Korean Job Discussion Forums

[BigWhiteMan]

Howdy folks. Long-time lurker, first time poster here.

I'm planning out a trip to Korea. An old friend is already over there and is giving me pointers. He likes it so much that he won't come home to the states!


Anyway, I am a computer addict. I don't need TV, radio, or anything... I just need my computer.

Because I can't go a month without a computer, I plan on arriving in Korea with a laptop. I've read the laptop thread and STILL don't have a concrete idea of what I need cord-wise.

Eventually I'll build a desktop over there and have two comps up and running, but here's the big question:


What do I need that is redundantly safe in terms of power? Obviously I'll need some little plug conversions. What about some kind of power transformer? I could have a power transformer (I don't know what to call it, really) plug into the wall, have a power strip coming off of that, and then my electronics coming off of the power strip.


All I want is 100% assurance that nothing fries. I'm reading about power strips and laptop adapters frying even though they SHOULD have been OK.

What do I need to be redundantly safe? I'd rather pay 50,000-100,000 won to guarantee the safety of my electronics than risk a fry!


- BWM

[tatertot]

If your laptop power brick says 100-240V 50-60 Hz then you absolutely don't need an additional voltage transformer. The power brick is basically just a transformer (AC to DC convertor), so it would be redundant to step down the AC voltage from 240V to 120V before inputting it to your power brick. To do that would serve no purpose. All you will need is a plug adapter which you can buy here for 500 won.

What you may need is a surge protector. I personally don't use one with my laptop (or desktop), but it would probably be a good idea to do so. However, I wouldn't bring one with you from your current location. The difference in voltages and currents (if there are differences) between your current location and Korea may make the device unreliable, destroy it, or even damage your electronics (however, I am only speculating here).

[BigWhiteMan]

Is anything needed for a desktop?


I will certainly get a surge protector locally.



- BWM

[tatertot]

I think that almost all desktop power supplies are dual voltage, too. If you are building the desktop yourself, check the specs on the power supply before you purchase it. If you are buying a premade computer, then the computer specs should have an input voltage listed. The desktop power supply is similar to the laptop power brick in that it is an AC to DC converter. It differs in that it creates 12V, 5V, and 3.3V DC voltages (I think, I don't remember exactly) from the AC input voltage, whereas the laptop power brick creates somewhere around 19VDC. So if your power supply supports 240VAC input, using a step-down converter would be redundant.

Be careful! Even if the power supply is dual voltage, sometimes there is a switch on the back that you need to toggle before plugging into a 240V source. If you don't toggle that switch, I don't know what would happen. At best, the computer wouldn't power on. At worst, something would probably break. Make sure to read the manual for your computer (if prebuilt) or power supply (if you are building it yourself).