2-prong vs 3-prong plug adapter question
 

Okay, we've got to be near the end of my stupid questions (what could be left to ask?), so I'm throwing myself on the mercy of this forum's experts once again.

My laptop's power cord has a three-prong plug. The APC Back-UPS I'm going to be plugging into in France has 3-prong outlets. But the plug adapters that I see here (including APC's) all seem to have two prongs.

Am I misunderstanding the point of that 3rd prong? Isn't that for grounding? Wouldn't it be better to have a 3-prong plug adapter?

And where the heck can I find one?

Yes and no. You'll be fine without the grounding, just expect the possibility of some "hum" from your speakers. Of course, I wouldn't run anything off one of those adapters that is safer with grounding (like a kettle or deep fryer), but that isn't what they are made for anyway.

Yes, the 3rd prong is for grounding. Your laptop won't suffer but it might hum.

You need one of these:
http://www.110220volts.com/Merchant2...gnPlugAdapters

I order from them all the time and they're pretty fast about fulfilling your order.

I'll take a look at them. Thanks.

Funny, I had exactly the same conversation with our IT today. Frankly, I still don't feel great about using a 3 prong laptop without the 3rd prong.

I rarely see a laptop with a 3 prong plug. Heck, many dont even use a polarized plug either.

MisterNice

Really? Well, this is my first, and I've never paid attention to anybody else's.

I just want to make sure I don't fry it in the first year. I know that the electricity can be a bit erratic where I'm going to be using (hence the UPS).

These are great. When in China I had a power strip with this configuration. Very helpful. (Although I paid about $1 for the whole strip. It was China, after all.)