[Gllug] printer shops

[Chris Bell]

On Fri 08 Jan, JLMS wrote:

> In the case of the plugs, you would think they would say somewhere that they
> are not voltage converters, most importantly (and here I raise my hand as an
> ignoramus about most things electrical) but would not a fuse in the plug
> converter avoid the flamming of a laptop?

   Some of the plug converters contain a small mains transformer, but
beware, it may be an auto-transformer unless marked as double insulated. A
mains transformer is relatively heavy. Check the voltage input and output
and the rated current. The output could be either AC, or rectified and
smoothed to give an approximate DC.
   Many modern plug converters are switch mode power supplies with one or
more DC outputs, check the input voltage range, output voltage, and current
rating. If they fail they tend to fail in a big way. Many are made in the
Far East and designed to work at either 110 volts or higher. Unfortunately,
the mains voltage in China is close to 220 volts, (actually 220 +/- 10
volts) and the manufacturers expect our mains to be either similar or close
to 240 volts. Many areas in Britain get close to 260 volts when the supply
is lightly loaded, far too high for some of the units. In fact, politicians
could not agree a sensible EU standard, so they fudged the issue and made it
230 +/- 10% (i.e. +/- 23 volts). 

-- 
Chris Bell www.chrisbell.org.uk (was www.overview.demon.co.uk)
Microsoft sells you Windows ... Linux gives you the whole house.

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