zimbabwe in August…

I’ve got a couple questions on how to charge my phone, camera, etc…

1 – Do I need some kind of voltage converter to charge my phone and camera in camp and what kind of plug adapter do I use for Zim?
2 – How do I charge my IPhone (IPod/cell phone) on the plane ride over?

Keep in mind I’ve never flown internationally before so I’m clueless…

Thanks for any replies…

Matt V

trophyhunter - My video and still camera are both 120v/240v, in other words the converter is built into the charger. If this is the case then all you need is the appropriate adapter. I would suggest checking with your PH and see if he has them in camp or he can let you know what to bring. Converters are available at most electronic/travel stores if you need one.

As far as recharging your IPod on the plane, don't have the answer to that one. I am traveling to Moz in August and would like to know about that myself. Maybe Steve Turner or some of the other Travel Agents here can help? Have a good trip.

Larry Sellers
SCI Life Member

There are a ton of converter kits that have plugs for just about every country. I have probably had mine 20 years. They are not expensive.

You can buy a device that will recharge your i phone from Richard Solo. I have one. It stores power . Effectively it is an extra battery. it is a Richard Solo 1800 Smart Battery backup. Some planes but not all have a place to plug in and recharge.

You may want to buy an inverter. It will allow you to charge many things from a cigarette lighter that otherwise need to be charged from a wall plug.. I think they cost about $40.

get yourself a 12v charger for your stuff so you can charge if off the cruiser while you're running around

quote:

Originally posted by butchloc:
get yourself a 12v charger for your stuff so you can charge if off the cruiser while you're running around

Right! Anything that can be charged from 12 VDC auto current will find an almost universal source anywhere you go that relatively modern automobiles are in use. You can even take along a small inverter that plugs into the cigar lighter receptical good up to 100 watts or so (available at any auto store or even Waldemart) for small appliances that have to have 120 VAC.

quote:

Originally posted by butchloc:
get yourself a 12v charger for your stuff so you can charge if off the cruiser while you're running around

+1 Plug your stuff into the powerport and be done with it. 12VDC car batteries and charging systems are the same as in Florida.

12volt charger worked great for our whole trip without any issues. Cheap and light to carry.

WOW - AR members come through again. Simply ask a question and answers come pouring in. I knew about the plug in on a vehicle but didn't have a clue about on airline charging. Thanks everyone.

Larry Sellers
SCI Life Member

I've got a related question for a more knowledgeable electrician than I. If I take a NEMA 5-15 surge suppressor with a fuse (regular old American three prong) and replace the plug with an SA plug. Can I safely run 220V though it? I think I can because at 220v the devices will actually be drawing fewer amps and generating less heat in the wires. My concern is heat buildup and possible fire.

I know that electricity will still be 220v coming out of the 5-15 sockets, but all of my devices have dual voltage power supplies. It just cuts down on the number of adapters that I need to lug around.

Colin

quote:

WOW - AR members come through again.

Ditto...

Thanks to all...!

I checked last night and my IPhone wall charger is 120v-240v...

Will still need an adapter plug though, but I've got a car charger also (great idea)...

I'm going to buy my camera this week...

I'll be sure to pay attention to see if the charger has a built in converter and If I can get a car charger for it...

I really like the Smart Battery backup for the IPhone...

Going to get one just incase the plane does not have power outlets (great emergency backup as well)...

Thanks again...

Matt V.

FYI I think every time I have seen planes with outlets, you really have to look for them. I believe they have always been near the floor between seats.

buy a camera which takes AAA batteries... Get the AAA E ones they work super on safari... Take at least a total of 3 to four sets for your camera and you will be well taken care of... I take 4 sets for a 21 day safari...

Mike

quote:

Originally posted by Colin Castelli:
I've got a related question for a more knowledgeable electrician than I. If I take a NEMA 5-15 surge suppressor with a fuse (regular old American three prong) and replace the plug with an SA plug. Can I safely run 220V though it? I think I can because at 220v the devices will actually be drawing fewer amps and generating less heat in the wires. My concern is heat buildup and possible fire.

I know that electricity will still be 220v coming out of the 5-15 sockets, but all of my devices have dual voltage power supplies. It just cuts down on the number of adapters that I need to lug around.

Colin

I'm not an electrician, I don't play one on TV, and I didn't even sleep in a Holiday Inn Express last night; but I'll take a stab at this one and say "no".

The surge suppressor takes care of voltage spikes, not amperage spikes, so presumably, using double the voltage through it would be a bad thing. Think of it like this: Would a surge suppressor be doing its job if it allowed 240 VAC to come through to your 120 VAC appliance? That said, I'm not sure that steady 240 VAC would trip the suppressor circuit and it might accidentally work just fine, but I wouldn't depend on it. On the other hand, if you put a 120 VAC step-down transformer in front of it, you could run all of your dual-voltage appliances through it.

A better idea would be to simply get one of those short (two-foot) three-outlet extension cord ends like are frequently used around construction sites. It can be plugged into the 240 VAC converter plug (or its male plug replaced with a 240 VAC three-pin male plug), then deliver 240 VAC through the regular 120 Amercian-style VAC two-prong connectors to three of your recharging appliances at once. You may even be able to find one of these extension cord ends with four or five outlets, but the ones I commonly run across have three female outlets.

The 12 Volt charger is the way to go. That way, you know that you are going to have a consistent source of power, which is not always the case in Zimbabwe. Last year in Zim I kept the Satellite phone and other items regularly charged through the 12 Volt Converter in the truck during our drives, as there was no regular power back at the chalets. I also bought a couple of wall converters (US to SA/Zim power) while in South Africa a few years ago that work great. I believe that they were $9 apiece, and I always take them with, just in case there is regular power available.

I hadn't thought about the voltage spike tripping the surge suppressor circuitry, I knew I'd have to replace the fuse with a 220v one. If I can find a fused power strip (no surge suppression) I may go with that.

I hadn't thought of the multi-socket extension cords though, I've actually got a few of those around here somewhere. I may go that route, but I'd rather have some protection and I know the fuse isn't much, but it is some.

Thanks

Colin

Surge suppressors are typically voltage spike suppressors. The most common type uses metal oxide varistors (MOV) from hot - neutral, hot - ground, and neutral - ground. For ones rated at 120VAC the MOVs are typically 130V and for 250VAC suppressors they are often 275V MOVs. Plug the lower voltage into a 240VAC circuit and you will have about 10amps going through the hot - neutral and hot - ground MOVs and they will probably catch on fire. Unless they are one of the newer ones with an internal fuse in which case the fuse opens and you loose surge suppression without even knowing it.

CharlesL,

So my best bet for some measure of protection is a power strip (no surge suppression) with a fuse that I can replace with a 220v fuse?

Colin

One of the best gadgets I have found is an adapter that plugs into a car cigarette lighter and which accepts our standard (US) plugs. I picked one up at Lowes. That way you can charge anything using your regular charger- every camp will have a vehicle and they all have cig lighter outlets.

Colin,

A power strip without surge protection would be your best bet. Most of the AC line voltage fuses are 250V because fuses are current and not voltage sensitive.

Charles

Check out the solar power chargers. I've seen them @ REI, not sure who else carries them.

quote:

Originally posted by Colin Castelli:
CharlesL,

So my best bet for some measure of protection is a power strip (no surge suppression) with a fuse that I can replace with a 220v fuse?

Colin

A "10-amp" fuse is a 10-amp fuse, no matter if the voltage is 12VDC or 480 VAC. The difference is that at 110 volts the fuse will pop at half the total wattage as with 220 volts. In other words, it takes twice as much current to blow a fuse if you double the voltage, so a fuse designed to blow at 15 amps in a 110 circuit (about 1800 watts) will not blow until the current draw exceeds 3600 watts in a 220 circuit.

This is all pretty much theorectical in your case, however, as the small rechargers you will be using draw so little current that one of them would have to develop a direct short (using a rather heavy connector) to blow even a 5-amp fuse. The fuse in the line will do nothing to protect your appliances/chargers -- it is designed to protect the power source and intermediate wiring from overheating and starting a fire. In other words, you don't need a fuse with these tiny appliances, first because it does nothing to protect them and second because they are mostly incapable of producing a load that overloads the system from which they are drawing.