DC Powered Laptop

[AustinMatherne]

I?m getting a new Laptop (DELL Inspiron 9300) and I need to be able to charge it in my car and on planes.
My question for you guys is what is the deference between the Kensington 120 Watt AC/DC Power Adapter, Kensington 75 Watt Portable Power Inverter, Targus Universal Notebook AC/DC Adapter and the Targus Mobile Power Inverter?

 

[AustinMatherne]

Anyone?

 

[tiap]

The ac/dc ones can be used anywhere.
The inverters only work from a 12vdc source such as car, small boat or plane.
Go with the adapters, I use ibm's but same principle, you're covered for everything.

 

[Pabster]

A 75-watt isn't going to cut it. I've got a 175W for my Inspiron 9300 ... Just don't buy one of those $15 ones or you'll be sorry.

 

[Jiggz]

Unless you have a 12VDC adapter for your laptop, you will need the AC/DC adapter (the one you use on household outlets) and the DC/AC inverter to charge or use your laptop from a 12 VDC car. The AC/DC adapter is a device to convert AC current to DC current. Laptops require DC power. So when yo plug this to your household outlet, it gets AC power and then converts it to DC power. Since the input for this device is AC, you can not use it to power your laptop from a car battery, which is 12 VDC. So you will need what they call an inverter. This device converts DC into AC power (which is the opposite of AC/DC adapters) Usuall, the inverter converts 12 VDC to 110 VAC. With this device you can now have AC power where you can plug in your AC/DC adapter to power your laptop. There are some 12 VDC adapters specifically designed for specific laptops. This device will decrease or increase the 12 VDC to specific DC voltage to power your laptop. Usually a 150 Watt or 250 Watt inverter will suffice for your laptop. Although I recommend using a 300-400 Watt just in case you decide to use more gadgets from your car.

 

[AustinMatherne]

The Kensington 120 Watt AC/DC Power Adapter says it works from any AC or DC power sorce however its only 120W where would I be able to get something higher?

 

[tiap]

Originally posted by: Fishers Web
The Kensington 120 Watt AC/DC Power Adapter says it works from any AC or DC power sorce however its only 120W where would I be able to get something higher?

You don't need bigger, they originally shipped with 60w and then upped to 90watt ps. I f your worried get oem Dell

 

[lxskllr]

My Inspiron 1000 has a 90w power supply. I run that and a Dell 2.1 speaker system in my work truck off of a 100w inverter, and I've had no problems whatsoever.

I got the inverter at a closeout store for $15. It's a no name brand, but suits me for my needs. It's small and fits in my computer bag well.

 

[CrispyFried]

I run a Belkin FSC400 140 watt (continuous) DC/AC adapter, my notebooks brick is 90 watts. The Belkin unit is nice, decent length cord and fan cooled.

 

[Jiggz]

Originally posted by: Fishers Web
The Kensington 120 Watt AC/DC Power Adapter says it works from any AC or DC power sorce however its only 120W where would I be able to get something higher?

If this unit has both AC/DC converters then go for it. I only recommended higher wattage if you are going for a DC Inverter. Since you can only plug one unit on the Kensington it will suffice for your laptop. While if you use a DC Inverter you can plug in multiple units using power strips.

 

[AustinMatherne]

After thinking about it. I'm going to go with the TRIPP LITE 375 Watt Power Inverter so I can charge my iPod in the car to.