Power cord for laptop?

Hi Lilly,

Normally the chargers for laptops work as well on 110V and on 220V (that's at least the case with my husband's Toshiba as well as all other laptops we have been using!

All the best
Arlette

Hi,

TLDR: You probably just need a local power cord, or a power supply at most, both available locally.

Here's how it works:

You have your laptop, it takes something like 19V DC through some brand-specific "jack" plug. Hopefully all is fine there.

In there you plug the little black power brick: These take whatever AC power you can throw at them: 110 to 230V, 50-60Hz, they don't care much.

Their input plug is one of the few appliance power cord plugs, and in every country you can buy a power cord that fits the wall outlet on one end and this on the other.

So wherever you go, all you need is such a power cord, any electronics store should carry them.

So the power converter you've been using all this time was not necessary, and if you are lucky, that's the only thing that broke now, and you can just get the cord and live on.

Even if the power adapter brick is what broke, you can get a replacement, used or new in a computer shop.

The fancy solution is the universal power supply:
These are usually bulkier, and you need to set them to the right voltage or else risk frying your notebook. Don't choose it unless you are comfortable with volts, polarity, tiny script and symbols.
On the plus side they are usually rated for higher power, and a good quality one can reliably outlive many generations of notebooks. They come for all kinds of adaptors, so you can use it with all kinds of devices in the household, lend it to friends in need, etc.

Let me know if you need help figuring it out!

Hey! Thanks for all the responds. I went into a local electronic shop and they had no clue if the Hungarian power cords would work besides, they didn't have any. I realized I have an acquaintance who works at Media Markt in Budapest so I asked her and she took my original power cord and will try to find out what I need. I hope I can get one locally so then I won't have to lug around the adapter with me, which is a pain. Imagine having half a brick as heavy as two full sized ones in your laptop case. On the other hand, I'm worried to plug this laptop into any other power source (other than 110V) since I thought I fried my desktop which I also brought with me. I plugged it in, then it gave out a gun shot kind of noise with sparkles. Who would have thought that I need to switch that red switch on the back BEFORE I plug it in!
Anyway, I hope I can use my laptop soon again. Thanks again!

Lilly76 wrote:

I fried my desktop which I also brought with me. I plugged it in, then it gave out a gun shot kind of noise with sparkles. Who would have thought that I need to switch that red switch on the back BEFORE I plug it in!

Well, yes. all I said above is for laptops and other low power stuff in the 20-30 Watts range.
Desktop power supplies do 300-500 Watts, completely different ballpark.
Next step: the oil-cooled power transformer on the pole down the street where the high voltage power lines end :-)

However if you are lucky, you only fried the power supply (big, heavy, metal cube inside the computer case.) It might be worth your time to take the whole thing to a repair shop, and have it tested, and if possible, fixed cheaply.

Lilly76 wrote:

Hey! Thanks for all the responds. I went into a local electronic shop and they had no clue if the Hungarian power cords would work besides, they didn't have any. I realized I have an acquaintance who works at Media Markt in Budapest....

The US power cords will work here if you change the plug BUT this is not really advisable as the cables are not rated for the higher European voltages/lower frequencies.  It's not just the voltage which is different, it's the frequency at which it's supplied. US power cables should go in the recycling garbage.

Nearly all power supplies (the "brick") are universal voltage and frequency (around 96V - 230V, 50Hz/60Hz), you only need the right cable but you need to look at it to check. Laptops particularly, as they are items one travels with, are made for using in locations with different voltages (or more specifically, the "brick" is made to work universally).

In my experience there are generally two types of common connector - one known as a figure of eight (two connections) and the other known as a clover leaf (3 conductors/connections). Typically, figure of eight is used on domestic radios and some TV sets. Clover leaf is not at all popular but does exist in Europe and some brands of PCs. If you find a domestic radio, you will probably find it has the right right cable (assuming not clover leaf). I know for certain Media Markt has figure of eight cables as I bought two of them last year.

If you are using your laptop in different countries, get yourself a surge protector (to avoid overvoltages). You can get them online and decent computer stores (e.g. not the overpriced and hopeless Media Markt). Buy online from Amazon (.co.uk or .de) and get it shipped if hard to find in HU.

Your blown up PC will need a new power supply. Not a big job to replace it. Should take someone about 10 minutes maximum to put it in. No-one repairs computer power supplies - just get a new one.

I talked to a Toshiba person and they said a European power cord should work, as long as it's the same (DV 19V/3.42A), so seems like Media Markt's power cord will do. However, I will look into those surge protectors.

I had my desktop fixed right away, (I'm on it right now) just at the time when I blew it, I really did think I blew it! haha
Thanks!

Lilly76 wrote:

.....I will look into those surge protectors.

This is the one I use:

APC  inline surge protector

Glad to hear things are working out fine.
We like to think things are not all that different here than the rest of the developed world. :-)

Hey, I have a question about power here vs the USA.
I have a Toshiba laptop that I brought with me from the US, and now I need a new charger for it. With the original power cord I've been using an AC adapter to convert the power to 110 V.

I'm worried that if I get a replacement from an electronic store here, it might fry my laptop. Or would it? I can't find any indication on the laptop if it takes 220V. I can't turn it on either since the power cord is not working.

Should I just have one sent from the states and continue use it with the adapter? Any advice? Thanks!
-@Lilly76

For some reason, this thread popped up again and I answered it thinking it was recent. I think the OP will have moved on long ago.

99.999999% of laptop power supplies can use US and European voltages (110v vs 230v) and the different frequencies (60Hz vs 50Hz) without any modification. 

No laptop uses 110V for it's own internal power. That would be highly dangerous. They mostly all use about 20V at about 4A.

Look at the label on the power adaptor itself (if too small use a phone to zoom in on the label).  The capabilities of your power supply will be described there.

You generally just need a different plug for the European wall sockets.  The end for the laptop power adaptor will usually be the "figure of eight" or the "cloverleaf". 

You can buy a power cable in Media Markt or any DIY store like Obi or Bauhaus or get it online. They are cheap.

If it's the power supply itself that's defective, you can get replacements in any computer store as the plug for the laptop itself will be differently sized. You need to take the old power supply unit with you to get the right size for your particular adaptor.

Figure of 8 connector (with European plug):

Cloverleaf with European ("Schuko") plug (notice the earth pin hole and earth edge contacts):