The Science behind a 220 to 110 Converter

The terms 220 to 110 converter and travel transformer are sometimes used interchangeably. Some manufacturers even use one term for the other when putting labels on their products. However, a 220 to 110 converter is technically different from the way a transformer changes voltages. The following is a simple description of how converters work.

Transformers are so named due to the fact that they transform or change the voltage of electric current. A travel transformer takes a high voltage and converts it into low voltage. This step down approach to power conversion is safe and does not cause any problem with any appliance or gadget.

On the other hand, a 220 to 110 converter does not transform voltages as its moniker may have people think. What this device does is to simply just cut the power down in half from 220 volts to 110 volts. In a seamless perfect world, that process would have been completely worry-free. Well, that’s not the case on this planet, which is why many people have complained about these so-called converters.

A 220 to 110 converter cuts the current’s sine wave in half, which is why there never is a negative 110v rating in these so-called converters. These converters are known to fry different kinds of electronic devices. Plug a 1,200-watt device in a 1,600-watt converter and you have an instant smoking paperweight right in front of you.

AC alternates from plus to minus as it runs through a circuit. This is basically the behavior one can observe in a sine wave pattern. The current switches from one direction to the other in a fraction of a second. A 220 to 110 converter only uses the positive side of the sine wave and prevents electrons from going the other way. This method of reducing electric current can cause a short circuit in many silicon chips used today.

The best advice for anyone traveling to Europe therefore would be to purchase a real power converter, which means getting a transformer and not just a “converter.” A 220 to 110 converter is an indispensable device as long as one ensures that the device actually converts the power and not just cuts it in half.