Power Inverter and use of laptop in car?

  • Thread starter Thread starter Sarah
  • Start date Start date
I agree; there's really only several points to look into.

The laptop will have moulded near the mains socket, the AC voltage, (which
will be ~110-115V) plus the current rating.
If not there, it will be in the handbook.
What can be more simple than going into one or two supplier's with those
figures and telling them you want a cig. lighter adapter inverter which will
comply with those specs?

That way, no confusion for the poor girl over all the previous postings on
AC or DC amps, volts, watts, VA (RMS or not) - much of which just didn't
make sense or was completely incorrect.

All you're concerned with, Sarah, is that you want an inverter which has a
cigarette-lighter adapter & the correct AC supply comes out the other end
with a current adequate enough to supply the laptop.
After all, that's what the salesmen are paid for!
 
Sarah stated that she had a M35.
Toshiba Satellite M35 is the only M35 that a search returned.
A battery for the M35 is 10.8 volts.
M35 chargers are listed as 15 volts.
Universal chargers can be adjusted to 15 - 24 Volts.

I am curious as to what laptop Sarah has and if the output is actually
12V DC.
Click to expand...

Nearly all inverters are actually a type of switching-mode power supplies
which give a constant output voltage irrespective of how much current the
laptop is using - full load or just on standby.

Re. the 12v comment, I think you'll find there is a voltage regulater in the
Laptop power supply, which automatically limits the voltage on that rail to
12V.
 
Whoa, Ron, I re-read you post & wonder if you misunderstood the question.
What Sarah need is a 110V inverter to plug into the mains socket, not as a
replacement for the battery.
 
Ron, you are correct! My charger is 15V DC not 12V as I stated in my
original post. I am looking for a DC to AC inverter, I don't know what you
mean by universal chargers!
 
Hi John(f). Thanks for all your help. I got a 70w inverter today and plugged
it in and it works like a charm! I ended up listening to you because almost
everybody else said that I needed a big (300w+) inverter! I guess they are
using the AC ratings to calculate the needed power. I really did not and
would not get one of these big inverter, it is just too much to haul around
and the wiring is just too messy! The one I got is nice, small, and compact
and the whole unit plugs into the cigarette lighter. It fits my needs
perfectly. By the way, the rating on the charger is 15VX4A not 12V as I
stated in my OP!



Again, thank you very much!


Sarah.
 
Universal chargers? That makes two of us. Chargers are for charging
batteries, not to be used as a Voltage Regulated power suppy, which is what
you needed.
Chargers are NOT regulated, voltage varies continously & generate stacks of
hash.
 
15V is not that critical. What comes after that is important. As I said,
most car alternators when the motor is running put out 13.8 - 14.2V anyway.

--

johnf
(retired Certified Electronics & Design Engineer in almost all fields for 50
yrs. - didn't tell U that B4 as I didn't want to try & bias you)

Glad it worked out fine for you & it was an interesting thread.
 
johnf said:
One is talking about the input voltage from the mains point (designed to
be plugged into a 110v~ powerpoint only, but slightly difficult to plug
into a cigarette socket; therefore completely irelevent).

The other is actually talking about the inverter's output voltage &
current supplied into the PC, (12/4) which is the important part as far as
you're concerned., ie., you need 12VDC out of the inverter with at least
4A continuous capability. If it's 12V out, but a higher 'A' rating, that's
no problem, as the PC will only use as many amps as it needs at the time.

--

johnf

but at the other newsgroup the guy is using the AC 110X1.5!!! -
(irrelevent!)
Click to expand...
See if your computer manufacturer supplies a car adapter. Seems kinda silly
to convert DC to AC just to convert it back to DC again with the comps ac
adapter.
 
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