Irish PC on American power system

b20uvkft6m5xwg

Simple enough...

Irish PC (Gateway Athlon)
Built and made for use on our fair isle's power system (220v)

Can I use it on the power system in America (120v), if I get the appropriate 2 prong ac adaptors etc. ??

cheers
80p

Zab

Does it have a voltage selector on the PSU?

Zab.

b20uvkft6m5xwg

Is that a little "protected" (ie. hollowed out) button that for instance says "230" on it currently. Its a red tab that can be moved in either direction? (obviously I didn't move it even though its powered off)

Quigs Snr

Thats the one. Switch it down to the American voltage. Then either buy a new power lead over there with the dual prong or quite simply buy an adapter. You can probably buy one in the Airport on the way over.

SantaHoe

Aye the little voltage-selector switch should do the job nicely, might want to invest in a surge protector aswell.
My bro brought his 2 PC's back from the US, they're working nicely after the little switch was popped over to 220.

b20uvkft6m5xwg

WooHoo

I have to go to Peats when I finish my exams so I'm sure they'll have it then.

Thx for the info guys

b20uvkft6m5xwg

Originally posted by SantaHoe
Aye the little voltage-selector switch should do the job nicely, might want to invest in a surge protector aswell.
My bro brought his 2 PC's back from the US, they're working nicely after the little switch was popped over to 220.

A Surge protector is a defo recommendation for everyone:)

Saruman

As has been said yes it will work but do NOT change it until you get there! Also the Gateway monitors are auto switching so will also work over there!

Stephen

Even if your power supply wasn't dual-voltage, you could just buy a new one in the US and fit it there

SantaHoe

Originally posted by 80project
A Surge protector is a defo recommendation for everyone:)

Weh, sure my rig is plugged through so many double & tripple adaptors, extension leads, then more double adaptors - that any power surge would be mearly scoffed at

Even if your power supply wasn't dual-voltage, you could just buy a new one in the US and fit it there

Ah but that wouldn't be in the true spirit of nerd-dom
Good point tho.

Saruman

SantaHoe get yourself one of them adapters that have the surge protector built into it.. problem solved!

b20uvkft6m5xwg

Yeh Santahoe, Like Saruman said.

I got a 12 socket surge protected adaptor in Woodies Diy for about £30. Its well worth it from in the long run as far as hardware and data protection are concerned. And its a lot "neater".

As regards the US power system, AFAIK, 120v is safe in terms of most electrical goods for power surges and doesn't even kill humans if electrecuted- unlike if you stuck your finger in a socket here. [Kids...Dont try this at home:)]

Victor

Originally posted by 80project
As regards the US power system, AFAIK, 120v is safe in terms of most electrical goods for power surges and doesn't even kill humans if electrecuted- unlike if you stuck your finger in a socket here. [Kids...Dont try this at home:)]

/me waits for Trojan to smack you. Apparently current (amps) is what kills you, not voltage.

You might want to back up everything also. Knock and bumps and erased hard-drives and all that.

b20uvkft6m5xwg

Well what ever the heck level it is it wont kill you in America.
I think its designed so the stupid among them who feel inclined to mess around w/ the leccy dont get burned(literally)

Inspector Gadget

Originally posted by 80project
Well what ever the heck level it is it wont kill you in America.
I think its designed so the stupid among them who feel inclined to mess around w/ the leccy dont get burned(literally)

Unfortunately, that's bunk. It's possible to kill someone with a couple of milliamps at a couple of volts, in extreme circumstances, if they're unfortunate enough. To give an example, if you look at equipment on building sites, where safety is to the fore, their drills, saws, and so on, are 110v, granted, but they're on a split supply - two lives and one neutral, with ~55v per phase - that's still lethal in the wrong situation, so why would they bother implementing such a (relatively) expensive system if not for safety? Almost all electrically-powered industrial equipment an operator will have to deal with (trip switches, operator controls, etc.) runs at 12v or 24v DC for the same reason, likewise, all DIY stuff intended for use outside... you get my drift. It's possible to electrocute someone with a car battery (12v - well, 13.8v if properly charged, but that's splitting hairs) if you get them wet enough first...

Plus, low-voltage electrical systems represent an increased fire risk over high-voltage ones; wiring for 110v systems has to be much much thicker than the equivalent for a 230v system (the cross-sectional area has to be at least roughly double) to carry the same amount of electrical power without heavy losses, and overheating - actually, the wire losses (which generally manifest themselves as heat, but not always - if anyone's seen wires jumping around in movies and laughed, that can actually happen) are four times higher for 110v than they are for 220v systems using the same type, size and length of cable (which is why the power distribution networks use high voltage instead of high current - the electric power gets to the customers instead of keeping the cables warm); this increases the risk of cables overheating, and coupled with the increased likelihood of arcing across poor connections, and, to add insult to injury, vibration caused by the flow of current (AFAIK this is an AC-only phenomenon, but can't remember for sure) helping to loosen these connections, contribute dramatically to the risk of fire from low-voltage systems.

Just my 2c...
Gadget
(Where's Cloud when you need him? He could spout theory on this stuff chapter-and-verse...)

b20uvkft6m5xwg

[Johnny Carson Voice On]
I did not know that
[Johnny Carson Voice Off]

Dont worry Gadget, I not planning on testing the theory out, although I think its fair to say its you are less likely of being executed by 120v:)

Inspector Gadget

Originally posted by 80project
Dont worry Gadget, I not planning on testing the theory out

I'm quite glad to hear that

Originally posted by 80project
although I think its fair to say its you are less likely of being executed by 120v:)

As with so many things in life, "it depends", but I think enough has been said on the subject, yes?

Gadget

daveJAM

As far as I know, Gateway use custom PSU's that are just slightly smaller than normal ones. So you cant just change the PSU. Could be wrong though and the other way is just so much easier anyway.