12v adaptor for onboard laptop?

[FullCircle]

Anyone bought the cheap adapters from ebay to power laptop on board?
Or is it better to buy something a little more robust?
What wattage do you think I should be looking for?
Is it better to put in a small inverter instead?
Any other interference issues, like engine start voltage dropping?

My lappie is an Advent 7109, with a 240v supply adapter of 19v

Thanks

 

[l'escargot]

I bought one from Maplin for about £25. The Advents draw more power so you would need the 5w version. Used it this summer with no problem.

 

[tazzle]

Second that - Maplin adaptor is fine

 

[Phoenix of Hamble]

Mine came from eBay... older laptop though, so perhaps not so power hungry... but works fine, and has done so for the last 3 years....

 

[Rooster]

I got the one from Maplin. Doesn't support the 3way input for Dells though.

R

 

[Talbot]

5W - think you mean 120w for modern laptops.

Better to get one capable of supplying at this amount as it wont run as hot as those that can only just cope. I have the 120w and it worked fine at 1 voltage setting below the specced one for the laptop (reduces the charge to the battery) and the last time I used it was cross channel all the time. - not even warm really. The previous one I had was an ebay special that got so hot it burnt out.

 

[l'escargot]

Yes got my amps and watts mixed up - 5 amp and 120 watt

http://www.maplin.co.uk/module.aspx?ModuleNo=44736&doy=24m9

 

[Oldhand]

This one works for me:

http://www.trust.com/products/default.aspx?item=14129

Highly recommend it.

 

[Searush]

I got a cheapy from e-bay, about £14 I think, inverters are Soooo excessive as you are double converting! Your laptop (or its power supply) will quote a voltage & power requirement. Simply make sure what you get will handle that power level. Lots are described as car-supplies and most of them will do the job, just watch out for units with inadequate power output.

 

[mandlmaunder]

Chech the sine wave as pure is what your units are made to work and modified sine wave will get things running hot .

 

[CET1]

I use a straight 12v battery to 19v dc universal laptop car adaptor for both my dell and acer ferrari laptops. seams to use a lot less power fro the batteries and no 240 on board at sea.
http://www.laptopshop.co.uk/car-adapters.htm

 

[PIGLETSDREAM]

My 12 year old Toshiba has no battery, I plug it into the 12volt supply and have done for the last 3 years. Works fine. Runs windows 98, a couple of tide programs and sea pro lite

 

[cpedw]

The 3.5A Maplin model is on special offer - £10. I've used it satisfactorily for several years. A tip I was offered to avoid overloading the converter was to either charge the battery or run the laptop - which suggests you shouldn't run the laptop with a flat internal battery - but I have found it copes fine with a 5 year old HP something or other whether the computer battery is flat or not.

Derek

 

[Nick_Pam]

I'm with Charleset for our IBM laptop...works properly and charges the battery too.

 

[Guest]

[ QUOTE ]
Chech the sine wave as pure is what your units are made to work and modified sine wave will get things running hot .

[/ QUOTE ]

He's talking dc - dc .... not inverter !

 

[Guest]

Best is to charge up battery at home ... then take it out. Pack it away as back-up .... plug DC - DC converter in so that it is only running Notebook ... If you rtun with battery in - each time you access CD or other power increasing item ... HHD caddies etc. - the battery will provide initial power and slowly be drained and be topped up by converter. Some of the lower rated converters eventually faile to keep up with battery drain and you end up- with no PC either - till you can get it back on cahrge - OR take battery out !

Don't believe me ? Happens on mine and with careful checking identified exactly above as the reason ....

Of course get hold of a cheapo notebook from ebay etc. - isolate battery and run direct from 12v. Works.

 

[PIGLETSDREAM]

My point exactly, my understanding was that anything more than 12 volts is to charge the battery, no battery just plug into cigarette lighter socket, simple.

 

[Jonny_H]

I got a cheapy from ebay - comes with lots of different adapters (be careful as they are pole sensitive but can be connected either way round!). Works well on our HP/Compaq (fully charges the battery when the machine is turned on in about 2.5 hours), and on the IBM Thinkpads I've had from work (T23 / T41 / X60).
Doesn't seem to kill the batteries either.

The 'transformer' part seems to get quite warm - but then it is going from 12v DC to a 18 or 20v laptop.

I have mine running via a cigar socket (the cigar socket is fused on the DC panel, and the plug itself has a fuse in it - so hopefully we won't come to grief and damage anything!)

Jonny

 

[ShaunG]

I have succesfully used these http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Universal-Laptop-P...1QQcmdZViewItem
on 3 installs with a Fujitsu, Toshiba and Acer. All still going strong a year later.