Off topic: generic laptop adaptor?

[Marcus Brubaker]

Peter Hiscocks wrote:

>CPUsed has IBM power adaptors. 
>
>I took my laptop to Cuba last Christmas, where the line voltage is 220V. The
>adaptor said it could work with 220V, so with some trepidation I plugged it
>into the hotel wall outlet. There was a flash and a giant ZZZZAAAAP sound
>which I'd never heard before, and so I yanked out the plug and assumed that
>the adaptor was dead, dead, dead.
>
>Got home, checked with CPUsed, and they wanted something like $75 for a new
>one, which is not unreasonable given the output current of the thing.
>Anyway, I decided to try the adaptor on 117VAC line. Again, the zap thing,
>but a bit more subdued this time and I noticed that the laptop was charging.
>So the charger survived completely.
>
>Finding out that the adaptor survived was good, but the best part was
>thinking that the laptop was out of commission during the one week holiday,
>so I spent the time lounging in the pool with coloured tropical beverages
>instead of working on some mind-numbing project specification document.
>  
>

I had a similar experience in Brazil with my laptop.  I'm not sure if 
it's the same thing in Cuba, but in Brazil the sockets have four holes 
in them.  Two are around and two are flat and they are arranged such 
that it seems that a grounded North American plug can connect in without 
an adapter.  The reality is that the round holes which I expected to be 
a ground, is also electrified and those outlets are designed for 
European style plugs.  When I plugged my laptop in directly I had a very 
similar result to what you described.  I then found an "adapter" which 
basically just prevented the ground plug from connecting and that worked 
fine.  That said, I didn't have the power adaptor connected to the 
laptop during any of this and I shudder to think what might have 
happened if I had.

Regards,
Marcus
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