Laptop Setup

Exactly what I am after, cheers Sand Man.

Just wondering is your laptop able to be swivelled around?

Do you find any vibration issues?

Cheers

Jason,

The Ram Mount is held by a rubber coated ball top & bottom.
The quick release mechamism allows the mount to be swivelled to any direction and angle that you require and then you lock it up again.

Minor vibration on rougher tracks, but that is mainly due to the mounting structure of the "panic" handle everthing else is clamped to.
I didn't want any screw holes etc.
The standard Laptop Ram Mount has an option for a floor mounted three legged bracket which you should be able to see on the GPSOZ Website. (Under Ram Mounts)

Happy to be of help mate.

Would that mounting affect the airbag?

Yep, see where your going Sand-man. Thanks

I am going to get me one of those !!

$338 bucks ! Wow, but if they are the best, .........

Cheers

Shaker,

The Ram apears to be able to swing out the way of the airbag system. It can be swung to the left between the seats by the look.

Cheers Jack

I was wanting to steer clear of running 240v. I am a fan of keeping it simple.

The only thing is the laptop runs about 16v. Is that able to be handled by the Kerio?

Cheers

Yes ... the Kerio comes with a lot of different fittings including some blade type fuse things which control the amount of power to the computer. The instructions will have a table showing the computer model number etc and the correct blade fuse thing to fit.

We ran a Dell off it last year, and we were also able to help out a fellow traveller because we had with us the full kit of fittings etc.

Jack

Don't want to weaken your good advice Jack, but just one thing worth pointing out to readers of this post.

While the Kerio adapter (about $130 from memory) may be able to power the Dell Laptop (if you obtain the correct plug) it will not charge the Laptop's battery.

So if you have a Dell, the better option is to buy their proprietary Auto/Air adapter (only $90 when I bought mine) which replaces the standard power pack entirely.
The new adapter allows either a 240 volt AC cable to be plugged in to the input socket of the adapter, or a 12 volt DC cable into the same input. This enables the Laptop to be both powered and charge the internal battery at the same time and you only need to carry around the one adapter, whatever you are using it on.

The Kerio Adaptor otherwise is a very good, compact 12 volt power source.
I have one of those as well which I use on another (non-Dell) Laptop.

Oooops .. Sandman, you are spot on ..I had forgotten about the Dell plug not powering the battery ... (old timer's disease???). Before we went away I went looking for a 12v charger for the Dell but could not locate any (on Dell's website) so went chasing the Kerio plug.

The Kerio used to charge up my old Toshiba battery, however.

Thanks for the heads up ...

Jack

Member - Jason S (SA) posted this followup;
" The only thing is the laptop runs about 16 volt. "

That would be a good reason to use regulated 240 volt via an Inverter.

Not quite ...

In the Kerio package you get a variety of what they call "Output Voltage Adjustment devices".They are colour coded. They look similar to a blade type fuse in appearance (but aren't).

From my Kerio handbook ...

Purple (15v) ... Blue ... (16v) ... Red ... (18v) ... Green ... (19v) ... Orange ... (24v) so they seem capable of dealing with a range of voltages. They still have a cigarette lighter attachment to the power source. I originally used mine to power a Toshiba before we went to Dell.

The only funny bit was the bit I had forgotten ... that bloody Dell have their own weird power plug arrangements and I guess nobody can/will copy it. I have a Kerio adaptor for our Dell but it does not charge the battery, it simply provides power to the computer. And it works.

Jack

So because it does not recharge the note-book battery, you can only use it when attached direct to the Kerio power system ???

Do I then understand that you have to use the note-book (Dell's name for a lap-top) only when it's in the vehicle and can't take it with you into the 'van' or 'tent' etc where there is no 12v power source, because it will still have a 'flat' battery ??

I think it would be beneficial to have a battery charger available, and also have the opportunity to run 240v electrical gear off a 'budget priced' inverter, which is about the same price as the Kerio system.

A Pure sine wave inverter is just a tad more expensive, with appropriate benefits

Cheers Jack,

I got the laptop out and I need to give it 19v @ 3.42A. This is off the back of the AC Adapter.

Would that work with the Kerio?

Jason:

Is your laptop a Dell? If not then you don't have a battery charging problem. Seems Dell is the "odd man out" in the Kerio scenario.

My Kerio does have a 19v Adjustment, and its maximum output current is 5amp.

If you have a Dell, then Sandman's suggestion that you may be better off with Dell's proprietary Auto/Air adapter, which would have a battery charger makes sense.

Or an inverter, as has been previously suggested.

I am personally happier with a 12v charging source over a
12v -> 240v situation. Comes down to personal preference, and availability of the right "bits" for your situation.

Hope we are helping you somewhere in all of this. : )

Jack

For Mainey:

This problem is confined to Dell computers and I am unsure what brand of computer Jason has.

We were on the road for 6 months last year with the Kerio and Dell, and used to recharge the computer battery when we had access to 240v. In the meantime we were able to use it off the 12v supply. When the Kerio is supplying the power you are not using battery power, so it does not drain the battery source.

But (here comes the disclaimer) ... we did not have the computer running all the time as we travelled (we were not running a GPS/moving map software with it) but for recording a travel log, photos etc etc ...

Still, if we were running it all the time it would have been fine runing off the 12v source. Dell have a 12v supply that does charge the battery as you travel (see Sandman's previous comments), so if he has a Dell and does not wavt a 240v source, then this could be a solution for him.

Jack

Sorry Lads,

Should have stated it is a Acer Travelmate 2483.

By what you are saying re the Kerio, I recon that it may be perfect for this application.

I will have to do some mods to plug it in to the power source of the laptop and I wouldn't mind hardwiring in the Kerio as I personally think that 3A drag is a bit much for a cig socket.

I really want to thank you Jack, Sandman, and Mainey for your input on this one.

Jack,
Unfortunately I bought a real kickarce DELL note-book, with ALL the fruit available, 2gb ram runs super fast, but has spent more time in various Dell agents workshops on my travels than with me for different reasons, usually associated with modem and mouse problems.

I use a 300w pure inverter, among other things, to keep the Dell battery fully charged, just like any vehicle battery, the Dell or any computer battery, will last much longer when the battery is kept fully charged.

My old Toshiba is 4yo and it's battery is just going off now, and it was getting plenty of use.
I think if you are going to use a computer without recharging the battery, because they do go flat eventually, you may be shortening the life of the computer battery.

Jason: If you think the Kerio is the best option for you, trot into Dick Smith and check it out further with them. I have had terrific service from Kerio, as I had to go to Taiwan (by email) and they were quick to respond and supply me with the Dell plug from there after I found our local DS store unable to supply that part. They (Kerio) also advised that it would not charge the Dell battery.

A pure sinewave inverter is still a good option, but my personal preference is to stick with the 12v option as I was not keen on having 240v flying around inside the car on the trip.

Mainey: So far (touch wood) our Dell has been faultless, but I agree that you need to keep the battery charged. By using the 12v option we did not need to use the battery too much between charges (usually in caravan parks). But Sandman has advised that Dell have a 12v charger, and I am investigating/enquiring about that with Dell at present.

Jack

Cheers Jimbo,

Are you running the ram mount or something else?

No,

I work with a girl who knows this bloke.

His name is Ramone I believe.

Now saying that he may have bought it off someone.