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From: scotth@tekcrl.LABS.TEK.COM (Scott R. Herzinger)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac.hardware
Subject: Re: "American" Macs in Europe
Message-ID: <4981@tekcrl.LABS.TEK.COM>
Date: 2 Nov 89 18:30:32 GMT
References: <28821@iuvax.cs.indiana.edu> <8ZHoVe_00Uo584RUde@andrew.cmu.edu>
Reply-To: scotth@tekcrl.LABS.TEK.COM (Scott R. Herzinger)
Organization: Tektronix, Inc., Beaverton,  OR.
Lines: 28

In article <8ZHoVe_00Uo584RUde@andrew.cmu.edu> sn15+@andrew.cmu.edu (Steve Neas) writes:
>>  I am purchasing a MacPlus in the States and will be going overseas
>>  1.  Do I have to have a special transformer?

>I'm not too sure about prices and availability, but I know you will need
>a new transformer.  Any electrical device that you used in the US will
>not work in Europe, because they use 50Hz power compared to our 60Hz.  

This is not correct.  Some electrical devices will not work at 50Hz.  
Besides resistance heaters, a Mac Plus will operate at 50Hhz or 60Hhz.
This is clearly indicated on the back of the Mac Plus.  The problem then,
is voltage, and this can easily be transformed.  The transformer is senstive
to line frequency, so you do need a 50Hz transformer.  But there will not
be a problem operating a Mac Plus on 120VAC/50Hz, stepped down from 
240VAC/50Hz.

It is not difficult to find a 50Hhz 240/120 VAC transformer in France.
A 750 watt model costs about 360FFR, about $60 when I lived in Paris.
Smaller ones are available.  I used my 750 watt model to run my US-market
(also US-purchased) computer, stereo, and cuisinart. 

Pas de probleme!

Scott
--
Scott Herzinger   scotth%crl.labs.tek.com@relay.cs.net
                  Computer Research Lab, Tektronix, Inc.
                  PO Box 500 MS 50-662, Beaverton, OR 97077