Path: utzoo!utgpu!attcan!uunet!lll-winken!lll-tis!helios.ee.lbl.gov!pasteur!agate!maalox!ribet
From: ribet@maalox.berkeley.edu (Kenneth A. Ribet)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac
Subject: Re: euro power mac info needed
Message-ID: <16643@agate.BERKELEY.EDU>
Date: 8 Nov 88 01:22:55 GMT
References: <984@naucse.UUCP> <679@stech.UUCP>
Sender: usenet@agate.BERKELEY.EDU
Reply-To: ribet@maalox.UUCP (Kenneth A. Ribet)
Organization: Math Dept., UC Berkeley
Lines: 52

In article <679@stech.UUCP> sysop@stech.UUCP (Jan Harrington) writes:

>in article <984@naucse.UUCP>, rwi@naucse.UUCP (Robert Wier) says:
>> 
>> 
>>  I have a student from France who is considering buying a Mac
>>  while here in the US (at school), but he is concerned about
>>  taking it home later.  I note on the SE specifications that
>>  it is listed as accepting 50-60HZ and two ranges of voltage.
>>  Since he will be looking at running 220 @ 50 hz, is the SE
>>  directly usable there (I presume there might be a switch 
>>  internally for the voltage supply).  How about the Plus?
>>  How about an Apple HD (or Jasmine HD).  He would greatly
>>  appreciate any information.
>> 
>>  thanks -

>The SE (and the II) have "switching" power supplies. That means that
>they will automatically switch between 110 and 220; they can also
>automatically work with either 50 or 60 Hz. The plus will not do this.
>To run the plus on 220, you'd need a step-down transformer. That's OK
>for temporary use, but not really recommended over the long haul. Your
>student should look at the SE.

>I'm sorry, but I don't know about the hard drives.

>Jan Harrington, sysop
>Scholastech Telecommunications
>UUCP: husc6!amcad!stech!sysop or allegra!stech!sysop
>BITNET: JHARRY@BENTLEY

I brought an Apple SCSI 20 meg hard disk over to France, and it
worked flawlessly with its switching power supply. Friends and
colleagues have successfully used US-purchased SE's and Mac II's
without any problem in France.  A number of French colleagues have
Data Frame 20's which were bought in the US; these have power
supplies which have to be switched by hand (move a jumper cable on
the power supply board).

I can also report that a US ImageWriter II was used in France for
one full year with no apparent difficulty, despite warnings from
various people that the printer would not like the 50 Hz current.
(A transformer was used to step down to 110 V.)

Does anyone on the net have experience with 110V LaserWriter I's?
Can they be used in Europe with a step-down transformer?  I'm worried
both by the 50 Hz and by the large amount of power which is required
by the LW.

Ken Ribet, UC Berkeley Math Department
UUCP:  ...ucbvax!math!ribet
Internet: ribet@math.berkeley.edu
BITNET: ribet@ucbcmsa