Laptop Cigarette Lighter Power Supply

Submitted: Monday, May 07, 2007 at 19:53
ThreadID: 45192 Views:2192 Replies:7 FollowUps:6
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I've seen advertised on eBay Laptop power supplies from a Cigarette Lighter. I assume it has a built in little inverter. Anyone any thoughts on these?
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Reply By: Hero - Monday, May 07, 2007 at 20:02

Monday, May 07, 2007 at 20:02
No, your laptop runs on DC current. These cigarette adaptors a quite common and basic. also useful on aircraft business class. Your AC adaptor is actually more advanced as this does convert from AC to DC.
AnswerID: 238446

Follow Up By: Rumbler - Monday, May 07, 2007 at 20:23

Monday, May 07, 2007 at 20:23
To be honest, I've been too lazy to look at what the power supply pack does to the 240vac that I plug into. I guess I need to do that first eh? Ta!
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Follow Up By: disco1942 - Tuesday, May 08, 2007 at 01:15

Tuesday, May 08, 2007 at 01:15
Actually the 12 V adapter is the more complicated piece of circuitry. It has to convert the 12 V DC to AC before it is rectified and filtered. It is more efficient than the 240 V adapter as it works at a higher frequency than 50 Hz.

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Reply By: Member - Leigh (Vic) - Monday, May 07, 2007 at 20:03

Monday, May 07, 2007 at 20:03
Dick Smith and others carry these. Not cheap but do the job OK. Other option is to use an inverter and normal power supply but more gear to manage. I think mine is a Kerio or something like that and a search on this site should show up previous threads on the subject.
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Follow Up By: Rumbler - Monday, May 07, 2007 at 20:24

Monday, May 07, 2007 at 20:24
I'll follow this up, thanks Leigh.
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Reply By: Granpa Joe - Monday, May 07, 2007 at 20:12

Monday, May 07, 2007 at 20:12
These ones aren't bad:

Site Link

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Follow Up By: Rumbler - Monday, May 07, 2007 at 20:27

Monday, May 07, 2007 at 20:27
Thanks Gramps. I've had a look, now to see if it'll fit my needs (after I check what my needs are!).
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Follow Up By: HGMonaro - Monday, May 07, 2007 at 21:17

Monday, May 07, 2007 at 21:17
take your laptop along to make sure the adaptors fit... I bought a similar one (Projecta brand from BigW or Kmart, was $45) but none of the adaptors fit our IBM and Lenovo laptops.
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Reply By: Muddy doe (SA) - Monday, May 07, 2007 at 21:15

Monday, May 07, 2007 at 21:15
Biggest things with these is to check:

1) wattage draw of your laptop @12 v (laptop may take 16 or 18v or more but the adaptor steps it up - work out the 12v wattage). get an adapter that can handle the draw.

2) Make sure that the adaptor you choose comes with a plug that suits your lappy (they all seem to be different!)

Enjoy mobile computing.

Muddy
AnswerID: 238465

Follow Up By: joc45 - Monday, May 07, 2007 at 22:49

Monday, May 07, 2007 at 22:49
As a follow-up to the above, take a look at the label on the AC power pack that comes with the laptop. It will quote the DC output voltage, usually somewhere between about 15 and 24v. Then note the quoted output current, probably somewhere between 3A and 6A. These voltage and current figures are what you need to look for when buying a DC-DC converter.
The Jaycar version mentioned earlier on this post is currently good value. They also supply a cheaper version which puts out about 3.5A instead of the 6A. Just make sure that it includes plug adaptors suitable for your laptop. The converters usually quote on the packaging what brands they work on, but physically check anyway.
Gerry
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Reply By: Member Dublediff(VIC) - Monday, May 07, 2007 at 21:59

Monday, May 07, 2007 at 21:59
Save a lot of grief and buy a good quality invertor, then you can charge all of your 12 volt appliances with the standard charger and you won't bugger up your warranty.
AnswerID: 238482

Reply By: Member - Fizz (NSW) - Tuesday, May 08, 2007 at 08:19

Tuesday, May 08, 2007 at 08:19
I have an IBM Thinkpad. IBM now put out a combo adaptor specifically designed for their computers, AC-DC and DC-DC in the same unit. Not cheap, but obviously high quality and works very well. About $180. Ring IBM for deails.

I also have an iBook (Mac) and I have a DC-DC adaptor by LIND (Made in USA). It also works very well and cost about $120.
AnswerID: 238525

Reply By: Rumbler - Tuesday, May 08, 2007 at 16:10

Tuesday, May 08, 2007 at 16:10
To all the folks that offered suggestions, many thanks. I think I've gotten the drift. I'll look into what else I might need to charge from 240vac as my 1st option (mobile, camera batteries etc). I appreciate all advice.
AnswerID: 238594

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