miscord@mullian.ee.mu.OZ.AU (Michael Scordilis) (10/02/90)
Around the middle of August I asked for other people's experiences with travelling with a Mac. I got a lot of interesting and useful tips, so many that I think the issue is real and hot out there. Here I will briefly summarize my own experiences. I decided to take my SE/30 with me for a trip to the other side of the world, and not to check it in as luggage but take it on board. Going through two airports in the U.S. (Greenville on Eastern and Atlanta on SwissAir) the security asked me to plug it in and let them see that it starts. This way I did not pass it through the X-ray machine. Once on board, I put it in the compartment for hanging the clothes of the First Class Passengers, since the overheard of a DC-10 was not big enough. In Zurich, they have checking stations even for transit passengers. There they forced me to pass it through the X-ray machine. (When I insisted otherwise, they became very upset and rude). In Greece, I just bought a cable from a local dealer and the machine worked alright (220 Volts). The X-ray machine had not affected the internal HD40 and its contents in any way whatsoever. Going to Australia, again I avoided all X-ray machines (security was very reluctant). I put the Mac on the overhead compartment of a 747, on its back. Everything went O.K. and once down-under, I got a power cable, connected the Mac to the local 240V/50Hz mains and everything worked beautifully. In conclusion, travelling with the Mac and using it in different countries with vastly different supply voltages is no problem. The self-setting power supply works as it should. Transporting the machine in the appropriate luggage/bag and laying it on its side and passing through X-rays (an experience that will probably make you nervous) does not cause any problems either. It proved to me that the Mac is very sturdy and reliable unit. An extra reason for liking it. I hope this account helps other prospective travellers. Cheers! Michael Scordilis Dept of E&E Engr The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Vic 3052 AUSTRALIA Tel: (+61) (3) 344-6800 Fax: (+61) (3) 344-6678 miscord@mullian.ee.mu.oz.au Michael Scordilis |internet miscord@mullian.ee.mu.OZ.AU ee eng, uni of melbourne |uunet ..!uunet!munnari!mullian!miscord parkville 3052 |fax +[613] 344 6678 australia |phone +[613] 344
boris@world.std.com (Boris Levitin) (10/02/90)
rdd@walt.cc.utexas.edu (Robert Dorsett) writes: >If you don't have an >SE/30, remember a transformer if you're travelling internationally. Not true. All Mac models more recent than the Plus (i.e. anything in a white as opposed to a platinum or beige case) are self-voltage-adjusting. It says so on the plate on the back of the machine. Here's one possibly interesting method of transporting a compact Mac (hard drive, board in slot): recently I had to do two connecting Pan Am Express flights on a De Havilland Canada Dash-7 commuter turboprop (seating 40 or so - it's in the single-steward category). On the first one, I was very late for check-in but the steward at the gate took one look at the Mac and decreed that it would be checked in. Turns out that both the overhead bins and the space under the seats were too small. On the second flight, however, I stowed it between the cushion of the seat next to me and the seat in front of it. The Mac was very tightly secured and I doubt that anything short of a barrel-roll (which I thought we were going to make -- there was some serious turbulence) could dislodge it. If I ever have to take a turboprop again (hope not), I'm definitely going to carry the Mac on board. The first time around, when I checked it in, it took 40 minutes to come off the conveyor belt (after a 50-minute flight). I have an extended keyboard which wouldn't fit in the standard SE-sized bag. I solved this problem by stuffing it into the bottom compartment of my overnight bag. The latter's fabric stretched a bit, but it was much more comfortable carrying the keyboard that way than sticking out of the Mac sack. Still, the Mac's weight was quite painful after even a short while. Maybe FedExing it ahead wouldn't be such a bad idea... :-) Boris Levitin ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- WGBH Public Broadcasting, Boston boris@world.std.com Audience & Marketing Research wgbx!boris_levitin@athena.mit.edu ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- (The opinions expressed herein are my own and do not necessarily coincide with those of my employer or anyone else. The WGBH tag is for ID only.)