in car laptop charger...
Submitted: Friday, Jan 16, 2004 at 23:33
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KG
Hi,
I've been looking at buying an in car cigarette lighter attachment to run the laptop off.... Jaycar have one
https://secure2.vivid-design.com.au/jaycar/productView.asp?SUBCATID=665&CATID=27&ID=MP3462&URL=index
my concern is... the power pack for my laptop says it puts out DC 19.5V, 4.62A
the jaycar unit does "15V, 16V, 18V, 19V and 20VDC @ 3.5A regulated and 22V, 24VDC @ 2.9A regulated"
my question is.... if i ran my laptop on 20V DC @ 3.5A (thats half a volt over and more than 1amp under what the standard power pack puts out) what effect will it have on the laptop?
cheers,
KG
Reply By: V8troopie - Saturday, Jan 17, 2004 at 00:23
Saturday, Jan 17, 2004 at 00:23
It does not have enough grunt. While the laptop's Ampere draw depends on what's running (Hdrive active, CD running, fan on, recharging internal battery, etc), it does require all the amps its power pack puts out for peak demands. The power packs output voltage would be taylored to suit the expensive battery in the laptop. You mess with a different voltage setting at your own risk.
I have measured the peak current draw for my laptop while running it off an inverter and found it comes very close to the max of the power pack
Klaus
AnswerID:
43300
Reply By: Will - Saturday, Jan 17, 2004 at 00:25
Saturday, Jan 17, 2004 at 00:25
i'd use an inverter instead to convert car 12 volts to 240 volts and use the laptops standard battery charger,
will
AnswerID:
43301
Reply By: Member - Pluto - Saturday, Jan 17, 2004 at 00:38
Saturday, Jan 17, 2004 at 00:38
I had one that died after two years of occasional use. They are not very robust and with that sort of life span, I believe a good inverter is better value.
PlutoGet out there & have Fun!!!
AnswerID:
43302
Follow Up By: Chris (W.A.) - Saturday, Jan 17, 2004 at 17:41
Saturday, Jan 17, 2004 at 17:41
Pluto,
What's a good quality one?
I've seen the $100 ones for sale at
places like dick smith, are these any good or better off paying 200 or more?
Regards
ChrisNice southerly coastal fishing trip someday.
Chris
FollowupID:
305650
Follow Up By: Member - Pluto - Sunday, Jan 18, 2004 at 08:24
Sunday, Jan 18, 2004 at 08:24
When your looking for an inverter, make sure it is a "Full Sine Wave" inverter. Modified sinewave invertors such as Tricky Dicky's will greatly shorten the operating life of anything you run on them.
Unfortunately, that means you're going to pay about twice as much for it but that's still cheaper than cooking your PC. Try the 12 Volt
Shop They will at least give you good advice about the capacity you'll need.
Pluto
Get out there & have Fun!!!
FollowupID:
305697
Reply By: KiwiAngler - Saturday, Jan 17, 2004 at 00:54
Reply By: darbi - Saturday, Jan 17, 2004 at 06:54
Saturday, Jan 17, 2004 at 06:54
Look at the power plate on the laptop, but it would be a MONSTER of a laptop if it drew 3.5 Amps. I would go with Will and Pluto ... but if not, I would run it at 19v. You could always multiply the Volts by the Amps, then compare wattage ratings too, but at the end of the day you're better off, imho, with an inverter.
certified geek sends...
AnswerID:
43310
Reply By: William - Saturday, Jan 17, 2004 at 08:56
Reply By: Member - Raymond - Saturday, Jan 17, 2004 at 09:03
Saturday, Jan 17, 2004 at 09:03
Hi KG
Sounds like you have a laptop similar to my IBM thinkpad, which is 16.5 at 4.5 amps. I have been to jaycar with the IBM and they said the cigarette lighter one will not handle the amps required. Advised to use an inverter or get one from IBM
I run with the inverter, which also charges the camera batteries etc
Raywanderin' in retirement. victor 2010
AnswerID:
43317
Reply By: Janset - Saturday, Jan 17, 2004 at 21:57
Saturday, Jan 17, 2004 at 21:57
Hi KG.
What paret of Oz do you live in?
Regards
AnswerID:
43382
Follow Up By: KG - Saturday, Jan 17, 2004 at 22:59
Saturday, Jan 17, 2004 at 22:59
brisbane
why do you ask? are you a stalker? heheh.
cheers,
KG
FollowupID:
305683
Follow Up By: Janset - Sunday, Jan 18, 2004 at 19:28
Sunday, Jan 18, 2004 at 19:28
No says he breathing very heavily :-)))
I only ask because I have an ex Telecom power inverter that steps up to 19.5 volts with the right amperage.
Telecom used these device to power their mobil laptops, printers and faxes. I used it to power my Acer laptop that ran on 19.5 volts.
The hinge on that broke so I got an IBM Think Pad now but it runs on 16 volts. I had a mate in the IT business step the voltage down to 16 volts, but in so doing we lost the required grunt. He did it by installing a "tinpot" I think that is what you call it. He told me if I ever wanted to return to the 19 volts DC all I had to do is to screw the adjusting screw on the 'tinpot' and watch the voltmeter go to the required voltage.
Too bad that I live in
Perth.
Regards
FollowupID:
305741
Reply By: Member -Bob & Lex (Sydney) - Sunday, Jan 18, 2004 at 09:42
Sunday, Jan 18, 2004 at 09:42
We use the Targus one for the Toshiba , i just had a look max 16 volts & 8 amps but you should be able to get 1 with higher voltage. it worked fine for 3 years now, got it from Harvey Norman with laptopRegards Bob
Where to next
AnswerID:
43411
Reply By: Steve (Pilbara) - Sunday, Jan 18, 2004 at 10:38
Sunday, Jan 18, 2004 at 10:38
It seems you might have the same problem I did. My laptop runs at the same power rating and I tried a cigarette lighter attachment and couldn't keep the power up to charge the laptop battery. I tried a 130W modified sine wave inverter with no luck and then a mates 300W modified sine wave and that worked. After all the mucking around I ended up buying a 600W modified sine wave inverter as you can charge the batteries for your video/digital camera among other items.Better than workin'
AnswerID:
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Reply By: Rob H - Monday, Jan 19, 2004 at 11:46
Monday, Jan 19, 2004 at 11:46
Hi KG
I couldn't see an answer to your question "where to get an inverter?"
Answer : Jaycar - their 300W is about $300 I think
I've recently acquired one of the chargers you referred to along with a laptop, but had not considered the question of amps. Hmmm...something for me to investigate.
Something to bear in mind with
inverters - the cigarette lighter to run the inverter may not have a good enough fuse. If you get 600W inverter, that's a 50A draw. Cigarette lighter fuses are typically 10 or 15 A.
Rob
AnswerID:
43497