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Moving From USA Overseas... Looking For Advice re: Electrical Service and Gear

hello all,

i'm moving from the USA to Vietnam (220V / 50 hz) and am looking for some advice on the best and safest way to hook up my system out there.  the area i'm moving to - district 2 in ho chi minh city - apparently has power outages monthly.  any advice on safely running my gear out there would be appreciated.

  • is it better to have my gear converted to 220V, or simply use a 220V - 120V step down transformer?
  • should i use an uninterruptible power supply (UPS / battery backup) or is a good surge protector sufficient?
  • is it possible to use a step down transformer in line with a UPS, ie, wall to UPS, UPS to transformer, transformer to gear?

as you can see, i have no idea what's the best and safest way to run USA spec equipment in Vietnam and would appreciate all inputs and recommendations.

thanks!
Scott 
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lucidear
88 posts
 
Al,

Thanks again,
forums like this and knowledgeable folks like you make life easier for the Rest of us...
Best Regards

czarivey
5,946 posts
 
If you have tointable with AC motor designed for 60hz, than you will also have to have either 50hz pulley or frequency converter.
inna
7,296 posts
 
Czarivey, thank you. Well, if I ever need it, I got lucky - there is 50hz pulley for the Nottingham motor available from the UK dealers.
zephyr24069's avatar
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zephyr24069
1,244 posts
 
Thank you all for the responses and all the great info!
chumsusi's avatar
chumsusi
26 posts
 
I lived in Vietnam for several years in 2000's and brought my audio gear from the US with me. I bought a step-down transformer over there to use with my gear and never had any problems. I had the transformer customized a little bit and I think I paid around $100.00 for a 2 KVA. One thing you may want to be aware of is that most power outlets over there are ungrounded, so sometimes you get very light electrical shock when you touch certain part of your equipment. My suggestion is to negotiate with your landlord to have the outlets grounded. And remember to bring a few 3 to 2 prong adapters. You can find them there also. Let me know if you have other questions. 
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