Hi everyone.
Post-Script as Pre-Script: When I set out to write this post, I had no idea it would reach book length! To make it easier to scan, I am going to embed subheads and a TL/DR.
TL/DR
How hard is it to convert a Rowenta Rotime to work in the US?
KEEPING DESIGN AT A DISTANCE
I'm a long time lover of modern and atomic age design. I didn't appreciate it much, growing up in the 70s (still am allergic to Harvest Gold and Avocado Green) but began to really appreciate it more as I grew older.
For some reason though, I always related to it as an academic/artistic experience, something to be appreciated in books, online or in the collections of the Cooper Hewitt or MOMA, not as something that I could actually have in my own house. I guess I figured that the only way to have items like this was to become an expert and a collector.
FUMBLING IN THE DARK
That all changed a few weeks ago, when I was scrolling through Amazon, trying to find a clock for my bedside table. I had gotten sick of fumbling for my cellphone in the dark in order to see what time it was. I found myself disinterestedly paging through one dull listing after another when something suddenly "flipped." (Bad pun, I know.)
MY JOURNEY BEGINS...
I realized that I didn't have to settle, that I could find a clock that I could actually enjoy looking at. That would do more than just tell the time...that would have its own story. So I opened up a new browser window, typed in "vintage electrical flippy number clock thingy" and was off on my search.
And weeks later, here I am. Along the way, I have learned a lot, (and not just how to create more effective search terms.)
...AS DOES MY ANTIPATHY FOR EDISON
The more I looked, the more I got excited about how many amazing clocks there were out there. And the angrier I got with that jerk, Thomas Alva Edison.
Why oh why did he have to establish all of our systems on a different standard than the EU and Japan?
The vast majority of the designs I love the most seem to be made for the EU or Japanese market. Sigh.
WHO DOESN'T LOVE A BURNING SMELL?
Our omniscient friend Mr. Google seems to offer differing levels of advice on overcoming this insurmountable barrier. "No big deal, just invest in a power converter" one site states, while also warning that you shouldn't leave the converter turned on when you aren't using the device." (Um, hello? Clock? Need it pretty much 24/7.)
Another page offered reviews of the best voltage converters, but then regularly mentioned in the "cons" column that users had complained about "a burning smell" and even sparks (!).
SORRY TO CRASH YOUR PARTY
And then my googling led me here. A forum that says it's not just for collectors or experts, but for fans of "electrical flippy number clock thingies." (Or words to that effect.)
I don't know if my Pleistocene-era high school electronics class or dusty background in technical theatre is enough to help me here...but I am at least going to try.
IS MY DREAM A NIGHTMARE?
So, my dream clock, so far, is the Rowenta Rotime. I found what seemed to be an incredibly knowledgeable person on Etsy who let me know that while some might have been made for the US market, they are very rare.
SO: At long last, my question for the community (or the very few people that are still reading): is it possible to find one of these configured for the US? And if not, how hard is it to convert an EU model to run on Edison's selfish voltage scheme?
Post-Script as Pre-Script: When I set out to write this post, I had no idea it would reach book length! To make it easier to scan, I am going to embed subheads and a TL/DR.
TL/DR
How hard is it to convert a Rowenta Rotime to work in the US?
KEEPING DESIGN AT A DISTANCE
I'm a long time lover of modern and atomic age design. I didn't appreciate it much, growing up in the 70s (still am allergic to Harvest Gold and Avocado Green) but began to really appreciate it more as I grew older.
For some reason though, I always related to it as an academic/artistic experience, something to be appreciated in books, online or in the collections of the Cooper Hewitt or MOMA, not as something that I could actually have in my own house. I guess I figured that the only way to have items like this was to become an expert and a collector.
FUMBLING IN THE DARK
That all changed a few weeks ago, when I was scrolling through Amazon, trying to find a clock for my bedside table. I had gotten sick of fumbling for my cellphone in the dark in order to see what time it was. I found myself disinterestedly paging through one dull listing after another when something suddenly "flipped." (Bad pun, I know.)
MY JOURNEY BEGINS...
I realized that I didn't have to settle, that I could find a clock that I could actually enjoy looking at. That would do more than just tell the time...that would have its own story. So I opened up a new browser window, typed in "vintage electrical flippy number clock thingy" and was off on my search.
And weeks later, here I am. Along the way, I have learned a lot, (and not just how to create more effective search terms.)
...AS DOES MY ANTIPATHY FOR EDISON
The more I looked, the more I got excited about how many amazing clocks there were out there. And the angrier I got with that jerk, Thomas Alva Edison.
Why oh why did he have to establish all of our systems on a different standard than the EU and Japan?
The vast majority of the designs I love the most seem to be made for the EU or Japanese market. Sigh.
WHO DOESN'T LOVE A BURNING SMELL?
Our omniscient friend Mr. Google seems to offer differing levels of advice on overcoming this insurmountable barrier. "No big deal, just invest in a power converter" one site states, while also warning that you shouldn't leave the converter turned on when you aren't using the device." (Um, hello? Clock? Need it pretty much 24/7.)
Another page offered reviews of the best voltage converters, but then regularly mentioned in the "cons" column that users had complained about "a burning smell" and even sparks (!).
SORRY TO CRASH YOUR PARTY
And then my googling led me here. A forum that says it's not just for collectors or experts, but for fans of "electrical flippy number clock thingies." (Or words to that effect.)
I don't know if my Pleistocene-era high school electronics class or dusty background in technical theatre is enough to help me here...but I am at least going to try.
IS MY DREAM A NIGHTMARE?
So, my dream clock, so far, is the Rowenta Rotime. I found what seemed to be an incredibly knowledgeable person on Etsy who let me know that while some might have been made for the US market, they are very rare.
SO: At long last, my question for the community (or the very few people that are still reading): is it possible to find one of these configured for the US? And if not, how hard is it to convert an EU model to run on Edison's selfish voltage scheme?
Comment