Mac Forum / General / General / December 2006

I disagree that "none" can be misled by your so-called joke.

People buy Macs, then they plug them in and learn how to manage the
software in their Macs.

That in no way prepares them to know anything about the AC power details
of their Macs, as you seem to be implying.

The AC voltage end of Macs is a big mystery to a LOT of otherwise
proficient Mac users.

For example, in the USA, how many Mac users know the correct answer to
these questions:

1) For an Intel Mac Mini Duo, what is the approximate
  resistance between its chassis and the safety prod
  of its main power plug, the plug that goes to the
  wall outlet?

    A) Over 100 megohms (open circuit)
    B) Less than one ohm
    C) 1,000 ohms

2) When USA Macs are run on 230 vac in the USA,
  what is the highest AC voltage, plus or minus
  about 20 volts, with reference to earth ground
  on ANY of the individual 3 prods of the main
  power plug, the plug that normally plugs into
  the wall 115 vac outlet?

    A) 230 vac
    B) 115 vac

3) When USA Macs are run on 115 vac in the USA,
  what is the highest AC voltage, plus or minus
  about 20 volts, with reference to earth ground
  on ANY of the individual 3 prods of the main
  power plug, the plug that normally plugs into
  the wall 115 vac outlet?

    A) 230 vac
    B) 115 vac

4) Is it legal in the USA for an electrician to
  install an extension cord that has a female
  115 vac plug on its one end, and a "legal"
  230 vac male plug on its other end?

5) Depending on the answer to question four,
  then is it "legal" to run a Mac in the USA
  from 230 vac?

(no easy way to hook the Mac to 230 vac, if local electrical codes
forbid the installation of a conversion cord)

Now the electrician can get around all that legally, if he is willing to
butcher the end of the standard power cord that comes with the Mac Pro,
and install a "legal" 230 vac connector in its place.

...but that electrician certainly better know about 230 volt computers,
otherwise your expensive Mac Pro might be toasted when you plug it in.

Then the user had better purchase a spare power cord from Apple, in case
it becomes necessary to send the Mac in for repair under warranty.

BECAUSE, the old wiring in houses built 40 years ago deteriorates, and
the wall outlets with their crimped contacts deteriorates, with time.

There are a lot of those old houses, especially in rural areas.

The net result of the old wiring is that wires and outlets heat up,
becoming a fire hazard when high currents are involved.

Every year in this rural area, there are local news stories about old
houses burning down because of over-loaded oxidized wiring.

That old wiring is technically okay, according to legal grandfather
clauses and code enforcement policies.

The local home owner is not inclined to spend thousands of dollars and
have his house torn up just to run high current computer gear,
especially when he has the option to cut those high currents in half by
switching to 230 vac.

Apple's spec's on the Mac Pro state that the "maximum" current is 12
amps when running on 115 vac, with 230 vac that maximum drops to 6 amps,
according to Apple.

Argue with Apple about the 12 amp spec', I do not have the details on a
fully configured Mac Pro with all the bells and whistles.

Mark-

As far as I can tell, only one person did not know it was a joke,

As far as I can tell, only one person is considering that.

<sigh> - it was patently obvious by the context of my remark you refer
to that I meant "when" the Mac runs on 230V, not "if".

I also posted "If the Mac runs on 115V"

Is that supposed to mean that I am questioning whether the Mac is
capable of running on 115 vac, c'mon!

You got that right, however by reading my posts he would KNOW that he
was screwing up, because of all the warnings in my posts about using
qualified electricians and what might happen if he does not.

Here we go, the old "Keep them in the dark and they will not screw up"
argument I hear so often in these NGs.

I don't buy that at all.

A much better attitude, IMO, would be to alert people to hazards.

If you have a child, you DO NOT keep that child in ignorance about the
hazards of crossing a street, based on some weird supposition that the
child will not get killed if you keep him in ignorance.

You tell him to cross the street ONLY when the crossing guard
(electrician) is present at the intersection.

...and you warn him what might happen if he does otherwise, in fact you
might exaggerate a little about the perils, as I did in my posts.

Continuing to spread knowledge and enlighten people, here are the
answers to the recent mini-quiz about input power basics for Macs:

1) 1,000 ohms
2) 115 vac (measured by a voltmeter to earth ground)
3) 115 vac (measured by a voltmeter to earth ground)
4) No, not legal
5) Could be legal, depends on installation technique

 "No" if a separate 115V to 230V cord is built.

 "Yes" if the standard cord sold with Macs
 in the US has its 115V source plug removed,
 and a legal 230V male plug installed by a
 person qualified to do the job.

You _could_ check with Apple ahead of time, tell them what you plan to
do and why, ask them for details about how the proposed modification
affects EULA, warranty, and repair issues.

I did, and I was assured that my EULA, my 3 year extended warranty, and
any repair issues would not be adversely affected by my proposed
operation from a 230 vac source.

Let me warn anyone who phones Apple on this matter.  Be prepared to be
bounced around for hours between sales, customer service, technical
support, and other sections of Apple before you manage to contact anyone
at Apple who can answer your questions with any degree of intelligence.

One guy from technical support with a heavy Indian accent even insisted
that a Mac would not run from 230 vac.

After two hours on the phone, I FINALLY got an Apple rep' who told it
like it was.  

He advised:

1) Remove 115 vac power plug from standard Mac power cable
2) Install "legal" 230 vac male twist-lock plug in its place
3) Plug Mac into a "legal" 230 vac UPS, enjoy Mac
4) Buy spare standard Mac power cable from Apple store,
  tell them your dog ate your original cable.

He also said my EULA, warranty, repairs, would not be adversely
affected, especially if I did not tell Apple I was running from 230 vac

That from an Apple rep' <g>

Now for my usual warning, I know you love these warnings.

PLEASE people, if you have a need for 230V operation, have a licensed
electrician modify the Mac power cable, an electrician who is also
familiar with Mac input power requirements.

There is too much to lose if you do it yourself and screw up, human
lives are involved here.

Mark-