Usa Device Repair From Using Uk Voltage

[Triiickie]

Hi



I am not an electrician and would like to ask the community a question regarding a recently purchased from from the United States.



I purchased a uSqueez leg massager from the USA:

OSIM uSqueez App-Controlled Foot & Calf Massager?Buy Now!



When returning to the UK, it was plugged via a standard adaptor you can buy (why it would let you do this I really don't know) and when doing so, it work for 3 seconds then a popping sound occurred. I then realised that I needed a step down converter form the USA 110v to the UK 230v. the product was expensive at $299 and it cannot be returned to the USA as it is not covered under warantee.



Does this mean the product is totally useless now or is there a way I can fix this? Not sure if there may be an internal fuse box I could replace, or request a part from the manufacturer and get an electrician to replace? I really hope a fix is available and any recommneded electicians would be most grateful.



Any help would be greatly received.

 

[amlu]

most likely power supply in that machine will be fried. it will need someone with electronic repair skills, not an electrician.

 

[Engineer54]

I'm surprised it lasted for a few seconds!! lol!!

Now come on now, what did you really expect to happen, plugging in a 120V 60 Hz appliance into a 240V 50 Hz supply?? Don't blame the adaptor, this is totally down to you!! As stated your appliance power supply has been fried, so you'll need an electronic workshop to have any chance of repair!!

 

[Triiickie]

Hi

I don't blame the adaptor at all. I take fully responsibility for not thinking straight. I was jet lagged and I didn't sleep before opening the box. If I had to go out and purchase an adaptor I would have realised I needed a step down converter, it was just that the adaptor I did have, let me configure it so that an american plug would fit to UK socket. It should not have allowed me to do this.

So if it is just the power supply that has fried, maybe there is hope of repairing it afterall?

 

[DPG]

To be honest, your only hope is taking it to somewhere who is capable of opening it up and investigating the fault properly. It would be next to impossible to diagnose something like this remotely? Plus, you need an electonics guy, not an electrician. Daz

 

[kingeri]

You may be able to get it fixed, but it is possible that it's beyond economical repair!

 

[DPG]

You may be able to get it fixed, but it is possible that it's beyond economical repair!

That's a definate 'sitting on the fence' answer that one Daz

 

[ian.settle1]

Looks like you have wasted $299 (£200) unless you can get it repaired.

 

[Triiickie]

Thank you for the reminder :-(

 

[DPG]

Just out of interest, when you say you don't understand why it could be plugged in using a standard adaptor - what sort of standard adaptor are you referring to? Daz

 

[Triiickie]

totalmerchandise
co
uk
/uploads/product-images/world_travel_adaptor.jpg

sorry, won't let me add link but reassemble above.

 

[KFH]

Lots of power supplies, especially computer type, run on 110-240 volts and the adapters work well with these and are an essential part of a business travelers luggage.I know of others who have done the same as you even when not jet lagged, you will not be the last.

 

[DPG]

Ah, right, got you. Obvious an expensive way of finding out that these adpators don't actually convert the voltage (or the frequency for that matter). Not much help I can offer really, except for what's already been said. Daz

 

[ian.settle1]

All that device is an adapter to allow to plug into sockets off different countries but not change the voltage.

 

[DPG]

All that device is an adapter to allow to plug into sockets off different countries but not change the voltage.

We kind of said that already. Daz

 

[Engineer54]

Hi

I don't blame the adaptor at all. I take fully responsibility for not thinking straight. I was jet lagged and I didn't sleep before opening the box. If I had to go out and purchase an adaptor I would have realised I needed a step down converter, it was just that the adaptor I did have, let me configure it so that an american plug would fit to UK socket. It should not have allowed me to do this.

So if it is just the power supply that has fried, maybe there is hope of repairing it afterall?

Why, you had just come back from the States where you would have known that the voltage is different. Just because you brought the American appliance back to the UK, it's not going to automatically change it's supply requirements!! lol!! Why the hell people bring back appliances and other electrical gizmo's from the States knowing that they aren't suitable for any European supply system has always baffled me!! Sometimes even the additional expensive step-up transformer or whatever, won't get you over the 50/60Hz problem that can be critical on some equipment!!

At the end of the day, you may have to purchase a new power supply from the manufactures, especially if any major components are not individually serviceable/replaceable off the shelf.... An expensive lesson learnt, whatever way it goes!!

 

[Triiickie]

Why, you had just come back from the States where you would have known that the voltage is different. Just because you brought the American appliance back to the UK, it's not going to automatically change it's supply requirements!! lol!! Why the hell people bring back appliances and other electrical gizmo's from the States knowing that they aren't suitable for any European supply system has always baffled me!! Sometimes even the additional expensive step-up transformer or whatever, won't get you over the 50/60Hz problem that can be critical on some equipment!!

At the end of the day, you may have to purchase a new power supply from the manufactures, especially if any major components are not individually serviceable/replaceable off the shelf.... An expensive lesson learnt, whatever way it goes!!

You said...
Why the hell people bring back appliances and other electrical gizmo's from the States knowing that they aren't suitable for any European supply system has always baffled me!!

That was one of my points, I was jet lagged and not thinking straight. I should have known yes but the adaptor I had mislead me. And the fact that the guy in store knew I was coming to the UK should have said you need a converter don't forget. He would have got an extra $50 out of it. Damage done now so hope manufacturers can give me good news.

 

[ian.settle1]

You said...
Why the hell people bring back appliances and other electrical gizmo's from the States knowing that they aren't suitable for any European supply system has always baffled me!!

That was one of my points, I was jet lagged and not thinking straight. I should have known yes but the adaptor I had mislead me. And the fact that the guy in store knew I was coming to the UK should have said you need a converter don't forget. He would have got an extra $50 out of it. Damage done now so hope manufacturers can give me good news.

Cost another £200 to repair it, not good news for you but it would be for them

 

[Rampantchilli]

I think actually that as electricians we expect " normal people" to know this information, but actually I think the average person wouldn't know. My wife is probably the brightest out of her siblings, yet even being married to the wonderful man I am, I reckon this is something she would do, sorry babe.
and actually my son, who is bright but somewhat lazy, has made a similar mistake, plugging in a new power supply for his tattoo equipment, it went fizz pop straight away, on the back was a switch to change between 110&230, bet you can't guess what it was set on, and to think he comes to work with me sometimes

 

[grantr37]

Hi



I am not an electrician and would like to ask the community a question regarding a recently purchased from from the United States.



I purchased a uSqueez leg massager from the USA:

OSIM uSqueez App-Controlled Foot & Calf Massager?Buy Now!



When returning to the UK, it was plugged via a standard adaptor you can buy (why it would let you do this I really don't know) and when doing so, it work for 3 seconds then a popping sound occurred. I then realised that I needed a step down converter form the USA 110v to the UK 230v. the product was expensive at $299 and it cannot be returned to the USA as it is not covered under warantee.



Does this mean the product is totally useless now or is there a way I can fix this? Not sure if there may be an internal fuse box I could replace, or request a part from the manufacturer and get an electrician to replace? I really hope a fix is available and any recommneded electicians would be most grateful.



Any help would be greatly received.

if you can post that power supply to me, I will repair it for free if it can be repaired and post it back to you, I repair electrical and electronic goods as a hobby, if it can be done I will do it....
The pop that you heard will have been either a capacitor or a rectifier diode burning out, I would think most likely a capacitor...
The reason that the plug fitted the travel adapter is A) that the travel adapter also fits dual voltage laptop and phone chargers and B) the makers would never think that the USA product would go outside of America....there is no way to stop the unit from being plugged into a travel adapter as all the USA plugs are the same shape/type (there are 3 types of plug in the USA and they all fit UK travel adapters)


I had a quick look at that website and a few others, and I can't see any mains adapter, it looks like the wire/flex just goes straight in, and it is a bigger gadget/device than I thought at first, really big, so I would think that the motor is almost directly wired to the plug via a control board.....in which case the motor may well be blown/burned out......if that is the case then the nearest spares supplier for that is a motor maker in Wisconsin USA....I can't remember the name of the company I will need to look it up ...the motors are expensive and by the time you get shipping and pay the import tax it might not be worth it as it may be the same as a new replacement massager....