Hello all, I am headed to Thailand and I have a question for you. My D80's battery charger, the MH-18a: can it be used in Thailand. I know that the Thai electricity is somewhere around 220v, and the back of the charger says: "Input: 110-240v," but can the cable handle the higher voltage?
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Traveling with my D80
- Thread starter techie4life
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The cable will actually be over spec'd with the higher voltage. The "worst case" for the cable is 110V here in the US. What the cable cares about is current not voltage and current is inversely proportional to voltage. The power cord will see about 1/2 of current when you double the volts.
The next question is "Will the plug fit?" I don't know.
Thanks for the input guys. I'm not going to charge the battery unless absolutely necessary. One thing I like about the D80 and other Nikons are the long-lasting batteries. The actual plug over in Thailand can accommodate the US plug, as well as European plugs. I guess I will be fine! Thanks again!
Should be no problem -- I've charged my D80 battery in Australia, Fiji, and China without issues -- all 220 countries. Australia and Fiji required an adapter to fit the plug (no transformer used though), China I could just plug it straight in.
I'd still bring a backup system of some sort -- with VR lenses, the occasional onboard flash use, and the quantity of pictures I am capable of taking in two weeks, I am definitely capable of killing more than two batteries on a two week vacation.
I'd hate to get caught part way through a trip and no longer be able to use my D80! I know the battery grip can use AA's, but I would consider that emergency last resort (by virtue of the cost of batteries in places I've traveled to).
After relying on the power bricks to charge my D80, camcorder, and MacBook on several trips now, I'm pretty comfortable with the concept; the plug adapter is inexpensive and takes almost no space in a suitcase -- I couldn't see traveling without it, even if I didn't expect to use it.