Voltage Conversion EU USA

If I take my USA Geochron overseas, will it work?

Clocks after November 2016:

Answer:  Yes.  If your clock was built or rebuilt after 11-2017, it has the the Dura Drive System with a switchable power supply.  This will work on any standard international electrical mains, but you may need an adapter for your wall plug.

Clocks before November 2016:

Answer: No.  Even if you had step down/ step up transformer, as pictured here, the kilohertz would cause the motors to spin too fast or slow, and the Geochron would be inaccurate.  When we build European Geochron’s in our shop in the USA on 60hz power, we test European Geochrons with a step up transformer and a calculator to estimate the deceleration of the clock on 50hz power.  In the USA, a European Geochron will be slow even after the step up voltage transformer because the kilohertz cannot be corrected.

The electrical AC Synchronous motors in a Geochron are built around a specific voltage and kilohertz: 110v at 60hz (USA), OR 220v at 50hz (Europe).  While the LED lighting system will work within that voltage/khz range, the motors will only work properly for the voltage/khz they are built for.

Solution: Converting a Geochron between international power sources requires the replacement of almost all the electrical components, including the expensive AC synchronous motors and turn-down gearboxes that move the clock mechanisms.  This can be done in our shop in Portland, Oregon, and typically for the same cost as rebuilding a Geochron to a Dura Drive that is less than 10 years old.   See current rebuild pricing here.