Are there adapters for using peripherals from Europe?

[Luddite]

There is a particular scanner I've had my eye on for a while, and I just saw a great deal on eBay. The only thing is the seller is in Italy. I would imagine the scanner being sold is 220V, rather than the North American 110-120 V The scanner is listed with a power supply of 24 Vdc/0.75 A

Is there a way to use a European device in North America? Are there adapters or special plugs I can buy to get around the different voltage? If so, what are they called and what do I look for?

Thanks.

 

[bruceb]

Make and Model of Scanner would help. Odds are, you can locate a 24VDC .75Amp power adapter here in the US .. you just need to make sure it has the proper plug and polarity to connect at the scanner.

 

[DigDog]

1. but why?
i'm all for your yanks supporting mamma italia for once, but, you gon' pay shipping costs and a new power supply too? surely there's a US model somewhere??

2. yes and no. some units have quite a lot of tolerance for voltage, and you could even break open the power plug and just jam it in the socket, and it would work. Other stuff, it will go up in smoke the instant it gets juice. No real way of knowing until you plug it in.

3. there's ADAPTORS which simply change the shape of the power plug, and CONVERTERS, in your case you would need a converter, it shouldn't be terribly expensive, but the cost probably works to more than what you would pay by simply getting a US model.

truth is, we don't really produce ... we dont really DESIGN much electronics back home. If it's on sale in a Italian shop, it's probably either German, or American. Or Japanese. I'm absolutely convinced the same thing you've seen for the EU market exists with a different product code for the US market, you just gotta find it.

 

[bruceb]

There are converters that will take 110VAC and make it 220VAC .. various prices and wattages. But I also agree, the scanner he wants probably does exist as a US version. And in my view, replacing the DC Power Brick with a 110VAC model is probably cheaper and safer.