25 Apr
2008
25 Apr
'08
2:39 p.m.
models. "Not available yet" was the answer.
So, says I, "How about
buying some US models and running them at 120v 50Hz via a
transformer?" "That would void the warranty" was the response.
I wonder if it's the 'transformer' or the '50Hz' that voided the
warranty.
I can't see how it matters where the 120V comes from -- whether it's from
the distriution transformer bring the mains down from a multi-kV feeder
or whether it's from a small trasnformer taking in 220V/240V from
European mains. DId the terms of the warranty specify this?
Did very early machines have AC fans? All the later ones certainly had
12V DC ones that would be independant of mains frequency, but an AC fan
would run slower on 50Hz and could cause the machine to overheat. Was it
really that marginal (Acutally, given it's the IBM PC [1], I could
beleive it was).
[1] When I got my first IBM PC-family machine (a 5160), I took it to bits
(what a suprise) and sat down with the TechRef. Every few minutes I'd
exclaim 'They did WHAT???' as I found aother it of misdesign...
-tony