Laptop on the move

[CovKid]

Just asking in case anyone else has been down this road. My laptop requires a 12v to 19v adaptor which I now have (apparently an inverter not an efficient way of providing the power) but is it a power hungry beast do you think? What can I reasonably expect on the average 85ah leisure before I really start running it flat?

[Plasticman]

heck I.M.H.O. ages and ages I would have thought, I admit I have 2 85's fitted but run all sorts inc light and lappy and heat and water and its fine from one day to the next,
mike

[dansimpson]

My PSU for me laptop is rated at 3.16amps at 19v, so about 60w max, which is about 5 amps at 12v, but I doubt if it will pull that, even at completely flat battery. my laptop battery is rated at 4000mA hrs, and lasts about 3hrs with everything going full pelt, so that would be "about" 1.5amps drain, now as the charger can keep it up to full level, a pessimistic guess would be 2Amps at 19v, so about 35W, which is about 3a at 12v. With a fully charged 85Ahr battery i would expect it to run for about 50 -60 hrs if you are pulling nowt else - eqivalent of yer running 4 fluorescent 8w tubes ish - does that help or did it get tooo long winded?

Dan

[1664]

I run my laptop straight from the inverter............

Frankly I'm baffled as to why everyone seems to think they're power hungry beasts I have a Ring 'PowerSource' 500W inverter, Model RINV500. According to the literature, the 'quiescent '(ie, no load) power consumption is 0.4A and efficiency is given as 90%.

I measured mine with an AVOmeter and it consumed only 225mA ie, 0.225A. The discrepancy between their figure and my measurement is probably because with this particular make and model of inverter, the cooling fan will only kick in when a really appreciable load is connected which produces a lot of heat - otherwise the unit is silent; cheaper units tend to have the fan running the moment they're switched on.

I did do some tests (admittedly very, very rudimentary and only up to 100W but they are at least indicative) which kevtherev put in the Wiki.

https://club8090.co.uk/wiki/Ca ... efficiency" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Why is this thread in the 'Bodywork, Seats &Glass' forum??

[Plasticman]

Dont know ?(forum)
I thought that the lappys liked a stabilised voltage hence not happy with inverters?
mike

[1664]

I thought that the lappys liked a stabilised voltage hence not happy with inverters?

The laptop mains adapter should provide that. Some inverters don't like inductive loads though - which adapters are slightly. I have to switch my inverter on with nothing plugged in while it runs a diagnostic self-test (just a couple of seconds or so) then I plug the laptop adapter in; the red 'fault' light on the inverter flashes a couple of times (only for a second) but then I'm up and running so that's probably just a reaction to the adapter's initial start up. After that it's fine

I plug all matter of stuff into mine and so far no problem - I've even run a 400W laminator off it. The fan sure cut in for that baby

[CovKid]

Thanks for thoughts. Well today picked up a PAYG dongle at Argos (Vodaphone) and was up and running in the car park in 4 minutes - quite liberating to be honest. Then a dark blue Caravelle pulled alongside. Didn't get chance to chat despite waiting AGES for them to return. Thought it might be Covdubber (or 1664) but will never know now.

The dongle was £19 which included £15 top up that can be renewed every 30 days. I have net access at work no prob but this will be great on the move and for checking mail at home.

Presently parked up making a brew!!!

[82JEW75]

No problems running laptops from inverters here, doubt you'll have any issues with modern kit, 1990's IBM Thinkpads may be a little more fussy about their power, but I'd assume everyone is running something fairly recent these days.

My inverter sometimes gets used to charge electric drill batteries too, also mobile phones, or anything else where I'm too cheap to buy a dedicated 12V charger.

Most modern electronics are able to cope with anything in the 100-250V range, 50-60Hz so slightly "dirty" power from an inverter shouldn't pose a problem.