recharging a north american laptop in Australia?

Question

In order to recharge a north american laptop in australia do you just plug it into any outlet or do you need an adaptor for it and if so what kind.

Answer 1

The USA uses 110v 60hz while Australia uses 220-240v 50 hz. If you plug your computer into a wall socket in Australia you will fry it. You can get a transformer to change the voltage from 240 to 110v so you can safely use your laptop here. Buy one before you come or get one in any electronics shop here. First, though, check your laptop manual. Some laptops have a built in transformer and a switch to change between different power supplies. If you have any doubts, however, buy a transformer. They are not expensive.

The difference between 60hz and 50hz will make little difference when recharging a battery but were you to run an electric motor, such as in a hair dryer, you would find it ran slower in Australia.