230V charger for X990?

I got my X990 today but it came with a charger I can't use here in Germany. Now I need a 230V charger. Where can I buy one in Europe? /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/help.gif

Ok, I ordered a converter which converts voltage from 230V to 120V. Problem solved. Thread can be closed! Thanks!

I think you may be making a mistake. The charger on the X990 is rated for 115V/60Hz. It says so right on it. It may tolerate 50Hz, or it may burnup. (I have seen both) 50hz transformers will always run at reduced ratings at 60Hz, the converse is NOT always true.

My advice is to make yourself a worldwide charger. Many Toshiba laptops are designed to run on 15V, so a 15V/2A laptop supply like a used Toshiba PA2440U from eBay will run on anything from 100-250V, 50 or 60hz. (it probably is also smaller and weighs less). IN any case, you can shop for a 15V/2A power supply. Used Laptop AC adapters work well because they are cheap, and will run on almost input power configuration. Just put the right connector on the DC ouptput end, and fit the required local power cord, and you are set for operating world wide.

I just purchased a Toshiba PA2440U power supply from eBay. Thanks for the advice, mattheww50.

I think the charging/limiting circuit is built into batteries in X990 so 15 volt supply should work.

The Wall Wart for the X990 is rated 15VDC at 1.5 amp, which is why I suggested a laptop supply with nearly identical ratings. The PA2440U is 15VDC 2.0Amp. Worst case is that it may charge the battery a little faster.

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mattheww50 said:
Worst case is that it may charge the battery a little faster.

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That sounds good, I like short charging times. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif
But doesn't the battery get too hot when the input current is higher than 1.5 amps?

It may get a little warmer, but it probably isn't material.
The battery assembly is not exactly tiny, it is a 4.5AH NiMh pack, and it weighs over 2 pounds! Neither the thermal mass, or the surface is small. Only about 20% of the energy being used to charge appears as heat, so the assembly needs to get rid of about another 1.5 watts (total goes up to about 6 watts from 4.5 watts) if it charges at 2 amps instead of 1.5, so it is going to get warmer (maybe 10 degrees F), but that is about all. Even at 2 amps, going into a 4.5AH battery it is still 2+ hours for a full charge, so it is hardly a super fast charge. (not like 8 amps into a 2.5ah AA cell)..

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mattheww50 said:
Just put the right connector on the DC ouptput end [...]

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There is already a connector on the DC output but is doesn't fit. How can I put another one there? I don't think that adaptors for these connectors exist...at least I haven't found any. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/confused.gif

Ha! I messed around with the connector a bit and it fits now finally into the battery which is being charged right now! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/tongue.gif

I'm not sure if the power supply will stop charging when the battery is full. Is it safe to charge overnight?

Charging controls are in the battery, not in the power supply.When the battery is fully charged, the load on the power supply will drop to a few hundred ma. Since the powersupply is thermally protected, I wouldn't worry about overnight charging, although the NiMh battery should fully charge in about 150 minutes.

Worst case (for another project I did this), you can simply cut off the old connector and install a new one that fits correctly, either by crimp on connector, or solder.

I don't trust the integrated charger any longer,
destroyed one of the batteries, and of course they are not covered under warranty.
Now i use an universal charger.