Without a meter I would be helpless. But the DIMMING of the lights when the converter is connected bothers me. A Kill-A-Watt plus handheld meters would be so helpful about now. This is like doing surgery over the phone.
There is something going on INSIDE the converter, because things act weird and this fits the perfect profile of idiots who design original equipment converters for a living.
You have to go INSIDE the converter. Get the make, model and serial number and post it and let's see if someone here can come up with not only a schematic/diagram but also also images.