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Hello, I bought voltage transformer a few years ago for using my NTSC game systems from USA and Japan to play them here in Europe (Poland to be exact). This means the transformer plugs into 230V European socket and accepts 110V devices, 230V->110V. Here are the specs (I'm sorry if I butchered any of the names, I just tried to translate these terms from Polish to English):

Maximum load: 200VA
Input: 230V [50-60Hz]
Output: 115V [50-60Hz] / Imax 1,6A

So my question is: how many devices can I plug into this thing and which?? The most common things I'm plugging in are gaming console AC adapters. The most common is, let's just say 9V & 1A. So, how many of these can I plug in at the same time??

Does Imax even matter in this case?? What does it mean??

Many thanks in advance for any advices!!

This means that the maximum current delivered in the pseudo-110V outlet is 1.6A.

As for how many, normally you can just try and there should be a security that turn the transformer off if there is an overload. If there is not such a thing, then the transformer will simply overheat and the wires will melt, resulting in some kind of disaster, but normally they shouldn't allow to sell products that behave as such.

Personally I never used a transformer, even though I have some consoles from the USA and from Japan. I just use non-official power supplies, sometimes I had to joint the wires myself, but in all cases I could find an equivalent power supply that would directly fit a 230V outlet, it's more convenient.

Bregalad wrote:This means that the maximum current delivered in the pseudo-110V outlet is 1.6A.
As for how many, normally you can just try and there should be a security that turn the transformer off if there is an overload. If there is not such a thing, then the transformer will simply overheat and the wires will melt, resulting in some kind of disaster, but normally they shouldn't allow to sell products that behave as such.

I wouldn't really be surprised if my transformer didn't have plain ANYTHING inside rather than a big piece of copper to convert the voltage. This is one of the most common things that happen in Poland that is BS, everything goes. They do whatever shit they want and sell it most the time....

Ah, I just read one thing on my transformer and the manufacturer's site: apparently there is some kind of "thermal overloading security: 90 C". Does it mean my transformer will just simply shut down if there is an overload??

MaarioS wrote: Ah, I just read one thing on my transformer and the manufacturer's site: apparently there is some kind of "thermal overloading security: 90 C". Does it mean my transformer will just simply shut down if there is an overload??

Yeah, probably a fuse, polyswitch, or something is in there. A fuse may or may not be user-replacable, but a polyswitch is like a self-resetting fuse.

Older consoles usually use an unregulated transformer, so when it says 9V @ 1A that means it should output 9V if the load is 1A. The actual load will be lower than that, I often run my NES on a 400mA @ 9V adapter. You would probably be safe having a couple devices connected to it.

I wouldn't really be surprised if my transformer didn't have plain ANYTHING inside rather than a big piece of copper to convert the voltage. This is one of the most common things that happen in Poland that is BS, everything goes. They do whatever shit they want and sell it most the time....

Normally products sold in the European Union have a CE label and there is legal requirements for this kind of stuff. Of course if the transformer is old enough and/or if it lacks that labels then you're up to anything. At least the ratings are noted, so it's a good sign.

However usually products sells are utter shit mechanically and are made in China, designed to fail in the following 2 years in order to have the customer re-buy something and increase the GDP of both China and the target country. Capitalism is pathetically horrible, especially when mixed with the worst part of communism (i.e. in China).

I cannot really answer your original question, but I can tell you what I use for playing NTSC devices in Europe:

www.amazon.de/gp/product/B006LMSCWY

I just bought two of these. I plug in the TV into one and the NES into the other one and that's it.

If your TV has more than 100 W, you should buy this instead:
www.amazon.de/gp/product/B0053FCX3E

In this case, the question of how many you can plug in isn't even an issue since it only accepts once device anyway.

DRW wrote: In this case, the question of how many you can plug in isn't even an issue since it only accepts once device anyway.

Hah that sentence kind of made me laugh. Never heard of surge protectors??

Either way, these look kind of solid but the power 150W is kind of too low for my purposes. I'd expect somewhere around 300W or more if I'm ever gonna buy a new transformer

Ah, keep in mind that if a transformer can handle, for instance, 300W as I mentioned, does that mean I can plug devices that drain up to 300W at once?? I heard there should be some kind of limit like you shouldn't use more than 90% of transformer's power, hence you can use up to 270W only in this case

MaarioS wrote:Hah that sentence kind of made me laugh. Never heard of surge protectors??

As a surge protector, I use a European one, i.e. the one that is already in my native format and therefore "guaranteed" to work. The converters are one per device. And it works pretty well.

Also, why would you need more than two devices at the same time anyway? Console + TV.

MaarioS wrote:Either way, these look kind of solid but the power 150W is kind of too low for my purposes. I'd expect somewhere around 300W or more if I'm ever gonna buy a new transformer

What do you need such a high value for?
But anyway: www.amazon.de/dp/B005WQZ7O6

MaarioS wrote:Ah, keep in mind that if a transformer can handle, for instance, 300W as I mentioned, does that mean I can plug devices that drain up to 300W at once?? I heard there should be some kind of limit like you shouldn't use more than 90% of transformer's power, hence you can use up to 270W only in this case

I don't know, but aren't these devices pretty low anyway? Like, that the TV needs something like 60W and the console even less? I have checked it back then and the devices didn't even come close to the maximum of the converter.

Keep in mind I have around 10 or more consoles plugged in the same time and you should additionally count additional devices like Famicom FDS, Sega CD and 32x and who knows, sometimes I buy any other electronics from USA so I want to be prepared for that. In short, I use a lot of electronic devices

But you surely don't use all of them at once, do you? When the NES is switched on, the SNES and the Genesis are usually off. So, it shouldn't matter how many of them are plugged in as long as you only use two devices at once. As far as I know, having a console plugged in, but switched off is the same as having it unplugged at all. (Except for stuff that has standby mode of course.)

DRW wrote:As far as I know, having a console plugged in, but switched off is the same as having it unplugged at all. (Except for stuff that has standby mode of course.)

AC adapters always draw some power, even if they're not connected to the device they're supposed to power. The amount they draw is minimal, so it shouldn't be a concern unless you're pushing extremely close to the maximum capacity of your step-down transformer or leaving a ridiculous number of them plugged in at the same time.

DRW wrote:But you surely don't use all of them at once, do you? When the NES is switched on, the SNES and the Genesis are usually off. So, it shouldn't matter how many of them are plugged in as long as you only use two devices at once. As far as I know, having a console plugged in, but switched off is the same as having it unplugged at all. (Except for stuff that has standby mode of course.)

You are mostly right and this is true, for anyone with common sense it is understandable and would be aware of that. However I'm the kind of guy that wants to make everything "idiot free", meaning that normally you would play 1 console at the time, meaning you'd turn only one at a time, but what happens if either you or any other kid would want to turn them on all at once?? Let it be just for no reason, for shits and giggles or in case you'd like to do some kind of presentation of all the consoles on purpose. I know this doesn't happen every day and it is rare but once it eventually happens and the transformer's power appears to be insufficient, the results might be very fatal and I DON'T want this to happen. I guess you get my idea

In this case, you should rather ask at an electricians forum or something like that. I guess they can give you a definite answer what is and what isn't possible.

I guess I could try to explain, and we can see where this goes...


if a transformer is 200 VA, what do you think the VA means? It means Volts * Amps.
A Volt-Amp is kind of close to watts, but subtly different (doesn't include power factor).

You also listed an output current and voltage rating... 1.6 Amps and 115 Volts AC (RMS).
115 V (RMS) * 1.6 A * 1 PF = 184 Watts available at perfect power factor (the 1 PF)


Power factor is generally not placed on consumer devices. But to generalize, try 0.8 as it's in the domain we're talking about (another transformer). Don't you dare throw in a fluorescent light or large AC fan motor and blame me, you're talking exclusively about game consoles and maybe a TV, correct?

So going back to the 184 Volt amps available, to generalize without deeply examining every conceivable device you're going to plug in, then 184 VA * 0.8 PF = 147.2 WATTS.


If you add up the input rated wattage of everything that could possibly be powered on in this circuit, try to keep the total load below about 147 Watts total.

Watts just add together (sum). Add the rated wattage of all the devices together to be used (powered on) simultaneously. For example if a power cube transformer has a 9V output at 1 Amp, do you use this information? OF COURSE NOT! That's the OUTPUT spec of the device, not the INPUT spec. Often times there is an input voltage and a typical wattage rating on the nameplate, use the wattage (W) number!

For the purpose of wattage, if the INPUT spec only lists a voltage and amps, then for the purposes of this calculation, multiply the two together as this is the most the device could draw. Like if it's a lazy 115 V AC, 1 Amp spec, then 115 * 1 = 115 Volt-Amps at perfect power factor, but we don't know what the actual power factor is so we can't assume, so just call it 115 watts to be safe.

If you are still confused, ask questions.

YEAH!! Finally the one who gave me the most definite answer!!

Of course I was wrong describing these voltages because I only looked at output voltages (the voltages and amps that consoles drain) but sure I was totally mistaken because I was supposed to look at input voltages, the numbers that drain power from the transformer.

Anyway, here are the specs of AC adapters I use NOW (because more are about to come):
1st: INPUT: 120V AC 60Hz 15W
2nd: INPUT: 120V 60Hz 35W
3rd: INPUT: AC120V 60Hz 17W
4th (here is the funny one): AC 100V 50/60Hz 9VA

So, judging by explanations, I can add watts: 15+35+17=67W but what happens to the 4th one?? Should I multiply it by 0.8PF?? This results in 7.2W or I can multiply it by 1PF to be safe which results in 9W, meaning the total consumption is ~76W.

In conclusion, I can assume I can plug 3-4 more AC adapters with same parameters and be safe but I should be aware plugging in more of them, right??


Ah 1 more question: should I be concerned that there are slight differences in voltages like 100V AC input or 120V AC input??

Of course I'm aware that I won't plug in anything like washing machine to that because in this case my entire house would be endangered

By the way, crap, you can blame me but what exactly is the power factor or better yet, how should I calculate it or measure it??