I want to buy an Amazon Kindle from the US and have it shipped here to the UK (by a friend, Amazon won't ship them outside the US). It surely won't work connection-wise, but I just want one for reading, and lord knows how long it will take them to get the finger out and get it on the UK/Eu market (we can't even get the Sony Reader yet).
The question is: the charger will be with an American plug and 110 voltage. Does anybody know: what's the likelihood it will adapt to UK voltage or that I can jury-rig another solution to charging the thing?
11 comments:
You can just get a convertor for the power plug. For some odd reason Booths sell those...
Great, but will the charger work in 220 volts?
There are a number of small voltage transformers that will convert 220 to 110, and they usually come with the necessary plugs so everything fits together. Only thing you need to be sure of is that the number of watts of the transformer are enough to power the device.
These transformers are common in US "travel" stores and most international airport gift shops (at inflated prices). I carried one for years when I was traveling back and forth. Should not be a problem to find the right one. Maybe your friend in the US can pick one up for you and send it all in a single package.
The easiest solution may be to just replace the power adapter with a UK one. It's probably a standard 9V or 12V DC adapter. You can get those from any electronics store for a quid or two.
The plug convertors take care of the voltage as well.
That being said, you'll probably have to pay import taxes and extra VAT on it, even if a friend sends it. Customs can be pretty annoying.
The Kindle User's Manual (http://www.mobileread.com/forums/
attachment.php?attachmentid=7354) says, on page 17:
Tip: The Kindle power adapter is a universal power adapter and will work worldwide. If you are traveling outside the United States, and want to recharge your Kindle, simply connect the power adapter to a country-approved physical plug adapter (not included) for the country that you are in.
And this on page 16:
USB port — plug in the included USB cable to transfer content between your computer and your Kindle. Your Kindle will also accept a trickle charge over USB if your USB port or powered USB hub provides it.
Great, thank you to all. :)
To Late! looks like they are all sold out http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/7107118.stm
Oh f**k! And here I was waffling for two days.
There are a lot of 110-22VAC gizmos out there, I had an Acorn A5000 desktop PC, I needed it for a radar display project. It stated it was a 240VAC power supply. I had that puppy for 5 years plugged into a transformer that was barely capable - blew a couple of fuses. Turns out that the internal powersupply was 110 to 240, they just never mentioned it.
My cellphone, CD player, camcorder, digicam all have 110-220 supplies I guess they know we all travel...
You can buy as box from somewhere like Tandy/Radioshack which has a "cigarette lighter" style outlet on the front. We have one in the office from when we used to integrate cell phones into our products, it was a good way to get to tray new radios without having to re-wire them. Very handy device.
Also don't forget radioshack sell dial a volt walwarts. In the old deys they'd come with a 6 way connector, but now they just give you the end that you need, the others are $1.95 each. Again these are only low current.
Good luck getting your gizmo.
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Availability: In stock on December 5, 2007. Order it now.
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