nr wrote:
I may be going to England soon and have been looking at voltage
converter kits. I've seen some that say they only work with items
using 500 watts to 1600 watts. I can understand the maximum wattage
amount, but why would they have a minimum? These are not expensive
converters.

Thanks for any information.
The "cheap" converters are typically a
diode in series with the line. They
work ok for many higher power heating
appliances. But for smaller units,
each one has to be looked at
individually. Many electronic things
will run
on 240 volts, 50 cycles directly with
only a plug adapter .... some will not.
Some units have voltage switches, but,
with the proliferation of switching
power supplies, many will just be spec'd
at something like 100-250 volts,
45 - 100 cycles. There are also small
electronic converters for units that
are only spec'd at 120/60. They take
240 volts 50 cycles and convert it
to 120 volts 60 cycles. BTW, some
hairdryers will work with the "diode"
type adapter and some won't. Some you
may have to reverse the plug,
if there's diodes in the hairdryer. If
we knew what you were trying to power,
it might be helpful.