t23 charger got too much voltage

[jackie]

i screwed up big time.. i bought a t23 from the US and brought it with me to europe. I was careless and saw the information "input 100-240V 50/60Hz" and thought that it would work worldwide. So i went and plugged it in (with a european plug of course) here where the voltage is 220-230V. I just plugged the power cord to the adapter (not connected to the laptop) and i heard this quiet "snap" sound that i didnt remember ever hearing before in the US, so i unplugged the adapter and started looking at the sticker more carefully.. and apparently the 220-240 info is for the FRU part or whatever... (notice the stuff inside the square, i guess thats for this adapter, right?)

adapter was plugged for like 5 seconds and it didnt get anyway hot or anything.. so can you tell from the photos for sure that this is for 100v only? i'm afraid i killed it i suppose a voltage converter is not worth buying anymore and i need to go ac-adapter shopping instead?

http://img282.imageshack.us/my.php?image=charge5kp.jpg

http://img282.imageshack.us/my.php?image=char4nb.jpg

[jdhurst]

Do you know the adapter is dead?

Any 100-240V adapter I have used in Europe causes a spark or a snap while it is adapting. You don't hear that in North America because either the adapter initially defaults to 120V, or the lower voltage doesn't cause this. Either way, with a working adapter, no harm done.

... JD Hurst

[jackie]

Do you know the adapter is dead?

Any 100-240V adapter I have used in Europe causes a spark or a snap while it is adapting. You don't hear that in North America because either the adapter initially defaults to 120V, or the lower voltage doesn't cause this. Either way, with a working adapter, no harm done.

... JD Hurst

no, i dont have equipment to see what voltage it's giving out.. i'm just afraid to plug it in the laptop (with or without a converter) in case it's gonna melt down the whole thing

Can you tell from that sticker that it works with 230 as well? I thought the text inside the rectangle meant that this adapter only works with 100v and the FRU thing is just a possible replacement part?

Anyway, maybe it would be smarter just to get a used charger since it's not even much more expensive than a voltage converter and it comes without any risks

[jdhurst]

Any information I can find says the 02K6749 works with 100-240V input. I don't know what the other information printed on the adapter means. Perhaps someone else actually has one and can comment. My adapter is an 02K6750 ... JD Hurst

[chan_man]

I believe that all Thinkpad power supplies were dual voltage. You just need to get the right power cord to plug in. I have used my adapter in Asia and they are also at 220. This was true for both the dog-bone adapter that came out with the first T series laptops as well as the version that you have.

You can always go to the IBM support pages for help.

http://www.pc.ibm.com/support and type in your model number in the box to see what it is supposed to do. There should be info on what part numbers are needed in different parts of the world.

BTW: FRU means Field Replaceable Unit, this is the number that the Field service as well as customer service needs to order the right part for you. The P/N is the part number.

[jackie]

Yes, it works. Before reading chan_man's informative reply, i got the charger tested and the output voltage is 16v like supposed to. i just plugged it in and it works fine

[jdhurst]

For the others reading, always check the voltage range on your power brick before plugging it in. Also be aware of that spark or snap on high voltage systems. I recall (still have) my 1997 Toshiba Libretto. It had a tiny power brick and was dual voltage. That thing would create a virtual lightning strike when plugging it in. I recall plugging it in and waiting for a minute for the thing to normalize before plugging in the laptop. Can't be too careful ... JD Hurst