Dell laptop 12 v adaptor input voltage range?

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John_Clarke

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To conserve power on board I would like to use a 12v adaptor rather than an inverter plus the laptop’s standard 230v power supply. I have an Adverc alternator regulator that boosts the batteries up to 14.53v.

Dell’s call centre were unable tell me if their 12v Auto Air Adapter would safely accept this input voltage when the engine is running (unfortunately they did not ring back with an answer as promised).

I would be most grateful if someone could tell me if this 12v adaptor will cope with this voltage.
 
Hi John,

I have used one of these for my Dell laptop while cruising, for about a couple of years now with no problems at all. IMHO it's a superb bit of kit - not cheap, but the facility, in a single unit, for using either a 240v or nominal 12v input is excellent and convenient. /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

HTH's
 
I use a Juice 240v/12v adaptor and have done for the last 5 years. Bought it for about £90, but it comes with lots of adaptors so it can also power Digibox on a boat.
 
I have not used that particular unit but my old Dell 12v adaptor got decidedly sniffy if the voltage got as low as 12v. I assumed this is because it is designed to be used in a car, where I assume the actual voltage is often higher. So I would be very surprised if it could not take c14v input.

If you have the part number you might be able to track down the tech spec on the Dell site.
 
Thank you all very much for your quick and helpful replies. They have helped me make up my mind - I will go for it.

BTW I tried searching the Dell site but found no information on the specification or an email address to which to send a technical enquiry.

Thank goodness for this Forum and the knowledgeable and helpful folk on it! /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif
 
DELL! - wonderful salesman - rubbish technicians!
If you want after sales service, steer clear of Dell IMHO!

There are plenty of 12V Laptop power converters available online - you can choose what output voltage you require for the laptop - usually 14-16 volts. I have used one for a year or so and it works fine.
 
Problem with using an invertor for running a laptop is that they convert (nominally) 12v DC to 220v AC and then the Dell power adaptor converts back down to 19.5v DC.....lot of waste going on somewhere there..

The Dell Air adapter converts (nominally) 12v DC to 19.5v DC which surely must be less wasteful....

I would expect the Air adaptor to work from around 12v up to 14.5v or so as that would be the sort of variance to be expected on an average battery dependant upon charging state.
 
Exactly. The 'Air' unit from Dell allows it to act as a standard inverter i.e. 240v to 19.6v OR as a straight DC-DC converter working anywhere between (approx) 11.6V to 19.6V. The latter, of course, causes no 'white noise' whatsoever and will therefore works beautifully while downloading wefaxes/RTTY and the like. It is expensive, but means you can ditch (or keep as a spare) the standard mains inverter that comes with the computer, and comes in a nifty little zip-up bag that keeps the leads etc all together and tidy. One of the best bits of Dell kit IMHO.

As for the 'downer' on Dell technology, I'm afraid that is rubbish IMHO.

We had Dell laptops (two of 'em) on board permanently for a total of almost ten years while full time cruising and had nothing, repeat nothing, went wrong in all that time, and that included being in the Med, on transats and the Caribbean.

From a 'home' point of view, my family currently have four laptops and one PC, all from Dell and again, not a single one of them has given the slightest trouble. So while others may have had problems, we haven't and will definitely go with the make next time, though Lords knows when that will be!!!
 
You have to be extremely careful using non-Dell invertors. Most will power the PC but few will charge the batteries and will cause the PC to work at lower speeds. You might ask me how I know this......

I have bought 4 in my time, all certified for use with the Dell model I wanted to use it with and only 1 has charged the battery. I have been a very satisfied Air adaptor user for the past 3 years and whilst not as cheap as the alternatives it works to spec and the ability to change from 240 to a 12v source is invaluble.
 
I ran a Toshiba laptop on an home made DC-DC converter for years without problem.

Last year I bought a new Dell Inspiron and ordered a Kensington DC-DC converter. I've had continuous problems with the new arrangement.

The first Kensington converter was rated at 70 W. This is within spec for the Laptop but I had a problem with the laptop continuously cycling between "seeing" the power supply and not seeing it. The effect is that the PC slows as it switches between a "charging" and a "non-charging" state and the screen flickers as it does so. This only happens when the boat (or car, it's the same on both) is running on battery power only (ie not charging the boat battery so volts less than 13v) <u>and</u> the PC battery needs charging (ie when there is a slightly higher current demand - but still within spec).

Suspecting that the 70W converter might be on the edge, I swapped it for a 120W version. Still the same problem.

I then bought another 120w Kensington unit from Dell (this is now the only version they seem to sell). Still the same problem.

Called out Dell (under warranty). They confirmed the problem, tried a different Kensington unit and swapped the PC motherboard (which contains the DC power system in the PC). Still the same problem.

To their credit, Dell have refunded me the cost of their Kensington supply (and left the unit with me) but my problem remains. I suspect that the Kensington unit is really designed to work with a c 14v input despite it's rating as an 11v minimum input.

Anyhow, I'm planning either live with the inconvienience or possibly build myself a new DC-DC of my own.
 
It is not as simple as it looks like with the inverters.
e.g. the C840 sniffs at turn on if the proper power supply is connected. Same is true for the D6xx series.
I don’t think the laptop will work with an ordinary car adapter even if the voltage is correct. The Amp Rating could be the clue.
On the C8xx series the DC plugs for high power are light grey and the older ones were black in order to distinguish the different supplies. Voltage was the same only Amps ratings were higher on the grey ones.
I use for Navigation a Compaq (no trouble with DC Car Adapter) a Dell C840 via DC/AC converter if I need more computing power.
 
www.cpc.co.uk PW01886 £5.94 +vat + post 3500mA 12v input 19v (and others)output DC/DC supply.
I use on boat car with Siemens 19V input laptop, various connectors supplied with it inc DELL.
http://cpc.farnell.com/jsp/Batteries+&+Power+Supplies/Power+Supplies,+Converters+&+Accessories/UNBRANDED/MW2172/displayProduct.jsp?sku=PW01886&_requestid=393

No connection with CPC. I just find them a good supplier.
 
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