Power, plugs and voltage

[blimp]

mmm, rule of the thumb is that the more power your appliance require, the bigger the difference will be between 100V and 120V. hair dryer is a prime example of a power thirsty product.

Panasonic Yeast Pro Automatic Bread Maker -- ON SALE FOR A LIMITED TIME!
the above bread maker for instance requires 550W, which is quiet a lot, about half of a normal hair dryer (1,100-1,3000). unfortunately i can't give you an exact answer whether or not it will require a converter, but if u do decide to buy one make sure that the converter will be able to handle what ever power required by your bread maker. a converter covering 550W is usually rather big and heavy, and is usually as far as i know not found in a regular electronics shop.
here is a site in the US,
Power Converter - Step Up/Down Japan Transformers

[kirakira]

Originally Posted by MMM

Has anyone bought a voltage converter for a Japanese appliance to be used in the US? Until now I have never had a problem (PS1, PS2, PSP, etc) but I have discovered appliances that use heat (i.e. a hair dryer) can be messed up with the JPN-100v and US-120v difference.

I am looking to buy a voltage converter (inverter?) for a bread maker bought in Japan. Does anyone have any recommendations?

Technically simple voltage converters won't work for electronics devices but should work for dumb devices like hair dryers.

If you want to guarantee something to work from Japan to the US, you would need a step down transformer. How expensive they are will totally depend on the wattage. I got a Mitsubishi Rice Cooker that is hooked up to a $200US transformer. The only reason why it's expensive is because the transformer is rate up to 1500Ws. Most of the cheapie stuff for electronics are sub 100W and your bread maker would probably fry those transformers pretty quickly.

1. Check the wattage of your bread maker.
2. Get a step down transformer of the appropriate wattage.

[MMM]

Aha...so it is the watts I need to look for. This is a bread maker similar to the one in the link posted...I'll ask at Radio Shack and see what they have.

[MMM]

I am finding that for items that used a lot of wattage they recommend going 2 or 3 times the wattage, so for a 370w bread maker, I should go for up to 1000w converter.

Radio Shack only had 100w and the electronic parts store only had 300w. They had higher ones, but I would have to wire it in myself (no thanks).

Thankfully I found someone who is moving back to Japan in a month, and they have two 1500w converters and will sell me both.

[StangGuy]

Originally Posted by MMM

Has anyone bought a voltage converter for a Japanese appliance to be used in the US? Until now I have never had a problem (PS1, PS2, PSP, etc) but I have discovered appliances that use heat (i.e. a hair dryer) can be messed up with the JPN-100v and US-120v difference.

I am looking to buy a voltage converter (inverter?) for a bread maker bought in Japan. Does anyone have any recommendations?

I can't give any suggestions, but you are probably experiencing two problems. The frequency difference 50Hz for Japan instead of 60Hz in the US and also the voltage. However, the frequency is probably the bigger problem. The frequency of the supply is used to control the timing so something meant to operate on a 50Hz cycle will run faster when powered with 60Hz. What this means for things like microwaves and bread makers is the built in timer will probably be wrong(30mins on 50Hz will be 25mins on 60Hz) and less heat will be delivered and the machine will say it is finished before it is. Also, things like bread makers ussually use temperature feedback, via a built in thermometer, to control the temperature so they aren't actually dependent on the voltage. A microwave is entirely dependent on the frequency and uses the oscilating power supply to create a higher frequency oscilation that generates the "microwaves".

[MMM]

Originally Posted by StangGuy

I can't give any suggestions, but you are probably experiencing two problems. The frequency difference 50Hz for Japan instead of 60Hz in the US and also the voltage. However, the frequency is probably the bigger problem. The frequency of the supply is used to control the timing so something meant to operate on a 50Hz cycle will run faster when powered with 60Hz. What this means for things like microwaves and bread makers is the built in timer will probably be wrong(30mins on 50Hz will be 25mins on 60Hz) and less heat will be delivered and the machine will say it is finished before it is. Also, things like bread makers ussually use temperature feedback, via a built in thermometer, to control the temperature so they aren't actually dependent on the voltage. A microwave is entirely dependent on the frequency and uses the oscilating power supply to create a higher frequency oscilation that generates the "microwaves".

I was finding that the internal 'breaker' was keeping the motor running (80w) but clicking off the heater (370w) so about 1 out of 3 times the bread would not actually get any heat.

i actually feel lucky I didn't burn it out. But basically problem solved...thanks for the help, all.

[Troo]

When we bought our PS3 in Japan, we stopped off at an electronics shop in Narita airport on the way home and an extremely helpful lady found us the correct convertor for UK voltage.

Presumably because it was at the airport, she had a very useful folder detailing voltage and wattage for just about every country in the world, and by comparing this with what was on the boxes, she located exactly what we needed. It's been working happily for two years now, and although it's hardly an attractive piece of equipment, we've had no trouble with it at all.

You might like to try one of the larger electronics stores wherever you're going on a weekday (weekends, particularly in places like Yodobashi Akiba can get incredibly busy) and ask for a Japanese - Australian converter. You're likely to find they have the same information to hand, and are just as helpful. I particularly liked the chaps on the tax-free desk there, as their English (particularly their grasp of technology-lingo) was excellent. Turns out one of them had worked in the UK for over six years

Failing that there's always Narita airport's electronics shops

[MMM]

Thanks, Troo. I called Panasonic's help line, and they basically wouldn't help because it is not designed for use outside of Japan. The guy wanted to help, but the call was being recorded.

[Troo]

D'oh. Bless him.

[blimp]

Originally Posted by StangGuy

I can't give any suggestions, but you are probably experiencing two problems. The frequency difference 50Hz for Japan instead of 60Hz in the US and also the voltage. However, the frequency is probably the bigger problem. The frequency of the supply is used to control the timing so something meant to operate on a 50Hz cycle will run faster when powered with 60Hz. What this means for things like microwaves and bread makers is the built in timer will probably be wrong(30mins on 50Hz will be 25mins on 60Hz) and less heat will be delivered and the machine will say it is finished before it is. Also, things like bread makers usually use temperature feedback, via a built in thermometer, to control the temperature so they aren't actually dependent on the voltage. A microwave is entirely dependent on the frequency and uses the oscilating power supply to create a higher frequency oscilation that generates the "microwaves".

well, you see, the funny thing is that japan has two mains frequencies. 50hz for eastern japan and 60hz for western japan. and no, consumer products are not made exclusively for one frequency. so you will most likely have no problem with any timer or anything like that. actually if you look on the product it will most likely say AC100V 50～60 370VA