Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!know!samsung!cs.utexas.edu!milano!cadillac!brevard From: brevard@yo.cad.mcc.com (Laurence Brevard) Newsgroups: comp.sys.laptops Subject: Re: Disappointed in TI service (LONG) Message-ID: Date: 4 Oct 90 16:00:13 GMT References: <60436@iuvax.cs.indiana.edu> <15570@csli.Stanford.EDU> Sender: news@cadillac.CAD.MCC.COM Organization: MCC CAD Program, Austin, Texas Lines: 54 In-reply-to: poser@csli.Stanford.EDU's message of 28 Sep 90 21:04:05 GMT In article <15570@csli.Stanford.EDU> poser@csli.Stanford.EDU (Bill Poser) writes: Toshiba did even better than that with the 1000SE. The power supply it comes with handles a range of voltages and frequencies automatically. Of course, you may need mechanical adaptor for the plug. Toshiba has done very well. I just returned from two weeks in France and Germany. My T1000SE worked flawlessly with only a simple mechanical adaptor to plug into the round style plugs. I took 4 battery packs with me to be able to make it through meetings and could easily recharge 3 in an evening. At about 2-2.5 hrs to recharge (with the system turned off), I would put one on before dinner, another after dinner, and finally a last pack late in the evening. I was more than a little nervous plugging the adaptor into 220v 50hz the first night in France and I *swear* I heard a click or pop noise. However, it worked flawlessly for the next two weeks and still works back in the states. I wish ALL adaptors were that way. The Diconix 150 that I took required plugging its transformer into a 220-120 adapter plugged into the appropriate mechanical plug. This mess would only hold together with a big rubber band. Furthermore, since the plugs in France and Europe were often about a meter from the floor, I ended up building a stack of my briefcase, a diskette box, and a spare battery to prop up the adapter mess so IT WOULDN'T FALL OUT OF THE WALL PLUG! The printer did work fine and it was *extremely* useful to be able to print documents in real time for distribution in my meetings. It was fantastic to take the laptop on an extended trip like this. I used it for everything from keeping a journal of my trip (my first to Europe) to my daily expenses spreadsheet (converting the currency) to real time notes. I even took inkjet transparencies and made some slides one night to show the next day. That blew away my colleagues! For the record my setup is: T1000SE ($1099) 3 spare batteries at $50 - $60 apiece Apricorn 2M memory expansion ($395) Holmes internal 2400baud modem ($165) Diconix 150 printer (given to me and repaired by Kodak for $100) I run Microsoft Works 2.0 using 1.5M of the 2.4M HardRam "D:" drive All in all a VERY cost effective way to go. -- LAURENCE BREVARD Home: 4705 Travis View Ct, Austin, TX 78732 (512) 266-2165 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ MCC CAD Program 3500 W.Balcones Center Dr, Austin, TX 78759 (512) 338-3567 Framework Satellite FAX (512) 338-3897 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ INTERNET: brevard@mcc.com UUCP: ...!cs.utexas.edu!milano!cadillac!brevard