Ok, my first trip to Bonaire. I cannot find a proper place to put my topic. I am told the power is 127V 50Hz.

I am from the US. Are there converters I can buy for my electric shaver and to charge my IPOD? I do not have a computer, mostly for small electronics and no hair dryer. I figure the warm wind can do that.

I am sure there are others who have something to get around this.

Thanks

I has been my experience that MOST electric devices work (although somewhat warmly) very well on Bonaire's wall power. Toshiba, Sony, Apple all work very nicely.

Check the chargers that you have for your devices. Most newer ones show the operating range and show a 50 to 60 cycles per second (cps).
That is the same as hertz, more or less.

The only thing that really won't work right are clocks. I forgot about that and got the bright idea of setting the timer on the coffee pot for 0730. At 0320 I had a full pot of coffee.

Hi
A minor problem you might run into is the wider blade on one side of a plug won't fit into older sockets. Also some sockets will not take three prong plugs. Just bring an adapter.
Mick

If your IPOD charger is marked 50-60Hz 110V-220V, it will work. Otherwise, Boomerang Hardware sells a nice universal charger that will adapt for you.

Personally, I think a week without shaving is a major portion of the vacation experience. Your shaver may have trouble, but probably won't. If it's extremely expensive, use a disposable while you are here. Otherwise, just don't run it for a long time without a break, and it should be fine.

Someone should write up the definitive guide to power on Bonaire. I am not an electrical specialist of any kind, so if any one with additional information, or corrections to my information, feel free to chime in and help.

Problems with power source on Bonaire:
1. 110 outlets deliver dirty power (subject to spikes, which can damage electronic equipment)
2. 110 outlets do not support polarized plugs
3. Power is delivered @ 50Hz instead of 60Hz
4. Some units only have 220V power sources (not very common)

1) You will find both 110 and 220 outlets in many places. That does not mean that the 110 outlet will deliver 110 volts. North America has a clean, stable power supply of 110V @ 60Hz. You will find that Bonaire’s 110 source is actually 127V and 50Hz, and the voltage will both spike and drop, hence the term “Dirty Power”.

2) If you take a look at any North American two pronged plug you will see that one of the prongs on the plug is wider than the other. In North America this insures that the device is grounded correctly. On Bonaire you will find that if you have a two pronged device it will not plug into the outlet. If your plug is a three pronged plug you will see that the two flat prongs are the same size, so this type of plug will work fine.

3) The 50Hz power that you find on Bonaire will cause any electric clock that is plugged in to slowly drift away from the correct time. Power charges will tend to run a little warmer than usual, but for the most part this is not a problem for them. You will find that Laptop power chargers for example are usually rated for everything from 110V – 220V and 50Hz – 60Hz. You can even plug them into the 220V plugs with a small adaptor, which costs a couple of dollars and can be found on the island.



4) If the unit you are in only has 220V then you will need a converter.

How to ensure you have clean power and protect your devices

Some accommodations will offer a surge protected power source. Playa Lechi Residence is an example of accommodation where the building is surge protected. I don’t think this is the norm however. If you want to give your equipment some protection then you will find Belkin offers a mini surge protector which also has the ability to charge USB devices. The link below takes to additional information about the device

http://catalog.belkin.com/IWCatProductPage.process?Product_Id=400738



Another thing I do is limit the amount of time that I leave my devices plugged into the outlet. If I can avoid it I will never leave a charger overnight.

Hope this helps.

Gord, That is some great information you put together. I have no problem with my (US)hairdryer working. It plugs in just fine. Does have a tendency to run a bit warmer than at home, so I just use a cooler heat setting. Also the electric clocks that I use all run fine. They do not gain any time. The only one that ran fast was the one in the microwave, as it was a 220.

Gord..Great posting. I ALWAYS take the Belkin mini surge protector with me for IPOD & Laptop & strongly recommend others do likewise.

Wow: Great post on the information. My cell phone adapter does say 50-60Hz, My Ipod is charged thru my desktop so I will look for an adaptor that will work as well.

No, no laptop on this trip, semi low-tech. Luckily I have a Citizen Navahawk that I have when I travelled all the time I just set the time zone and wa-la there it is.

I am trying to not bring a lot of electrical stuff with me but the Ipod is a must for me.

Thanks for all the help folks.

Great information to have in "print" via your post, Gord! Thanks a million. cb

Gord, wow, thanks. Great information

We're all hippies at heart, Cyn! That will never die. Yippee!! Peace, man, Peace. cb

The Belkin Mini Surge Protector looks like a great idea but I see it has a 3 pronged plug. If one uses an adapter so it can be plugged into a 2 prong outlet will it still function as a surge protector?

"If one uses an adapter so it can be plugged into a 2 prong outlet will it still function as a surge protector? "

Nope.

Seriously, I think that most if this is overstated. I've been here for 42 months. That's equivalent to 168 American vacations, or 56 Dutch ones. For three years in the hotel, I had 10 televisions, 10 DVD players, 12 computers, 12 monitors, radios, laptops, innumerable things plugged directly into the public grid. In that time, I lost 1 DVD player and 1 monitor, and have no particular reason to blame electrical power in either case.

The only thing I use transformers for is my gas drier, because the large motor in a gas drier already has heating problems from its environment. I use an APS in front of one computer, and AC/DC/AC conversion does provide surge protection, even without a separate ground. I use that to protect against power outages. My laptop is plugged directly into the grid about 16 hours/day.

If the appliance is compatible with 50 Hz power, there is no reason to be paranoid.

A question for you locals:

In the past there have been two issues with voltage on the electrical system; I am wondering about them now.

1. The steady line voltage near the power plant was significantly higher than the nominal 117 volts. I measured 137 volts on Kaya Neerlandia, behind Voz di Bonaire. Still so???

2. There were significant 'variations' in voltage, particularly high spikes that damaged electrical things, and periods of low voltage. Still???

Glen,
The line voltage here is nominally 127V, not 117. It varies some, but not a lot. I've seen 132V, but no higher. Most "115V" equipment is designed to operate over a 10% variation (103-127V). I even have some Japanese 100V electronics in the house, and they run fine at 127V.

Motors have problems, but that is because of the frequency difference, not the voltage. Still, dropping the voltage helps a 60Hz motor live on 50Hz. I usually run 115V 60Hz motors at 100V 50Hz, and get good life out of them that way.

I've never noticed any extended undervoltage periods.

The power got better after the old plant caught fire in 2005. The "temporary" generators they installed as a repair are superior to the equipment they replaced.

TKS, Kevin.

We just recently came back from Bonaire. There is a website Walkabouttravelgear.com that sells the necessary adapters for Bonaire. Some were 4 dollars a piece and some were 7 dollars a piece. I ordered all 4 not knowing which ones I would need at the hotel.

Can you tell us which one(s) were useful??? :–)