Problem RESOLVED (sort of): battery, Singapore, adaptor

[MoneyGal]

Hi all - I am a Canadian who has just travelled to Singapore with my ResMed + Medistrom battery.

Battery worked amazing on overnight flight.

My problem is now that I am in Singapore. I have battery adaptors I purchased in Canada.

Got to the apartment I'm staying in, plugged in the whole kit including battery (to use as backup), and went to sleep. Woke up to the sound of the battery's low power sound, realized I had been running on battery all night.

Couldn't seem to get the battery to charge / stop the low-power beeping, so I tried plugging the machine directly into the adaptor and then into the wall.

No go - the machine cycles on and off every 2-3 seconds.

I have the battery plugged in, but I AM NOT SURE IT IS CHARGING. There are four green lights that show all lit up when the battery is fully charged. What I am seeing is "flickers" of green light occasionally, and the low power sound is also going off.

I think I was able to sleep last night on the residual battery power I had from Canada.

Now I am trying to figure out whether it is the POWER SUPPLY (i.e. the wall current or whatever that might be called) or the ADAPTOR that is not functioning.

I am looking for any advice or help in figuring out next steps.

Right now I have a battery that I cannot charge, and a wall power source that will not run my machine.

[Julie]

Ask the hotel for help - get a plant manager type or something because I'm sure they're familiar with adaptor problems from all over. Singapore's a very sophisticated place.

[dvejr]

Certainly sounds like the wall outlet - or your plug adapter - are defective. test the wall outlet with a table lamp that works in another outlet. Is this outlet OK?.

If so, your adapter is probably defective. Some (rare) are fused. Does yours have a blown fuse? can you go around the corner and buy another adapter - they're usually not hard to find.

Doug

[MoneyGal]

I am going to try and find another adaptor.

Battery plugged into DIFFERENT outlet WITH charger and adaptor not charging (well, still showing "low power" signal after 2+ hours of charging, I need to check how long it is supposed to take to fully charge a CPAP battery)

That outlet, WITH adaptor is powering this computer just fine.

[MoneyGal]

Both adaptors and a different adaptor have the same problem.

I cannot charge my battery OR power my machine.

ARGH. I'm not in a hotel, I am in a "model apartment" with my model daughter having arrived yesterday and today is a national holiday in Singapore.

What could be causing this? Is there some...voltage...something that explains it?

[Gasper62]

Maybe try their local offices. See if they can provide any answers. Good luck.

http://www.medicalproductguide.com/comp ... re_pte_ltd

http://sgmedical.org/

[rick blaine]

Thank goodness your laptop is working and you have a link to the internet.

Sometimes when you've tried several variables and they haven't worked, it's worth going back and checking everything again from scratch.

The kind of socket used in Singapore is the same as the 13-amp square-pinned British one - an arrangement left over from the past. This kind of circuit runs at 240 volts, and does, as dvejr says, assume there is a fuse in the plug.

If you go to this link and scroll down, there's a section on what to look for on the underside of your power transformer with respect to 'can adapt to 240 voltage'. And there's also a section on CPAP which says sometimes the frequency the Singapore 240v alternating current is running on can have an effect.

http://www.adaptelec.com/index.php?main ... cts_id=222

As I understand it, ResMed power transformers automatically switch between 50 and 60 Hz - whichever the local current is operating at. But the power supply to the apartment you're in may be unstable, and falling outside this range.

You might contact a hospital and ask if you can test your equipment there - on the basis that they're the kind of place that has similar medical equipment, and so have installed a more stable supply. They - or say, a radio station - might even let you charge up your battery unit during the day, and pick it up from them at night.

[HoseCrusher]

Another suggestion is to contact Medistrom (888-407-4791) and see if they can offer any technical support.

Also, you could "stop by and visit" a public motel and plug in and see if it works there.

[palerider]

As I understand it, ResMed power transformers automatically switch between 50 and 60 Hz -

it's not that they 'switch'.... it's simply that they *don't care* what the frequency of the input is.

pretty much the only thing that *does* care in the first place are AC motors.

and all the power for cpaps is converted to DC anyway...

[MoneyGal]

Thank you so much for the replies. Here's the update:

Weirdly, the machine will still blow air (i.e function) even though it appears to be turning off. That is, it is plugged in and will start up, then will start normal operations - then will appear to turn off in that all lights go off. But if I am wearing the hose and mask, air will still keep blowing UNLESS I move even the slightest amount, and sometimes it will just turn off for no apparent reason.

So, last night I got some CPAP-assisted sleep.

The better news is that I found someone in SG who will help me: http://www.sleepeasysingapore.com

Based on our email conversation yesterday, he said it sounds as though the machine has a faulty motherboard. But whatever it is, I am taking everything to him this morning and he will help me with a loaner machine if necessary until he has sorted out WHAT is not working and WHY.

I have a sinking fear that possibly the lack of surge protection blew the transformer. But I hardly know what I am talking about.

Anyways, I was able to find a CPAP supplier here locally, and he answered an email on a public holiday, and hopefully by later today I will be sorted with a machine that is working.

My anxiety about this trip has been high. I was so pleased when I used the machine on my overnight flight, and then so upset when it all fell apart once I got here!

I will come back and update again, if only so that in future people looking for support in Singapore might find this thread. Thank you again!

[MoneyGal]

Ok.

The transformer blew. It was my fault for not thinking about the fact that I should probably have brought a surge protector with me. I have one now, plus a new transformer being express shipped to me from Canada (because I cannot buy a Canadian plug transformer here in Singapore, which makes sense), and I have a rented machine for a month to allow for the transformer to get to me (I'm in Singapore for two months).

I cannot say enough nice things about the various Singaporeans who have helped me through this. The owner of The Sleep Easy Centre http://www.sleepeasysingapore.com/ went above and beyond to ensure I had a working system so I could sleep for the first time...since Sunday.

[Janknitz]

Thanks for sharing your story. I don't travel much these days, but it's always nice to know what to consider. And a plug for a good DME is priceless!

[romeeko]

Thanks for charging
I just got I to Singapore flying from Seattle to Tokyo then to Changhi Singapore.
I used it on the flight and didn't really get any weird looks or xompalints.
Thank goodness I was upgraded to Business class the whole way
So then I get to the Hotel and hook up my cpap. I had the converter plug and
I then plugged in the Resmed and and it all powered up.
I was making changes and then heard a pop from the power brick
Now it won't light up on the power brick.
Is here somewhere I can get to help fix it or get me a new power

[Battery Man]

When you travel, you might want to consider getting an automatic voltage regulator. They ensure that the voltage stays near the stated amount (in case of brownout as many countries have huge drops in voltage during peak times), they provide surge protection, and they usually have a 110V plug with a US outlet in the back of it so you do not need to buy adapters. You can pick one put for about $30-$50 in most countries.