Can I use my USA Wii in the UK?

[tcmarotta]

Hi,

I am living in the UK for a few months and I was wondering if anyone has experience using a USA Wii in the UK.

The USA power supply is only 120V, and all of the European Wii power supplies which take 120V - 240V have three pins - not two like the US versions.

I would greatly appreciate any help or advice that can be offered.

TC

 

[lordcorm]

Power Adapter... im sure you could find one.

 

[AamirM.]

I have the same issue too, I'm moving to London from the US in 10 days and i need a way for my Wii to work, where could i buy a power adapter strong enough for it?

 

[Matt's_A_Bluebird]

They are not generally big things, it's really basic technology, us Brits have to take adaptors when we go on holiday to the rest of Europe. They're very cheap and can be bought at nearly all electronic shops and a lot of supermarkets.

EDIT: I'm sure THIS should just work.

 

[Lewi T]

It probably is, but are all Wii's dual-voltage? Or are American one's simply 120V and European one's 240? Because if that's the case then our power supply will fry your Wii...I'll just have a quick look on the back of my Wii and check...

Edit: Ok so it doesn't say whether it is or not, but it does say 'ONLY TO USE WITH POWER SUPPLY (RVL-002)'. So you better check your Wii because whatever that 'RVL-002' is, it might be different on yours, unless anyone knows that all Wii's are dual-voltage.

 

[OmegaForte]

Only way is to find out.

 

[Lewi T]

Only way is to find out.

Lmfao, yeah, I'm sure he'll be willing to test whether or not his Wii gets fried.

 

[OmegaForte]

Oh sure, since even if the wii's aren't dual voltage, and he plugs his 120V 10A Wii power supply in the wall, that'll still be a nice fire.

 

[Matt's_A_Bluebird]

The Wii will be fine, you just need an adaptor from USA 2 pin to UK 3 pin.

 

[tcmarotta]

Using USA Wii in the UK - ANSWER to my own question

Hopefully this will benefit others in the same situation...

Having researched this extensively I am happy to say that all that is required to use your USA spec Wii in the UK (or in any 220v country) is a voltage converter. This will convert the higher 220voltage to 110V, which means the resistance will have to double to offer the Wii power supply the same current it is demands. This is why the voltage converter gets warm.

I first wanted to buy the Nintendo power supply, but the only information I could find on the internet was the European versions are dual voltage and have three pins. I assumed this meant that there are three holes in the back of the Wii, whereas the US version has two (+ and -). Then I thought maybe "3 pins" refers to the plug that goes into the wall. Anyway, it gave me more questions than answers.

To clarify things, the USA spec Wii is only single voltage, so it will not tolerate the higher European voltage. DO NOT just buy an adapter plug to go from US to UK/Europe.

So then I looked into voltage converters. The consumption of the Wii is around 45 Watts, so I bought a 100W voltage converter at Maplin (product RS59P) for around 27 GBP, or probably around $30 if you get one in the US. As you are still using the Wii's own regulated power supply, you shouldn't have to worry about "frying" the Wii itself. If something were to go wrong, just the power supply would be damaged and your Wii would not get any power. The solution is to buy another US Wii power supply, which seem to be everywhere for about $15.

While I make no guarantees or promises I can tell you that my Wii works just fine. You will hear the converter buzz a bit, which is normal, but I switch it off when I am not using the Wii anyway.

Enjoy your Wii!

 

[Lewi T]

Yeah that's what I thought, do not use an adapter, you need a converter. I have two for a couple of CD players I got in the States a few years ago, not that that's any use to you.