Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac.misc
Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rpi!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!think.com!mintaka!ghoti!cjeff
From: cjeff@ghoti.lcs.mit.edu (Carl J.M. Alexander)
Subject: Re: Taking one's mac along to Europe
Message-ID: <1991May14.150339.5345@mintaka.lcs.mit.edu>
Sender: news@mintaka.lcs.mit.edu
Organization: MIT Laboratory for Computer Science
References: <1991May7.200229.5228@epas.toronto.edu> <1991May10.220809.342@bradley.bradley.edu>
Date: Tue, 14 May 91 15:03:39 GMT
Lines: 28

nudnik@buhub.bradley.edu (Steven Parks) writes:
> In <1991May7.200229.5228@epas.toronto.edu> pgiltner@epas.toronto.edu 
> (Phil Giltner) writes:
 
>> A friend asked me today about what the possiblities or difficulties
>> were in taking one's mac+ along with him for a year in Europe.
>> Canadian Specs match US.What kind of transformer would he have to use?
...
> I don't know about a Mac Plus, but I know that a Mac SE ... will handle 
> the voltage overseas...  It might be worth checking into...
 
Phil--
  Steve's right:  It comes down to, yes, your friend can use his Plus 
in Europe .... *if* he wants to buy a European spec. analog board for it. 
An educated guess is that this would cost around C$350 or 400.  The Plus' 
power supply is notoriously wimpy; trying to run it at 50 Hz rather than 
the 60 Hz it expects would be just about certain to blow it up.  (Note: 
this is *not* to say that running 50 rather than 60 Hz might not cause
other damage as well....)  The SE power supply, on the other hand, is very 
robust and all you need to do to run it in Europe is get the right power 
cord -- no transformer needed.  (Note that with the Classic you're back in 
the same boat as with the Plus.)  Your friend will be far better off if he 
gets rid of his Plus and buys a used SE. 
 
--Carl Alexander 
News Editor, The Active Window 
cjeff@ghoti.lcs.mit.edu