Can laptops run on different voltages?
Fodor's Rome 2004: Most laptops run equally well on 110 and 220 volts and so require only an adaptor (in Italy). How can this be the case? I though transformers change a voltage only as a ratio, so if the input voltage is increased, so would the output. Surely this would damage sensitive components??
Laptops & Notebooks - 2 Answers
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1 :
Most of contemporary chargers are designed in a way they can work both with 220 and 110. Even very primitive chargers from cheap mobile phones can do that. To be sure, you should read the sticker on the embossed text on the charger, where it is stated, what input voltage it takes (usu. something like "100-240V" will be written). The DC output of these chargers is constant and also stated on the adaptor.
2 :
There may be multiple trasnformers in the adaptor which switch automatically based on the input voltage. I don't know for sure, but theoretically this could be the method. It raises another question as well. How do you insert the plug into a 220 outlet?
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