[net.micro] Using NTSC computers Down Under??

long@sask.UUCP (Warren Long) (03/27/86)

<line eater>


I have a friend who is going to Australia for his sabbatical.  He will
be taking a Macintosh with him.  Since the Macintosh has a built-in
monitor, and the power requirements are '120v, 50-60Hz', I assume that
he will be able to use the machine down under, if he uses a transformer.
The Macintosh should work with the 50 cycles.  Am I correct???

Part 2:

He also an Atari 800 which he will also be taking.  The problem is much
trickier:

    Using a TV:

	 -if he takes a standard colour TV, it will not work as a
	  TV cuz the broadcast companies use a different format.
	  PAL, I think, but different from Britain.
	 -it probably won't work as monitor for the computer using
	  the RF output, cuz the TV is designed to work on 60Hz,
	  not at 50Hz.
	 -if he buys an Australian TV it will most defineately not
	  accept the RF signal from the Atari.
         -I assume that if he takes a TV from here, that is capable
	  of using batteries, ie converts the AC to DC before using
	  it in any way, he should have no problems.  The TV however
	  will still be useless as a reciever of TV broadcasts.

    Using a monitor:

	 -if he takes a monitor(eg. green screen) and drives it with
	  the direct video signal, but has to plug it into 50Hz, will
	  it work??
	 -if he buys a monitor in Australia, will it work with the
	  signals that the Atari 800 puts out??
	 -is there an analog to the 'battery-driven' TV for monitors??


I am interested in any and all replies, comments, suggestions,

				 Thank you,


			   Warren Long
			   University of Saskatchewan
			   Canada

mf1@ukc.ac.uk (Michael Fischer) (03/31/86)

,.
I have used North American computers overseas for several years in
varying conditions, with only failure a recent Macintosh power supply,
I assume is Mac's fault.  Otherwise performance was perfect.  I used
C<64, Vic-20, and Apple2+ with assorted NTST and PAL sets and composite
monitors.  NTST sets and monitors work fine, with a faint flicker in
Pakistan, but I think this was due to a 2hz sub-frequency on power
line. With PAL, the picture loses all color, and is rather squat, as
there are 625 scan lines on PAL and 525 on NTST, leaving a large blank
space at top and bottom.  Sound carriers on RF mod. vanish also.
However the B/W picture is sharp, if squat.  I don't know what RGB
would do.

Michael Fischer
Lecturer in Social Anthropology and Computing
seismo!mcvax!ukc!mf1

kdale@BBNCC-EUR.arpa (04/01/86)

The questions were whether a MacIntosh and a regular NTSC TV will run on 50  Hz
power.   The simple answer is yes.  We are using three Macs here in Germany and
are running them off of 220 to 110 volt transformers, and at home my  Sharp  TV
(as well as various VCR's) also runs off of a transformer, does not receive PAL
broadcasts, does receive NTSC broadcasts (Armed Forces Network) and worked fine
as  a  monitor  for  a  C-64.   (No,  nothing  happened  to either - I sold the
C-64....) As a rule of thumb, the only things that balk at 50 Hz  when  they're
built  to  use  60  Hz  are motors (prone to burn out as well as running at 5/6
normal speed) and circuitry that depends on 60 Hz for timing.

Keith

Disclaimer: There's no truth to the rumor that I keep a fire extinguisher next
to my VCR's!