You transcribers sure do have to carry around a bunch of stuff!!
Until laptop batteries get immensely better, this subject of power cords will just never go away! Laura recently wrote in about about using plug adapters that turn one plug into several plugs. They probably look something like this:
I carry an extension cord with multiple outlets on the end. Since many laptop AC power cords have 3-prong plugs, I had to search around for one that was both lightweight (i.e. a “household” extension cord, not the heavy duty outdoor kind) and had several 3-prong outlets. In some areas, those are hard to come by!
- “Woods cord 0609” (for a white cord)
- “Woods cord 0608” (for a brown cord)
- “Woods slimline 2232” (for a white cord with a thin plug that stays close to the wall)
- “Belkin STC163”
Here’s a typical lightweight extension cord that only provides 2-prong outlets at the end:
But like I said, many laptop AC adapters have 3 prongs:
So what to do? Some people use 2- to 3-prong adapters to modify their extension cords:
BUT, those are not “safe” to use unless you attach the ground tab to the center screw of the outlet plate. (see that little metal thing with the hole?)
That’s why I recommend the lightweight extension cord with multiple 3-prong outlets at the end. I looked all over the city to find mine! Someone else I know simply found theirs at Wal-Mart. :-\ After searching online, I found that Woods Industries and Stanley both make such cords:
If you want to order one, try doing a Google Product Search for one of the following:
I believe all of those models listed above have three (3) 3-prong outlets at the end, which is nice when you need to plug in both the Transcriber and Reader computers or share an outlet with your neighbors. This 8-foot Tri-Way cord looks like one of the best deals out there, at the time of this posting!
Of course, you could also get a surge-protected power strip with an extra-long cord (this one, shown, has a 25’ cord):
…but that’s definitely not “lightweight”!
Kate
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