US laptop in Europe
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My 17 year old daughter just arrived in Rome with a school group. She is doing a course in Italy & Greece.
Each person in the class was required to take a laptop with them for school work and it was indicated that we would rent a laoptop. The company from which we were to rent the laptop told us the we just neeed to use an adapter for the plug, no transformer was required.
By some amazing luck my daughter won an Acer laptop at a raffle before she left and we cancelled the laptop rental. The transformer/power outlet that comes with the laptop indicates that it works on 110V to 240V so I figured that this too will work without a transformer in Europe. Only need an adapter.
She phoned me up in a panic after midnight in Rome telling me that there was a little spark when she plugged it in, the power light is on, but the screen is black. She unplugged it, she still had plenty of battery power, but the screen stayed black. I told her to remove the battery, wait a few moments, put the battery back and then try again to start up. She told me that it started up, but she did not get the login screen. I suggested that turn it off , reinstall the battery again, and leave it off all night. She is likely to call me again in the morning.Any advice any one about using a US laptop in Europe? She has a transformer that is good for 50w to 1600W, but again, I don't think that she needs it? Am I right? If so, what is going wrong?
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You'll have to read the power info on the bottom of the laptop. There are two factors - voltage and hertz. If the laptop is set up for 110 to 240 volts, it should most likely also be set up for both 60 (USA) and 50 (Europe) hz.
Do you still have the paperwork for the Acer? Or, do you have the model number? The Acer web site should have the doc online.
Most two prong (plugs with no ground prong) US plugs are polarized (one prong is wider than the other), but IIRC, in Europe, the two round prong plug is not (or, perhaps one prong is a different diameter???)
Todd
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The laoptop plug is polarized- 3 prong and the adapter only allows for 2 prongs but adapter is so narrow that the 3rd prong just sits on the outside surface which is plastic. No metal , so maybe that is a problem too.
I'll look up the hertz on the acer site. -
I'm pretty sure it is the lack of gound on the adapter. I sure hope she didn't permanently fry anything.
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Italian outlets are different not only from other European countries but also within Italy. And as far as I can remember, in the south they use 110 V, too (there was a conference here once and an Italian woman did not bring an transformer with her.
Right, we don't have any difference between the two prongs but the transformer converts the current (AC) into DC anyway so that shouldn't be a problem.
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why can't we all just use the same stuff... I can't believe we still use the imperial system over here...
I don't know the first thing about european power conversion... but may I ask is your daughter studying architecture there? if so... are we going to get some photos? architecture students get the best photos in Rome, everyone one of them has a different eye...
well, all the best to her in her laptop problems
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Kriss,
Photos of her or photos by her?
Not only the Italians have different outlets/plugs but the Brits, too. If you want to plug something in without ground (their third prong), you need to stick something in there firs. It's driving me nuts.
Susan,
If the transformer was good (have you tried it at home?), there shouldn't be any problem I guess (I hope). -
@sorgesu said:
My 17 year old daughter just arrived in Rome with a school group. She is doing a course in Italy & Greece.
Kris, I doubt she is studying architecture in specific - too young for tertiary education and she is "doing a course in Italy & Greece." That could be a course about Italy / Greece or it could be course that requires them to be in Italy / Greece (specifically) for the some or other reason.
Susan, unfortunately I have nothing to add WRT your daughter's laptop woes, however I'll be holding thumbs for her...
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Kris, it is for her final year of high school which she starts in the fall. Her course is Classical Civilizations and I think it is an English Credit.
She will take some fabulous pictures and post it on a blog, so I will point you guys there when they are up.
She is not using a transformer other than the one that comes with the Laptop plug becuase the laptop is supposed to handle the conversion on its own.
It still wasn't working even on battery power this morning but I just spoke to her and she turned it on and it finally started. I told her to take it to teacher and have them help her out before she plugs it in again.Poor thing she is very upset. Nothing is working. We sent her with an unlocked international cell phone and I pre-purchased an Italian SIM card. Won't work in her phone. THe hotel attendant tried it in his phone and it works fine, just not in her phone. She has been using the cell on her Canadian card. She phoned me with a panic attack last night and we were on the phone for 1/2 hour. I shudder to think what it is going to cost.
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She may need to go into her phone settings and manually switch over to the Eruopean network. Again, an online phone model user's guide should specify how to do it.
I feel your pain Susan!
Todd
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Susan,
Sorry to hear of your daughter's problems in Italy.
In the UK we use 3 prong earthed/grounded plugs, but these days the earth prong is usually redundant as most appliances are double-insulated. I use my laptop in Sweden frequently- they use the standard 2 prong unearthed system (actually, before anyone corrects me, they actually have 2 systems, one earthed for older appliances, one unearthed which is more common now). Both prongs are identical, but it doesn't matter which way round you put the plug in.
I can't see why a lack of earth would cause her laptop to burn out though. If it starts up, but the screen stays black it sounds like the graphics card has burned out- not good news I'm afraid. If it's new I would imagine it would be covered by the warranty,but don't mention using it abroad, they'll just use that as an excuse to wriggle out of it.
Hope you get this resolved,
Jackson -
Well she has it going again, but on battery power. I'm wondering if maybe the problem was just a sudden power surge as she plugged in. She told me there was a blue flash.
My son, 15, suggested that she plug the adpter in the receptacle first and then plug her laptup plug into the adapter. I wonder if that would help.
Given that we all have previous knowledge of the electrical differences, I really can't uderstand why there arent' any reliable products to make the conversions imperceptibly. I keep hearing about hair blowers smoking and curling irons burning hair. -
That's great news Susan. Do Canadian plugs have a separate fuses in them that may have blown?
You're son's advice is correct- I've found that my UK to Sweden adapter takes a bit of wiggling to get in sometimes and it can spark a little. I plug the adaptor in first, then the laptop transformer into the adapter, then finally the laptop transformer cord into the laptop.
Jackson
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if it handles 240 and 120, there is probably a little switch on the adapter for either one, if the wrong one was chosen when she plugged it in, that would explain the flash followed by the shut down.
I hate to say this, but I'm not sure how long she'll be able to turn it on for... if she did accidentally overload the circuit, she will have most likely blown a few capacitors in the computer, which can cause weird shut downs, and erratic behaviour. Lets hope that didn't happen!
Travelling would be a lot easier without all this darn technology getting in the way! lol
Best of luck to her!!
PS;
I'm so jealous, my high school Europe trip was cancelled by our insurance company, I can't wait to get across the pond!
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Jackson, no fuses in the plugs. The laptop makers advise to plug the cord into the laptop first and then into the socket. So don't know what to make of it.
Wil, there is no switch on the adapter. It is an adapter, just a plug, not a transformer. She shouldn't need the transform for the laptop. Aside from all the technological problems, she really is a lucky kid to be doing this. I'm jealous too.
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Pretty much all laptops use some kind of 'brick' in the power lead. I guess this is the place you found the 110/240 label. If so then the laptop should run OK in Italy. If she hasn't got a brick then it's possible that a switch on the laptop need to be changed to switch the power supply voltage - I haven't seen one of these for a few years now.
There are two basic kinds of bricks - some of the older ones had both the in and out leads permanently fixed. The one in the image below and probably your daughters has a fixed lead to the laptop and a plug in lead to the power socket.
The plugin lead will be have an IEC standard C5 (two pin) or C7 (three pin) to plug into the brick and probably a US plug to go into the mains via an adaptor.
The simple thing to do is to go to the nearest hardware store in Rome and buy a replacement IEC lead with an Italian plug on the end. They come in various kinds (see Type L here) but I'm sure that she can identify what will work in the place she's in. Here in France those leads coat around 2 euros in the supermarket. (The three pin ones are a little harder to find but if needed a two pin lead can be made to fit into a three pin brick and will work fine.)
You can get a little spark when you plug a laptop into a live power supply - shouldn't be a problem - smoke and flames are a different problem!
Good luck to her.
Bob
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Susan
I have an Acer laptop, though I don't think the manufacturer makes any difference. When I went to UK with it I bought a power lead there at a computer shop. Not surprising because UK is 240v, with weird plugs that look like they could jump start a Titan rocket. Anyway, best thing is to buy a laptop power lead in Italy. That will plug into the blackbox that is then connected to the laptop. Don't assume that just because the prongs on the plug fit in the socket the power is compatible.
Jeremy
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Guys you1re all being very helpful here and Susan would appreciate it but I have to tell you that she is not in an urgent need of help any more because this is a "transferred, old topic" from SCF1. Her daughter was going to travel to Italy some time in the Summer.
However it is certainly always good to know all this above and get prepared with the help of your contribution...
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