Would a US laptop work in Ireland (different electricity)

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Betsy Og

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A relation of mine told me she was holding off buying a new laptop in the US as she didnt think it would work when she brought it home due to the difference in electricity (think we're 220V, 50hz, they're something different).

I said I didnt think it would be a problem, as far as I know the leads scale up or down the power to suit the machine. So while you might need an Irish (European?) lead the unit itself should work fine.

Anyone any views on this? Am I right in priciple about the laptop leads transforming the electricity to suit the machine?, maybe she'd only need a new plug on the US lead?
 
This year I sent my mother in law home from the US with a new laptop from Sam's Club. great deal. it works fine. the overwhelming majority of power adapters for laptops in the US are dual voltage, they run 110V in the US and handle 220V in Europe. the only main difference will be the physical wall plug. you can cut the US plug off and wire in your own UK/Ireland plug. so no problems, shop away.
 
Betsy Og said:
A relation of mine told me she was holding off buying a new laptop in the US as she didnt think it would work when she brought it home due to the difference in electricity (think we're 220V, 50hz, they're something different).

I said I didnt think it would be a problem, as far as I know the leads scale up or down the power to suit the machine. So while you might need an Irish (European?) lead the unit itself should work fine.

Anyone any views on this? Am I right in priciple about the laptop leads transforming the electricity to suit the machine?, maybe she'd only need a new plug on the US lead?
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No problem using it here.

USA use 110VAC at 60Hz whereas we have 230VAC at 50Hz, but the charger should handle this.
 
I don't know about a laptop but I've bought cameras and a PSP in the US before and they've all worked fine, just need an adaptor for charging.
 
Am using a US laptop (in Ireland) right now. Had to buy an adaptor to fit the socket in the wall but no tranformers required...
 
jhegarty said:
Haven't seen a laptop charger that wasn't dual voltage in many years.
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I have seen the odd brick adapter here in the US that was only 110v, sometimes on a router etc, but I think they figured that people travel with laptops! :)
 
us laptop

brought mine from usa just replace plug with our three pin , works fine,eamo
 
Latops are DC not AC. Its got nothing to do with the laptop.

However they all come with a AC adapter/charger, which converts from AC power to DC. They can usually handle US and IRL/UK power.

Its not the lead itself. Thats just a cable. Many adapters you can simply use a different lead.
 
And as a matter of fact they also work in the opposite direction....European laptops work in the states. A travel plug converter is all you should need.
 
AlbacoreA said:
Don't Laptops work everywhere? They use batteries which are DC.
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Yes, but the mains transformer that plugs in to charge the battery will only work if it is rated for the mains supply.
As has been said, for may years now, laptop mains transformers are univerally dual voltage.

If it wasn't it would be easy to buy a new transformer.
 
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