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A couple of power questions

JBCF

Member
New to the forum and I've got a couple of questions re batteries and power. I picked up an i5 256 SB without gpu (great for my needs, writing, browsing and Dreamweaver primarily). For the curious, so far the Book has been running fine with only a couple of minor issues, no show stoppers for me and I haven't been this excited about new tech in a long, long time.

Anyways, on to my questions. I'm electrically challenged so I thought I'd see what the folks here have to say.

First. Will frequently detaching/attaching the clipboard portion eventually degrade the battery inside and result in shorter useable life when detached? Haven't seen any discussion on this.

Second. I split my time between Canada (110V) and Southeast Asia, mostly Malaysia (240V). For my old Surface, laptops, tablets etc I've always used simple travel plug adaptors. Will it be fine to continue to do so or would I be better off getting a power converter or even buying a microsoft power supply that fits the sockets in Malaysia (see question below)?

and last. I find the recharge very slow. I know that my model comes with the less powerful power supply. Would getting one of the more powerful power supplies give me a faster recharge (either the one for SB's with gpu or the 65 watt version)?
 
... i5 256 SB ... I'm electrically challenged so I thought I'd see what the folks here have to say.

First. Will frequently detaching/attaching the clipboard portion eventually degrade the battery inside and result in shorter useable life when detached? Haven't seen any discussion on this.

Second. I split my time between Canada (110V) and Southeast Asia, mostly Malaysia (240V). For my old Surface, laptops, tablets etc I've always used simple travel plug adaptors. Will it be fine to continue to do so or would I be better off getting a power converter or even buying a microsoft power supply that fits the sockets in Malaysia (see question below)?

and last. I find the recharge very slow. I know that my model comes with the less powerful power supply. Would getting one of the more powerful power supplies give me a faster recharge (either the one for SB's with gpu or the 65 watt version)?

Welcome, @JBCF

I travel and have worked for years in Malaysia (Sarawak).

1. No, I do not believe the battery will degrade much, since recharge management is software controlled. Battery life management/lifetime and battery capacity are separate issues. I think you are good on the former.

2. Your power "brick" is 110 / 240 v compatible already. Just plug in with a dumb adapter, not a converter. You might buy a "figure-8" front-end cord, if you want, to get a 3-prong adapter built-in, but a cheap dumb adapter will be fine.

3. Charging will indeed be faster with the 65 watt. You probably should buy one, so you have the advantage of having a spare, and an upgrade.

Hope this helps!
 
Terima kasih Sharpcolorado!
I spend most of my time bouncing around on the Peninsula but love East Malaysia too. Thanks for the reassurance and I think in that case I will pick up the 65 watt brick.
 
Terima kasih Sharpcolorado!
I spend most of my time bouncing around on the Peninsula but love East Malaysia too. Thanks for the reassurance and I think in that case I will pick up the 65 watt brick.

Cheers, lah.
 
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