AC adapter

I recently bought a T510 and I'm extremely happy with it. Yet I was looking at the AC adapter and saw it was specifically made for the US (where 110 volts are used). I'm a little worried about this because we use 220 volts in Peru. If I use a transformer will this damage the battery's life? Should I get a different adapter? Thanks in advance.

 

the adapter should have the voltage specification... all of the adapters i have seen even the one from US are rated for 100 to 240 v. Is that also listed on your adapter?

 

On the adapter it is written that the input ranges from 100 to 240 volts. However, there are a couple of stickers on the small cable next to the plug. One says '3A 127V for Saudi Arabia' and another one says '3A 125V for US'.

 

don't worry it will work. Some of the stickers are certification sticker saying that the adapter complies with the individual standards of US and Saudi Arabia.

 

I used my T500 with AC adapter in China (220V, 50Hz, I believe) with no problems at all. You should be fine.

 

Yeah, 99% (if not 100%) AC adapters today come with, I believe, a circuit (or something similar... it's been a while since I studied it) called a voltage stabilizer/regulator and they can work on either american or non-american AC current, provided your plug actually has the correct shape. The AC adapter has a transformer inside that will transform 110/220V into something like 5V or 12V DC that the components inside the laptop will actually use, and it will transform both voltages well. The plug (or, as I call it, the plug-shape-converter) can be bought really cheap anyway.

On a side note, if you were to buy something that works directly on the AC from the wall (like hairdryer) in the US made to work on 110V, don't try to hook it up to 220V.

 

Thanks to all for the info.

 

I think you mean switched mode power supply. It also has to do with trying to obtain energy star qualifications with efficient power supplies. Your power supply doesn't always output a constant power based on its maximum. An efficient power supply would absolutely have to do this to qualify. Plus it's also less expensive to sell a power supply that basically works everywhere.

Also don't forget there's also 50hz and 60hz AC current around the world. 220V @ 60hz and 220V @50hz would make for very strange outcomes on a power supply that wasn't capable of handling both.

You can either get a plug adapter for the A/C cord, or in fact a whole different A/C cord to use in Peru. You can probably find one for cheap on eBay. A/C electrical cables I think are typically rated up to 600V (with differing amperage ratings of course).

If you want to start a fire, feel free to stick a 110V hairdryer into a wall in Peru!! A hairdryer would be way too expensive to make it world capable. It'd be cheaper if the consumer simply bought a second I usually don't blow dry my hair anymore. when I'm overseas, I should try it

 

I think a switched mode power supply would be like a desktop power supply with the little red button, 220V->110V:



but I've never seen this system on laptop adapters. AC frequency (50 Hz vs 60 Hz) won't matter for the laptop, as the output is always DC.

The AC cord is probably a better idea, less fuss with that weird looking converter.

Yeah it would be literally be blowing it away.