mentat@ut-ngp.UUCP (03/15/87)
I will be travelling to Jordan next week for a two month stay. I plan on
taking my Mac 512 along, but was recently told that there are problems with the
US power supply (burn-outs), requiring a $900 replacement of the analog board
(local prices). My prior experience in Jordan, with an Apple II Plus, which had
a convertable 220/110 power supply, tended to indicate that power wasn't
such a big problem. Then, as now, the official Apple line is that there's
a rather large tolerance for cycle and voltage variation (+- 40 volts). Has
anyone any experience using US macs in a 240v/50hz environment, particularly
in Amman?
Please send email; I will acknowledge replies if messages are received.
--
Robert Dorsett ARPA: mentat@ngp.utexas.edu
The University of Texas at Austin UUCP: {ihnp4,seismo,sally}!ngp!mentat
UTAustin: mentat@walt.cc.utexas.edumentat@ut-ngp.UUCP (03/31/87)
I received six replies to my question about overseas Macs. Thanks to
Samir Kaleem, Franklin Davis, "Zak"@Technion, Bill Kocay, Nadeem Malik,
and Matt@...ucla. Apologies if I missed someone.
Basically, people agree that cycle differences don't affect either the
Macintosh digital or analog hardware, i.e., everything's converted to DC
internally. A simple step-down transformer did the job in just about every-
one's case; one person knew of a burnt-out power supply, but that was the
exception, rather than the rule. Most people suggested some form of surge
protector with unreliable power supplies.
Comments about *transporting* the computer varied. Generally, first-class
seats have more room for storage than economy seats. Many people had problems
storing the computer on an overhead rack, at least while in a case. Smaller
airplanes (727's, 737's, DC-9's) generally don't have closets for storage,
while with larger airplanes it's possible to con a stewardess into putting
the computer in a closet. With the current emphasis on security, it's
not likely that you can con someone into putting the computer in the cockpit,
regardless of all the extra room.
--
Robert Dorsett ARPA: mentat@ngp.utexas.edu
The University of Texas at Austin UUCP: {ihnp4,seismo,sally}!ngp!mentat
UTAustin: mentat@walt.cc.utexas.edu