MObile power for laptop

I would suggest for that range of money, well $159 to be exact, you could buy say a 300watt inverter from Jaycar. It is not a pure sine wave but sufficientl to run a laptop using the 240v adaptor. You plug the 240v plug in one end and the at the other end is the cigarette style plug that goes into your accessory socket. 300W would even be overkill but the higher the watts rating the better the quality usually and it has a surge capacity. With an inverter you are also not restricted to the laptop, any 240v appliance which uses less than say 260Watts can be used - plug in your tele, cd player, throw in a 60W light. So long as the total watts on your powerboard does not exceed the rating spec you should be fine. But test the laptop out at the shop before you hand over the money.

G'day Tony, I have been down the exact same road - even to the same brand - Compaq. What the bloke told you about using on aircraft is quite true, though I did not know Compaq supplied this piece of equipment. Harvey Norman sell a similar product (deisinged for use in aircraft and motor vehicles).It's called a "Targas" computer power pack and retails for around $220. Obviously there are other cheaper "band-aid" solutions around, but in the end you get what you pay for. These particular items are designed specifically for the job you have in mind. My decision?? I decided to stick to basic "grass roots" navigation, and use the computerised maps as a back up when required. This way I can have a quick look at the 'puter maps if needed, decide on any way points to plot into my GPS, switch it all off and just stick to my paper maps until I come to a real sticky situation. I have been navigating for over 40 years, and in all honesty, I can not envisage a situation anywhere in Australia where you need to follow your course on a computer mapping system minute by minute. I think that sort of system is great gimmickry and wizardry - terrific if you want to spend the money. But at the end of the day, you cannot beat sticking with the basics - and anybody venturing into the bush should know them solidly before even considering GPS and mapping software. Anyway mate, thats my two cents worth. enjoy the bush.

I agree with Paul. Buy an inverter and you can use it to charge your phone, camera, shaver or whatever and run small 240v appliances as well as power your laptop.

Stephen.

Tony we use a targus universal Auto/Airpower adaptor for our Toshiba laptop and it works fine. We use the laptop for ozi explorer (Sharing gps data with others etc and for the kids to watch dvd's on the longer trips.) We don't have any need for other 240V appliances so the Targus is a small easy to pack item, rather than an invertor we don't need. Have a look at http://www.targus.com/accessories_power.asp I guess just go for whatever best suits your needs. Graeme

Tony, The portable power supply for my compaq was designed for use in planes. I purchased mine in the US for around US$100 when I was doing a lot of overeas travel. There are only a couple of brands that are approved by airlines and it will not void your Compaq warranty. I have also used a 300W inverter for recharging video batteries but the chargers seem to get a lot hotter than they do in a conventional 240 supply. I would suggest testing for at least an hour or two just to check it does not overheat before going on a long trip.
Regards
Allan

Thanks guys for all your replies. Targa seems interesting, but I'll also be investigating the inverter. Cheers. Tony