Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!aplcen!samsung!sol.ctr.columbia.edu!cica!iuvax!beckman
From: beckman@iuvax.cs.indiana.edu (Peter Beckman)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.laptops
Subject: Disappointed in TI service (LONG)
Message-ID: <60436@iuvax.cs.indiana.edu>
Date: 26 Sep 90 20:37:02 GMT
Organization: Indiana University, Bloomington
Lines: 73

A friend of mine asked me help to set up a LT286 Travelmate she had
purchased.  She had planned to take it to England and Bangladesh.  I
installed her software and set up the Automenu program she was
familiar with at work.  Preparing for the trip she realized that she
needed a 220v 50hz power adapter.  Because I understood the adapter
problem, she asked me to "call around" and find out what to do.  This
is where the problems started....

I made about 11 calls, asking about a 220 50hz --> 18VDC adapter for
the TravelMate.  The answers ranged from "huh?" to "Oh sure, here it
is..  part xxx-xx-xxx".  I then asked for the specs. on that part....
indeed it was the 110V adapter that came with the computer.  "No I
need a 220V adapter for someone traveling overseas".  "oh, there is a
difference? I guess we don't make one".  TI has several 1-800 numbers,
and each place I called could not tell me what to do, and suggested I
call one of the other 1-800 numbers.  I told them "A laptop is
designed for portability, surely TI has figured out what to do when
people travel with it".  The response was always "Well, I don't know
what to tell you.  We don't make an adapter, and we don't know of any
companies that do"

Now one solution is to buy a step-down transformer, and plug her
adapter into the 110V 50hz supply.  But without knowing the schematic,
this is not a good thing.  Kodak, (she bought a Diconix printer) said
we MUST purchase a separate 220V adapter for their printer.  They gave
me THREE different companys and part numbers for the 220V --> 9VDC
adapter.  They said some problems have been reported with 50hz and the
standard adapter.  It took one phone call.  My guess is that some AC
power supplies have capacitors and surge protecting devices that are
set up for 60hz.  Being electrically literate, if it were my computer
I would have stripped the power supply apart and seen if the
transformer output was immediately rectified, or if there might be a
problem.  But I felt a little uncomfortable prying open a new adapter
that did not belong to me, and was still under warranty.

Frustrated, I called my friend and told her, just go to England, and
purchase an adapter there.  Surely TI of england has adapters that run
their products, and if worse comes to worse, she could purchase any
old 18VDC adapter to run the computer.

Well, I got a call from england today.  After talking with her, I
called the TI division in Bedford UK, and talked to their people.  No
they do not make an adapter, they do not have the Travelmate yet.  No
they cannot make *ANY* suggestions, as to what she should do.  Still
more frustrated, I decided to call TI USA again, this time asking "may
I speak with your supervisor?".  This time, at one of their 1-800
numbers, their technical advisor told me to purchase a step down
transformer.  I replied "What about the 50hz? will that be a
problem?".  "Hmmmm I had not thought of that.  Indeed some of our
transformers ARE labeled 50-60hz.  Yours is NOT.  Yours just says
60hz, maybe you should call technical support".

I called Texas and waited for my return call.  The techies called back
and said "plug it in to a step down transformer".  I asked about the
50Hz and explained that there may be a problem.  He told me "Well, I
don't think there will be a problem.  But I have never done it, That's
just what they told me."  They do not make a step down transformer, did not
suggest where to buy one, or for what wattage, nor did they express
any confidence that it would work.

Well that's where I am now.  I told her to buy the transformer and
hope.  

She bought a *TRAVELMATE*.  I would think you could travel with a
TravelMate.  I would think an auto-switching supply would be nice, but
a 220 adapter would also suffice.  I would think that the designers
would have put together a set of instructions to explain what to do.
I would think that if the transformer was REALLY rated for 50-60hz it
would be labeled that way, and this whole mess avoided.  Well I
thought wrong.  You can tell what my thoughts will be about TI products
in the future :-)

-Pete