what type inverter?

Hi Tony,

Not so sure about the Pure / Modified sign wave info however I can tell you that yes a 150w inverter would be plenty to drive your laptop, as far as charging etc while connected to 240v the battery chargers yes but the laptop itself is running off the 240v source, unplug the 240 and the battery will kick in.

Usually there are icons in the bottom right hand corner of your desktop
(among others) that shows you where your power is coming from... Battery or plug type icons! I could be wrong but I'm sure I have seen then on the HP's.

Cheers

Mate I'd check your puters power supply as my toshiba uses about 1.8 amps at 240 volts so about 400 watts max.

nothing worse than not enough power for puter and having a bit extra is better than not enough. Goes for a lot of things in life doesn't it??

I have just been through this but I have gone the 12v path.

The father-in-law has gone the inverter path. Here is what he found.

No you don't need a pure sine for a laptop.

NEVER buy an inverter too small. It is the worst thing.

Whilst advocating the wife having smooth legs and armpits, will you are she use anything else 240v? Always the temptation. The only complaint that Jaycar get about their inverters is that it will not power something because the customer bought one too small.

For about $300 you can get yourself a pretty hefty inverter with 2 to 3 times that power ( and more importantly 2 to 3 times the spike load ) with about 90% efficiency.

We've been using the 300W model from Jaycar for a few years with an old Toshiba lappy (may be more power hungry than the newer jobs).
Also handy for recharging batterys for the camera, handheld UHF & the vibrator..

Hi

I am in a similar position and haven't got around to checking the inverter requirements. However I think they usually state if a pure sine wave inverter is required.

I support the other responses about using an inverter with insufficient wattage capacity, like towing a caravan with a 3 cylinder Daihatsu Charade, you might get started but it will fail. No need to go over the top either, about 10 - 15 % higher wattage should do. Inverters get hot and heat decreases their efficiency so find a cool well ventilated place to run your inverter.

Watts are calculated by multiplying the volts by the amps. My notebook computer specifications are that the DC input rating is 4.74 amps x 19 volts = 90.1 watts. So in theory an inverter with 100 watts output capacity should be sufficient but I will need to test it to be certain.

Remember to use quality cables, at least 4 mill copper and quality 12 volt fittings. Make the cable length as short as possible but still practical. 12 Volt DC can be unreliable if connections are dirty or loose. The negative return wire connections are just as important as the active.

Hope this helps
Cheers
Phil

Tony

Contrary to the good advice above, I was strongly advised against using a modified sine wave inverter for anything you value. Apparently the battery chargers nowadays are electronic rather than simply an old style transformer and you run the risk of damaging your gear.
It's your call/your gear, but I'd fork out the extra for the peace of mind.

Cheers

Hi Tony

As already mentioned by others you need more than 150W. Most laptops will surge out to around 350 to 400 watts on start up.

Best to have one that can more then do the job.

We have tested the Projecta 600W units on a number of laptops and cordless drills. This is the only modified wave unit we recommend.



Regards

Derek.

Regarding the Pure Sine Wave / Modifidied Sine Wave debate for running computers and laptops.

I stand to be correctted but I believe that 99.9% of laptop and computer power supplies are switch mode power supplies.

The first action a switch mode power supply does to the incoming 240v AC is rectify and filter it to DC. This is why I don't understand people saying not to use a MSW inverter.

I would like to hear to counter argument to this.

Grinner

We had a 1000w inverter which was NOT supplied by ABR which lasted 2 secs. It came with our off road camper and was replaced by the camper people. This was a pain in the neck as we were off the beaten track. By the time we did get to a town we were really missing it as we had planned for it. It cost $35 to send it back which is dead money and being on the road for three months it took a bit to organise where to collect the replacement. I am going to replace the replacement because I cannot be sure that it will last. The camper trailer company now tell me they have had numerous failures with inverters supplied by this particular company, so much so they even considered legal action to recover losses. Mind you they never offered to refund the $35 to us but I can sympathize with them if they had a lot of failures. If you want to knw the name of the company email me.

I agree with the suggestions to go bigger because you can be sure the misses will want to plug the old hair dryer into it.

Richard

Richard

Why don't you look at the Targus or Kerio 12v laptop adapters? They plug into your cigi lighter skt. I personally have used a Targus for years on multiple IBM stinkpads and never had a problem. The issue with using an inverter is they are less ineffiecient and will suck more juice than a 12v adapter.

Leroy

Tony,

Go with the modified sinewave inverter to start with as they are significantly cheaper. I would suggest a 300 watt unit to give that bit more flexibility without compromising too much on size or cost. (e.g. charging camera batteries)

If you bought it from a reputable dealer and found when you got home, it won't run the Laptop, I'm sure you could return it an upgrade to a pure sinewave unit.

Just keep in mind, if you go any bigger than a 300 watt unit, you will probably need to upgrade the 12 volt socket to run it. 300W or less, you can plug into a standard ciggy socket.

Oh, and that bit about hairless armpits from the epilator, brings tears to my eyes!

I have a Projecta 12V laptop power supply that was great until work upgraded my laptop to a DELL - No one makes plugs to fit the Dell.

I ended up with one of those green coke can sized 150W units from Jaycar - it works fine.

Pete

Thanks all who replied to my question.

So many differing opions, I'm still confused. I guess I'll contacted HP and see what they say.

The car is a bit tight on space, and the budget is tight also. I still have more gear to purchase for a 2 month trip so I don't want to over-spend on the inverter for extra I don't need. No other 240v gear (except epilator - no hair dryers allowed!).

Thanks again
Tony J

Hi Tony,

My two bob is buy big, you wont need to upgrade later. I was going to buy a 300W inverter last year and they had run out. I ended up buying a 600W for a small amount more due to a sale. We used it heaps last year to charge our ASUS laptop, Digi Camera, Mobile phones when used and a lantern. Usually only two at a time, but it was a god sent when we needed it.

Overall they are cheaper and smaller these days than most people think.

Happy charging