Will I fry my apple 65 watt power adapter if I plug it directly into the wall in the UK?

July 9, 2007 3:12 AM

Will the 65 watt apple adapter work if I plug it directly into a 220v (UK) current? Or will I fry it if I don't use a converter?

Thanks for the help. Googling and reviewing the apple site surprising yields nothing. Most "wall wart" adapters typically can do either 110 or 220, but I don't have any docs for this one.

posted by Tommy Gnosis to travel & transportation (10 comments total)

well, look at the adapter. it shoud say something like 110-230V on it. not 1000000% sure on the macbook 65W (non pro) adapter, but the powerbook one is 100% good for european current (since i've had two of them).
posted by jedrek at 3:27 AM on July 9, 2007

You have G5 in your tags. Are we talking about a workstation or a notebook?

Apple notebook adapters will work all over the planet. Just get the appropriate plug adapter - no need for a power adapter.
posted by stereo at 3:34 AM on July 9, 2007

Because you say 65 watt adapter, I assume it is a powerbook or
macbook pro adapter, so it is a yes. But check the fine print on the adapter itself to be sure, as jedrek suggests.

AFAIK, most macs work from 110-230 V esp. the notebooks, even my old G4 imac. Also, airport express modules.

Also, AFAIK, most notebooks (windows and mac) work from 110-230 V because they are meant to be lugged around all over the world.
posted by hariya at 3:45 AM on July 9, 2007

Any electronics that use a wall brick aren't running at voltages that high anyway. They'll work as long as the transformer is rated for the input voltage. You figure this out by reading the transformer itself.

The one for a MacBook says:
Input: 100-240V ~, 50-60Hz, 1.5A
Output: 16.5V _-_-_, 3.65A

So, it'll work as long as the input is within the specified range, and is alternating current in the frequency range listed.
posted by odinsdream at 4:36 AM on July 9, 2007

You can use the Apple World Travel Adapter Kit or use a plug adapter that converts a US power plug to fit a UK power outlet. Your Powerbook/Macbook/Macbook Pro should have a line voltage of 100V - 240V AC (check the technical specs). Here's the user manual for the Apple World Travel Adapter Kit.
posted by plokent at 4:50 AM on July 9, 2007

As far as I know, almost all Macs are dual-voltage. I've never had any trouble with any of my Mac products (iBook, two ipods, airport) in any of the countries I've traveled to, which includes US, Europe and Asia. All you need is a plug adapter, which can be found at a hardware store for about $2.
posted by Brittanie at 5:19 AM on July 9, 2007

Again, it's not the macs that are dual voltage. All laptops run anywhere from around 12V - 20V. More importantly, they're all DC, not AC. That's why you have a transformer for nearly all of your electronic devices.

So, this advice covers all electronics, not just Macs or laptops, that use a wall transformer to create DC out of AC. If the transformer is rated for your input voltage and type, you only have to physically make the plugs fit.
posted by odinsdream at 6:41 AM on July 9, 2007

While I can appreciate the convenience of a plug adapter that clips directly to your power adapter, the Apple kit is a ripoff (unless you travel to a lot of places). Save your money and just get a simple plug adapter.
posted by O9scar at 6:52 AM on July 9, 2007

I have a USA Mac Book Pro and it works fine here in the UK. All that I changed was the socket adapter part from the US style (two pronged) to the UK style (three pronged). The big square adapter box thing that the socket adapter plugs into is the original one I got with it.
posted by jon4009 at 7:30 AM on July 9, 2007

FWIW, for at least a brief spell in the last year or so, apple was selling some desktops with single voltage power supplies. One theory was that it was to cut down on cross-(grey) market sales. So that fancy-pants Euros couldn't capitalize on the weak-ass dollar to buy cheap macs. So, read the label.
posted by rbs at 7:38 AM on July 9, 2007