dd2u@hudson.acc.virginia.edu (drucker david) (08/09/89)
Any answers to the following problem will be GREATLY
{_appreciated.
We have a student who will be doing some research in Zimbabwe
Africa this fall. He would like to take over an IBM model 30
computer with an 8513 monitor. Zimbabwe uses 220 volt 50 Hz
power.
IBM has been of very little assistance in finding out exactly
what we will need to do except to say the entire PS/2 line of
computers have the ability to recognize the power supply it is
{attached to and adjust. Nothing needs to be changed in the
computer except to get a power cord with the right type of plug
xDend on it (which they do not have).
The monitor however must first be plugged into a step down
transformer and then into the 220 power supply.
So the question is, what do we really need to have/do with
this computer and monitor to make it all work correctly without
blowing up this that and the other thing.
If IBM is correct does anyone know where I can get the
correct type of power cord and any suggestion on a step down
transformer for the monitor.
I am open to suggestions, helpful hints and actual
experiences from others. Please respond in any fashion that will
get to me. Thanks.
David Drucker
Curry School of Education - UVA
BitNet - DD2U@virginia.bitnet
xD(804-0822msmith@topaz.rutgers.edu (Mark Robert Smith) (08/09/89)
Actually, I just looked at the back of a PS/2 30/286, which I assume is similar to the PS/2 30. There is a 115/220 switch on the back which needs to be thrown to use 220. On the 30/286, this switch is directly above the power input to the computer. As to the monitor, be sure that your step-down transformer can handle the amperage of the monitor. It needs about 1A, or 1200 watts. Mark -- Mark Smith | "Be careful when looking into the distance, |All Rights 61 Tenafly Road|that you do not miss what is right under your nose."| Reserved Tenafly,NJ 07670-2643|rutgers!topaz.rutgers.edu!msmith,msmith@topaz.rutgers.edu You may redistribute this article only to those who may freely do likewise.
bill@ccvr1.uucp (William S. Smith) (08/10/89)
In article <1865@hudson.acc.virginia.edu> dd2u@hudson.acc.virginia.edu (drucker david) writes: > The monitor however must first be plugged into a step down >transformer and then into the 220 power supply. You should also check to see if the monitor sweep rate is generated from the frequency of the incoming power. Modern units shouldn't depend on the input frequency, but you should check before you leave. You will probably want to declare the whole system and provide the appropriate serial numbers to the customs officials on arrival. Some places are particularly troublesome when you try to leave with a unit not declared when you arrived.
msmith@topaz.rutgers.edu (Mark Robert Smith) (08/10/89)
Believe it or not, I really do know Ohm's law. What I meant was: 1A = 120W. It's important to make sure that the converter you use for your monitor can handle that much current (most can). One of these days I'll learn to multiply (grumble grumble rumble)..... Mark -- Mark Smith | "Be careful when looking into the distance, |All Rights 61 Tenafly Road|that you do not miss what is right under your nose."| Reserved Tenafly,NJ 07670-2643|rutgers!topaz.rutgers.edu!msmith,msmith@topaz.rutgers.edu You may redistribute this article only to those who may freely do likewise.
axaris@sunybcs.uucp (Vassilios Axaris) (08/10/89)
After reading this article it came to my mind something I read in either PC WEEK or InfoWorld when the PS/2 line was introduced. It reported on the monitors that they wouldn't work at places below the equator. Also, in a company that purchased model 60's, maintenance people would not dare use their walkie-talkies with the computers' cases open, because the disks would spontaneously reformat themselves! The article appeared in the last page where there are rumors and could have been a joke. Has anybody had experiances like these? Vassilios.
daven@ibmpcug.UUCP (David Newman) (08/13/89)
David Drucker asked about taking an IBM PS/2 30 to Zimbabwe. I have used various microcomputers in Mozambique for 2 years and Kenya for 4 years. Some friends were recently running a course in Zimbabwe in which they used PCs. They are on holiday now, so here are some general comments until they get back. I assume that your student will be working in a big city like Harare - there are additional considerations in the field. 1. Do you really need a desktop machine? I found that I could use laptops on more occasions in Kenya than I do in London - if only because you cannot assume there will be a computer in the office you are visiting, so it pays to take your own machine along if you want to demonstrate work or enter data. 2. In Kenya there were, several times a week, short power outages of a few seconds or minutes -hardly annoying for most things, but enough to bring down a computer without any batery backup. Such backup is built into many laptops - for desktop machines, many people had either uninteruptible power supplies, or simple inverters connected to a local secondhand car battery, with a trickle charger connected from the mains to the battery. A servo-based voltage stabiliser I used in Kenya did not protect against long outages, but had enough inertia and inductance to protect against one or two second power failures. The filter I tried against power spikes was not that useful - enough got through to reset my Sinclair QL, but without damaging it. I understand that Zimbabwe has a better electricity supply (at least in Harare) than Kenya - it should be easy to find out from the people your student will be working with. 3. Zimbabwe uses a 230/240V 50 Hz electricity supply. If your system can work at 220V, it will work at 240 - but if you need to buy a transformer, buy a stepdown from 240V, not from 220V. The graphics cards in IBMs generate 60 Hz signals independantly of the mains - so all monitors designed for IBM PCs should work at any mains frequency, with the possible exception of modified TV monitors. That's one thing you should be able to find out from IBM. If they cannot tell you locally, give IBM UK a ring. Personally, I would use an LCD screen on a laptop! 4. Given power (and other) problems, your student will have to keep thorough backups. There are good hardware repair facilities in Zimbabwe, but you still want to keep your data. That means taking along a lot of disks, since disk prices will be higher there than in the US (although not to the same extent as in Kenya, where any computer imports are subject to duty and sales tax of 160%). 5. Expect higher temperatures, more dust in the dry season, more humidity in the wet season (unless your student is lucky enough to be working in a building with air conditioning which doesn't break down. So take a floppy disk cleaner, and make duplicate (archived) backups. I found floppies failed more often in Kenya than in England. If your desktop PC doesn't have a fan, fit one (unless it was designed to work at high temperature and humidity - many European machines are designed more conservatively, using components well below their maximum power ratings). Then remember to open up the machine and clean out the dust every so often. 5. It is essential to get hold of Zimbabwe's temporary import regulations (pity my friends are on holiday, they know). You will at least need to get a form stamped on the way in (at least two copies, they keep one), to show that you imported the machine on the way out. In some countries you will have to leave a bond - usually a bank guarantee - to cover the duty in case you sell the machine there. Of course, you may wish to sell the machine there, to finance the student's expenses. Then you usually don't want to get a form stamped, or at least make it so vague that you can go out with a broken down old PET on the same form. A third alternative is to donate the machine to a local institution. They can then arrange the import documentation, if there are concessions for gifts and donations (there are none in Kenya). 6. You don't mention printers. If your student will be working somewhere with several printers, then fine. But what if he has to write a report before leaving, and the one printer has broken down? There are plenty of printers in Zimbabwe, but taking along a small Diconix 150 printer (and an inkjet cartridge for every week) would be good insurance. Make sure that any software he uses can print on different paper sizes, like A4 - the USA and Canada are different to the rest of the world on this. 7. Will other people be using his computer, or typing in data for your student? If so, I would have comments on the suitability of different software. A lot of software assumes someone is already familiar with computers, calculators, electrical and mechanical devices from an early age. I am becoming more and more convinced that computer software should become more intelligent so that ordinary people in the Third World (and the First) can use it, rather than requiring the people to have extensive training to think like a computer. You should see the problems when people in an NGO try to use Microstat. And, of course, don't use copy protected software - it's not easy to get new key disks or dongles out there. If you have to, I found that software houses who use copy protection will often supply unprotected versions to academics working in countries where the companies have no hope of getting convertible currency for any sales (most of Africa, that is). 8. There is a magazine called Computers in Africa (Africa File Ltd., 21 Mill Lane, London NW6 1NT, Tel. 01-794 5308. Telex: 933524. Email: GEO2:AFRICA-FILE) Vol. 3 No. 4 (July/August 1989 will have a country survey on Zimbabwe. If anyone needs more information, Email me. If I can give a quick answer I will, but if it would take a lot of work (like checking specific regulations and climate) it would become a consultancy job. Dr. D. R. Newman, Consultants in Appropriate Technology, 188 (2A) Bedford Hill, LONDON SW12 9HL, England. Tel. 01-675 5933. JANET: D.R.Newman@kingston.ac.uk Usenet: daven@ibmpcug.co.uk Econet/Peacenet/WEB/Greennet: gn:davenewman -- Automatic Disclaimer: The views expressed above are those of the author alone and may not represent the views of the IBM PC User Group.