Indian plug/lead for laptop mains adaptor

adaadat

Thanks, everyone, again.

I've tried ebay.in and Google.co.in without any luck so I'll give Sony India a bell. Thanks, GoofyGAT, for that.

It would be so much easier if our relatives (some of whom are studying I.T. at uni!) located the very lead I'm after, but it would spoil the surprise, unfortunately.

Not knowing whether they have the bigger or smaller sockets (shown in the fourth picture), also, adds further complication.

I think I'll e-mail blitz every I.T.-type retailer and get them to do the work.
..............................
Although this isn't appropriate for me, someone may find it useful:

http://www.expansys.com.au/p.aspx?i=103844 Australian site, but there is a U.K. version. I searched for a South African plug as it's the same as the higher-rated Indian plug/socket.

U.K. site: http://www.expansys.com/t.aspx?m=306
There are many 2-pin/"Figure of 8" and 3-pin/"Cloverleaf" cables with US/Japan, EU, Australia and U.K. plugs. None for me, though.

adaadat

I e-mailed a site which deals with Indian-travel related stuff (which has the name of a vegetable in its name) and received this reply, which I thought would be useful to others:

........................................................................................
Plugs for Indian wallsockets come in two sizes, each with 3 round pins. From my days as a theatre lighting engineer, I'm pretty sure these are exactly the same size as the 5 amp (small) and 15 amp (larger) plugs we used to use to plug heavy duty theatrical lamps. In India the 15 amp plugs are generally used for very heavy duty applications such as water heaters, so it is the 5 amp you will most likely need. These are normaly not fused as with UK square pin plugs, relying instead on main fuses at the breaker box.

I've found 2 URLs that sell these:

http://www.powerconnections.co.uk/rewireables_uk_bs546.htm

http://www.screwfix.com/app/sfd/cat/pro.jsp;jsessionid=CDWGMSVFXUHAACSTHZOCFFA?cId=A231856&ts=64802&id=16476#

I'm pretty sure these will have the same pin spacing/size as the Indian ones, since the standard was probably set during the British occupation in any case, and the UK used such plugs then. If you dig a little, you may find one of these pre-made with a lead to a cloverleaf female socket suitable for the laptop, but to be honest, I would just get the plug and cut the plug off the original lead and replace it.

Its worth bearing in mind (depending on where he lives and the quality of local electricity supply) that your relative may wish to run the laptop through an Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS) very commonly used by Indian computer users. This is mainly to guard against blackouts, but also (more importantly with a laptop) against the sometimes horrendous power "spikes" or surges that will occasionally damage delicate electronics. They also "condition" the often "impure" mains supply. A good quality UPS will probably require a female "kettle plug" such as:

http://www.maplin.co.uk/Module.aspx?ModuleNo=42706&doy=10m7&C=SO&U=strat15

I would take one of these along anyway but not fit it, as good quality ones are hard to find in indian electrical retailers.

The alternative is to adding your own plug is:

- Buy a pre-made lead in India with a cloverleaf connector. Most computer shops should have replacements for these as they are standard. In somwhere like the huge computer market in Nehru place, Delhi, they will be easy to come by. Buy a good one if possible, as they are often poorly made and result in a poor fit which can lead to crackling noises/arcing. Out of four we bought in India only 2 were usable.

- Get one put on while in India; fine but buy the best they have as cheap Indian plugs leave much to be desired!

Hope that's of some help!
...........................................................