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Moving Nakamichi CR-2A from US to EU

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OLMG

New Member
Hello all,
I've relocated from the US to Germany and brought my American cassette deck with me, betting it would be cheaper to adapt it to its new power environment than to buy a new one. However: I know next to nothing about electricity. Do I need anything more than a simple step-down transformer? I was recommended this one for my turntable:
https://geizhals.de/goobay-mw2p045-spannungswandler-230v-zu-110v-ac-54754-a2075855.html
would that do just as well for the cassette deck?
Thanks for your "input"
 
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Well it says to be 45 watt max for short-term use, and 30 watt if you are using it more then one hour. I would geus the deck consumes somewhere about that amount alone (you can read that on the back of it). An amplifier can use much more, in case you where considering to bring a 110V amplifier as well. The wattige output for the speakers is a different number. And then I doubt that converter changes the frequency from 60 to 50 hertz, which might or might not give issues, particularly with the record player. In all, I would say the easy option had ben to sell that stuff in the US, and buy something new in Germany. But it might be a bit late for that advice.

There is one more option, if you are lucky. Some components would be "multivoltige". That is to say, there might be a switch at the back that allows you to set it for different input voltiges. Those usually have a bit of a "child lock" but that is easily overcome. note: if you change the voltige setting, then do so without the powerplug in the socket!

If you need help, make a picture of the back so we can see what goes on there.
 
OLMG said:
Hello all,
I've relocated from the US to Germany and brought my American cassette deck with me, betting it would be cheaper to adapt it to its new power environment than to buy a new one. However: I know next to nothing about electricity. Do I need anything more than a simple step-down transformer? I was recommended this one for my turntable:
https://geizhals.de/goobay-mw2p045-spannungswandler-230v-zu-110v-ac-54754-a2075855.html
would that do just as well for the cassette deck?
Thanks for your "input"
Click to expand...

All what you need is step-down transformer, like this:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/1122287528...3dhHE3ahLXNWzi6t88bWZpUgyD|tkp:Bk9SR5irrZCDYQ

Frequency does not matter.
 
stoN_Cold said:
Open the deck and see that by chance the transformer is not for all primary voltages! Multi voltages.
Click to expand...

What deck transformer? Leave it alone! OP needs step down autotransformer not to replace deck transformer! What the hell you smoke? :)
 
stoN_Cold said:
Those small converters from 230 to 120 have Triac in them. DO NOT USE THOSE CONVERTERS!
Click to expand...
A triac is basically an electronic switch used to turn-on/off the AC voltage waveform to lower the RMS output voltage. Here's a short description of how a triac lowers an AC voltage. The waveform will be distorted and not good for the electronics. I'm not sure what method is used by what you were looking at in the previous post.

upload_2022-10-30_7-57-8.png

A transformer converts one AC signal voltage to another AC signal voltage (but not frequency) and can be a step-up transformer (increase voltage) or step-down (decrease voltage) depending on the transformer windings. This is done by changing the number of windings on the primary side of the transformer and secondary side. (A 1:1 has equal windings, step-up or step-down has unequal windings.)
 
I'm not sure the original poster is even checking these responses. He has not posted anything since the first and only post?

Here's a short description of the differences between a voltage "converter" and voltage "transformer".
@OLMG it looks like your original link is probably a converter (not a transformer) and should probably not be used for electronics.

upload_2022-10-30_8-11-37.png
 
I took a CR-1A with me when I moved to the Czech Republic back in 1998. Had a local guy build me a transformer and that was all I needed.
 
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