Power cord and adapter for T43 made for the UK

[Sudevan]

I haven't posted here in a while, partly because I was busy moving this summer, and then unpacking -- too many books, stamp albums, and of course, Thinkpads! I have been going through my collection, updating OSs (mainly Linux Mint) and so far things have been going very well. But I have hit a snag:

A couple of years ago I had bought a T43 from the UK that was still in the box, untouched. It was absolutely mint, not a scratch anywhere, and it was the first time I had seen what a rubberized Thinkpad lid looked like when the machine was brand new!. At my request, the seller had opened the box and made sure nothing was broken -- it had Win XP on it as well. When I got it, everything worked fine, but I remember I had to get some sort of a power cord adapter for the brick that came with the machine. I think the prongs on the UK adapter would not fit into US outlets, and that is why I needed one, and it may also have been related to the 110/220 voltage difference. Anyway, I now cannot find that power brick. I have a whole bunch of power bricks, but I can't tell which one the UK version is -- most of them say Input 100 240V. Would the UK cord say something else? If I needed a power supply and cord that would make this UK T43 work, how would I get it and what would I be looking for (obviously electricity is not my strong suit!). If I try using one of the US adapters, can it destroy my machine? Some sites have said that 100 240V adapters with the UL symbol are universal and can be used anywhere. But I don't want to take the risk of doing anything that might damage my machine.

Any advice or suggestions, especially from UK-based members would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance.

Sudevan

[RealBlackStuff]

Any IBM/Lenovo 16V, 56W or 72W adapter with the small round barrel DC-plug from any country will fit.
These adapters fit on A2x/A3x/T2x/T3x/T4x/R4x/R5x/X2x/X3x/X4x etc.
56W for integrated graphics, 72W for discrete graphics.
The AC power cables from these adapters are replaceable with a version from whatever country you want.
It's known as Figure-8 for 2-prong cables, or Mickey-Mouse for 3-prong.

If you find that UK cable, if you like you can ship it to me in exchange for a US cable (8-prong only).

[Sudevan]

Thank you, RBS. So I can use any one of my power bricks which I used with US T43 Thinkpads, correct? My typical power supply says 100-240V for Input and 16V for Output, but does no say anything about wattage. These would still be OK, I take it.

Sudevan

[RealBlackStuff]

Almost yup.
Check the adapter's Output, 3.36A = 56W and 4.5A = 72W.
It's printed on the adapter-label.
To be on the guaranteed save side, use any 16V/4.5A/72W

[Sudevan]

I found two with 4.5A, and used one of those. It worked fine! Win XP came up and I think later tonight, I will do some updates. But then, I will install Linux Mint 17.2, I'm hoping it will work with this T43. If not, I can always go to an earlier version, like Mint 16. Thank you for the swift help, RBS.

Incidentally the two adapters I found were Replacement Adapters. I do have original IBM adapters with 4.5A, but they are two prong. Is there any harm in using them, or should one always have the three-prong variety? (I'm told the third prong helps with stability, grounding, etc.)

Sudevan

[kfzhu1229]

I have 4 of these IBM genuine non-grounded adapters used for more than 10 years and none of them caused problems!
In fact the only grounded adapter I have is actually the ThinkPad Dock I

[Sudevan]

Indeed, I do have about ten to twelve IBM adapters and a couple of Replacement Adapters, several of the IBM adapters are two-prong, and they work very well. My concern was with the UK machine and whether there was a need for a separate adapter. Actually, what I had used with the UK adapter was an extra plug into which the UK adapter could be inserted, so that then the cord would work in a US outlet. The UK plug has the third prong flat while in the US versions it is round. I'll be able to confirm all this if I ever find my missing UK cord!

Sudevan