Hi, I bought one of these last Christmas for John and he has never used it. I plan to take it backto Canada with me for a relative but have just noticed it says on the info sheet, for use in the UK and Ireland only...why?
Is it perhaps just the electric charger thing and if so, if I buy a new charger thing when I get there will it fit this Nintendo.
Hoping for help.
XX Jeannine
The only differences between US, European & Asian DS models are cosmetic however using it outside of the area it was sold in voids your warranty so you wouldn't be able to get it repaired/replaced under warranty if you took a UK model to Canada.
Nintendo reccommend you should buy a step up/down (as applicable) transformer however chargers and low power items are generally fine because even though they specify 110V or 240V systems they only actually draw about 5V (hence the reason you can charge off USB). A standard UK to US plug adapter should work fine without the need to purchase a new charger.
If you want to be 100% sure you can charge it then get a USB charger. As USB ports are the same on computers worldwide it is guaranteed to work assuming you will have a computer in Canada.
USB chargers cost around £3 inc P+P on ebay.
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=320308290346
DS games are compatible worldwide, they do not have regional coding like those game for larger consoles. You can buy and play games from any other countries without any problem.
Jeannine
sorry i know nothing about the legalities but my eldest charged his ds in canada with no problems and i did them all in france
lbb
Baccy Man where can i get usb chargers for ds's?
lbb
The ebay link above is for the more common DS lite charger.
This links is for a a pack of 2 chargers which will work with both DS & DS Lites one can be plugged into a USB port the other is for a car cigarette lighter.
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=190255629291
Some of the car chargers include an adapter to convert the cigarette lighter into a powered usb port & have a separate cable which can either be used in that port or in a computers usb port.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Njoy-Universal-Charger-Pack-Lite/dp/B001DCDZN8/ref=sr_1_4/026-8878699-3422840?ie=UTF8&s=videogames&qid=1223429288&sr=1-4
Final option would be a solar powered charger. these are not cheap at around £50 but they will also charge mobile phones, digital cameras, PDA's, Blackberrys, Ipods, Mp3 players etc...
http://timani-ltd.co.uk/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=86
Thank you so much Baccyman..I was hoping it would be OK, the blooming thing has been a real pain in the neck.. John took one look at it and put it back in the box..went down like a lead balloon I am afraid but it came with 2 games and I bought 4 as well so I was very unhappy that he didn't like it.
I will get one of the gadgets you mentioned and I really appreciate your help.
Just realised it does have a car charger with it, so that should work in a US car I think.
XX Jeannine
At the risk of stepping onto dangerous ground, I'm not sure that I agree with Mr Baccy... Voltage isn't drawn, that'd be currant. Voltage is the potential difference between 2 points, and as such unrelated to the device that is used to bridge them. If you plug a transformer designed for an input of 240V into an supply of 120V, you will get half the output voltage of what was intended... best to buy a new one when you get there IMHO!
Ollie that would depend on the appliance. You are right that it depends on the current drawn by the 240 Volt charger however some appliances, such as small battery chargers, electric shavers, etc., have been designed to run safely on different supply voltages. The appliance's label or rating plate will state the range of voltages it can safely be used on. Small voltage converters/travel adapters designed for international travel are perfectly safe to use with such appliances.
Whilst a small appliance like that will work fine as long as it was made to handle the lower voltage, it's not possible to use a small voltage converter for international travel with high-powered appliances such as 220 - 240 Volt electric kettles. The reason is because the current they draw is much too high.
Larger 220 - 240 Volt appliances having powers from say 100 - 200 Watts (which may be the case for a large battery charger) to 2000 Watts (2kW) or more (like an electric kettle) would need an expensive item called a "Transformer" or "Auto-transformer" to enable them to be used on a 120 Volt supply.
Such transformers are much bigger and heavier than the small voltage converters that are available for international travel. Large transformers are also much more expensive.
A nintendo DS or DSL transformer has an input of 100-240v AC & an output of 12V 3.7A meaning it can be used safely with a voltage converter/travel adapter, usb port or 12v supply.
One thing I should add is that if you decide a an in car charger then make sure the engine is running before plugging it in as plugging the adapter in then starting the engine may short out the adapter.