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LateBloomer
Joined: 06 May 2006
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 Posted: Wed Jul 12, 2006 2:07 am Post subject: Will I wreck my computer? |
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| I'm a technophobe and not proud of it. Someone gave me a small wall plug "thingamagig" (adapter?) for my laptop. However, my laptop cord has three prongs--I think the third one is to "ground" it. The wall plug thing is only designed for a two pronged cord so the third prong is sticking out at the bottom. Can I damage my laptop by continuing to use it? |
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jazblanc77
Joined: 22 Feb 2004
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| Posted: Wed Jul 12, 2006 3:14 am Post subject: |
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What you need: needle nose plyers
What you do: clamp onto the ground prong and yank it out
Risk to you or your device: little to none |
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poker player
Joined: 27 Sep 2004
Location: On the river
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| Posted: Wed Jul 12, 2006 2:44 pm Post subject: Re: Will I wreck my computer? |
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| LateBloomer wrote: |
| I'm a technophobe and not proud of it. Someone gave me a small wall plug "thingamagig" (adapter?) for my laptop. However, my laptop cord has three prongs--I think the third one is to "ground" it. The wall plug thing is only designed for a two pronged cord so the third prong is sticking out at the bottom. Can I damage my laptop by continuing to use it? |
I've been using mine with this configuration for years with no problem.You can still plug it in without pulling out the third prong right so no need to do that and when ou go back to America it will still fit into their plugs properly and you won't have lost the grounding plug that you should have in America. |
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LateBloomer
Joined: 06 May 2006
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| Posted: Thu Jul 13, 2006 2:35 am Post subject: |
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| Thanks for your input. Much appreciated! |
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huffdaddy
Joined: 25 Nov 2005
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| Posted: Thu Jul 13, 2006 5:28 am Post subject: |
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| I use a US 3-prong to US 2-prong adaptor converter and a US 2-prong to Korea 2-prong adaptor. Not sure if they sell the 3-2 adaptors here, but that's a possibility as well. |
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wheek
Joined: 08 May 2006
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| Posted: Sun Jul 23, 2006 11:19 pm Post subject: |
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| I'm having the exact same issue. I've been using the little two-prong adapter for about three weeks, and lately I've noticed my computer getting extremely warm when plugged into wall power. The little plug is also an issue for me because it doesn't stay in the socket very securely; it wiggles around a bit so often it'll become partially undone and flicker from battery to outlet power. If anyone has any info on where to find three to two prong adapters or buy an entirely new power cord for the laptop (Dell Pentium D505), kindly enlighten me... |
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jazblanc77
Joined: 22 Feb 2004
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| Posted: Mon Jul 24, 2006 6:28 am Post subject: |
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| wheek wrote: |
| I'm having the exact same issue. I've been using the little two-prong adapter for about three weeks, and lately I've noticed my computer getting extremely warm when plugged into wall power. The little plug is also an issue for me because it doesn't stay in the socket very securely; it wiggles around a bit so often it'll become partially undone and flicker from battery to outlet power. If anyone has any info on where to find three to two prong adapters or buy an entirely new power cord for the laptop (Dell Pentium D505), kindly enlighten me... |
Welcome to Korean summers! Laptops are notorious for having heat issues. If you prefer not to fry one of your sore system components like your CPU, video card, hdd, or even your screen, look into getting a cooling pad. A cooling pad can be found in any store that sells computers or computer accessories and is essentally a pad with fans in it that lifts your laptop off the table and pulls heat away from the main heat culprits. This is ESSENTIAL in Korea. |
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wheek
Joined: 08 May 2006
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| Posted: Mon Jul 24, 2006 5:44 pm Post subject: |
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Thanks, jaz; I'll definitely look into it. The only thing is, my apartment has AC and tends not to be overly warm. Plus the computer only gets hot when plugged in; if it's running on battery it's business as usual. Would the cooling pad help even if it's electrical and not environmental? Or does that mean I have a bigger problem on my hands and should look into a voltage adaptor or whatnot (my computer says 110--240, but I've heard horror stories from others with the same...)
Also, do you happen to know what a cooling pad is called in Korean? I'm not sure I'd recognize one in the store. |
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Demophobe
Joined: 17 May 2004
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| Posted: Mon Jul 24, 2006 6:30 pm Post subject: |
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| wheek wrote: |
Thanks, jaz; I'll definitely look into it. The only thing is, my apartment has AC and tends not to be overly warm. Plus the computer only gets hot when plugged in; if it's running on battery it's business as usual. Would the cooling pad help even if it's electrical and not environmental? Or does that mean I have a bigger problem on my hands and should look into a voltage adaptor or whatnot (my computer says 110--240, but I've heard horror stories from others with the same...)
Also, do you happen to know what a cooling pad is called in Korean? I'm not sure I'd recognize one in the store. |
Have a look here.
노트북 쿨러 (Notebook Cooler in Korean as well) |
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jaebea
Joined: 21 Sep 2003
Location: SYD
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| Posted: Tue Jul 25, 2006 6:24 pm Post subject: |
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Cooling pads are a good idea, but benchmarks have shown they don't make that much difference. Just keep away from the taxing tasks, perhaps use a low-power profile, even when plugged in, to stay safe.
Voltage/frequency used to be an issue even up around 5 years ago, but now all modern notebook adapters have a wide voltage/frequency tolerance. You'll normally see "100V-250V" and "50Hz-60Hz" on sticker on the adapter. If it does, you're safe.
jae. |
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