'Strange' Plug

[rprocter]

I bought a photography 'tent' that came with two 50 watt halogen lights each mounted on a small stand. The plug to connect these lights to power is new to me: 2 round prongs, 2 cm long, 2 cm apart (wider than the standard electrical plug). What does this plug into ??
I'm asking here because there are no photography/lighting stores anywhere near my home.
roland

[chrisa62401]

I bought a photography 'tent' that came with two 50 watt halogen lights each mounted on a small stand. The plug to connect these lights to power is new to me: 2 round prongs, 2 cm long, 2 cm apart (wider than the standard electrical plug). What does this plug into ??
I'm asking here because there are no photography/lighting stores anywhere near my home.
roland

Sounds like a European plug

[nozyk]

Yep,European.My outlaws brought back a decorative lamp from Eastern Europe and thats the plug that was on it.

[rprocter]

Here is the light fixture, 50W Halogen, supposedly of the correct light spectrum for use with a light tent/box:





And the useless plug:



I bought this set up about 8 months ago on ebay but have been too busy to actually look at it until today.
The seller was in USA & my shipping address is USA, so why send a European 220v light ?
I cannot recall the seller's name so i can't even send him a note about this. The listing said nothing about the plug type and it was not shown in the listing pictures.
roland

[hepclass]

Bet you were shocked!!!! That sucks.

[Odog27]

It's European as stated before and it's 50 Hz. They sell adapters that should do the trick.

[rprocter]

I took the halogen bulb out and stamped on the base is 220-240 volts. I don't understand electricity so i don't know what the implications of 50 Hertz is, but i know that i don't have an available 220 outlet.
Could i use the fixture by buying a halogen bulb for 120volts and putting on a standard 'plug' ? Or is the fixture only safe to use with 220 volts ?
What type of bulb gives the right spectrum for taking pics of knives in the photo. cube /
thanks, i do appreciate the help.
I found my notes on this. seller: eecompass, no longer exists on ebay. i.e. the guy probably sold a bunch of these and then disappeared.
roland

[chrisa62401]

You need a 5000k bulb

[Odog27]

The adapter allows you to plug it into a 120 volt outlet.
Google travel adapter/converter. Should find what you need.

[Odog27]

Actually easier to google "120v to 220v" converter.

[gadgetgeek]

the problem is also that you won't be able to get get bulbs locally. Some adapters don't convert the power frequency, which might change your output, possibly color a bit. also, make sure you get an adapter that isn't just a plug adapter. There are lots of cheap ones out there that just change the plug, like what I'm using on my laptop right now, as the power supply can take Aus power, but I only got it with a US cord. Halogens need the correct input voltage, so if you only give it 120v you'll get a very yellow looking light, or it might just blow.
Best bet would be to ebay it for the shipping cost and get something else.

[mqqn]

You should not have to do anything with the bulb -

When I travel in Europe, I carry a plug adapter that allows me to convert my "americas" plugs to the Euro style that your new light has.

You bought European lights, and so you will have to buy an adapter that allows you to plug your light into, and then plug the adapter into your standard wall outlet.

I don't think you have to worry about the current. I don't have any first hand experience with photo lighting in this kind of case, but it should light the thing up.

best

mqqn

[Odog27]

Converters and adapters are not the same thing. You would want a converter.

[rprocter]

I very much appreciate the help here. When i posted i had no idea what was going on.
These lights i have are cheap, like about $20 each. The cheapest converters are about $9 and slightly better ones are about $20.
I think the simplest is to buy new lights, making sure they have the North American plug.
Getting 2 converters would give me more stuff to set up/store and another piece of equipment that could fail.
K.I.S.S. is always good.
However, my wasted $50 led to the education i have received here.
thanks, roland

[jmac30]

Roland do you have 220 available in the house - say an electric dryer? Easy enough to make a short adapter cord that you could plug in when needed

[rprocter]

Yes, 220 plug ins for dryer and electric stove, but i don't want to have to move these out every time i want to plug in my photo lights. I could also modify one of my kitchen duplex receptacles to get 220v, but i would rather deal with 110v for lights. If it somehow shorts out, the shock i might receive is more survivable. If i was more familiar with wiring i might be more comfortable with 220.
roland

[Gollnick]

A 50Hz bulb will be fine at 60Hz, slightly brighter.

You just need a 110-220V adapter. Unfortunately, that is the more difficult of the two to find in the US. 220V-to-110V are commonly sold for Americas preparing to travel abroad. But, you can find 110-to-220V adapters around if you look. Just watch the power rating. You want one that is rated for at least 100W.