Path: utzoo!utgpu!watmath!att!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!ucbvax!bloom-beacon!athena.mit.edu!captkidd
From: captkidd@athena.mit.edu (Ivan Cavero Belaunde)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac
Subject: Re: Can I take a Mac to Australia?
Message-ID: <13392@bloom-beacon.MIT.EDU>
Date: 10 Aug 89 03:23:45 GMT
References: <11457@cit-vax.Caltech.Edu> <392@usage.csd.unsw.oz> <7303@microsoft.UUCP>
Sender: daemon@bloom-beacon.MIT.EDU
Reply-To: captkidd@athena.mit.edu (Ivan Cavero Belaunde)
Organization: Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Lines: 21

In article <7303@microsoft.UUCP> stuartb@microsoft.UUCP (Stuart Burden) writes:
>In article <392@usage.csd.unsw.oz>
>rees@usage.csd.unsw.oz (Rees Griffiths) writes:
>>The voltage problem is a minor one.  A separate transformer
>>will do.  It may not be strictly legal, but there you go.
>
>The Mac has a switching Power Supply.  You do not need a transformer, Rees.

No, you don't need it, but IMHO it is a good idea.  When you're running the
Mac at 120V with a power supply with a tolerance of up to 250V, a small
power spike (30-40V say) won't cause you trouble.  When running off 220-240V
though, a power spike of that magnitude can toast your power supply.
Add that to the fact that you are in a foreign country (meaning of
course expensive repairs) and it's worth the security.

I speak from experience.  It happened to me once.  Then I put a transformer
on the damn thing and it survived every spike thereafter.

-Ivan

Internet: captkidd@athena.mit.edu