laptop in car

[COLLEGERESOURCES]

this is prob a dumb question...but are there adaptors to run a laptop through your cigarette lighter in the car...if there is how much and where can u get them

 

[wisdomtooth]

Yes, cigarette lighter power adapters for laptops have been around for years. Lots of companies make them, such as Kensington, Targus, Belkin, etc.

These are available from all sorts of vendors, on-line or retail.

You want to check with the manufacturer to see which one puts out the right voltage and current for your laptop.

I have a Kensington for my Thinkpad T41. Works with a car cigarette lighter socket or with an airplane seat power socket (available only with certain airlines, and most of them have it only on business-class seats or up).

HTH.

 

[COLLEGERESOURCES]

ha thanks...do they have a specific name or are the just called like laptop power adaptors or something

 

[amol]

remember though . . . dont decode and drive

 

[HannibalTheCannibal]

stay away from those, If you have an AC adapter for your laptop, then get a DC/AC coverter. I picked up a 350 watt from autozone for $35. It is nice. It basically plugs in to your cig lighter, and has a regular 110V wall plug on the unit. It even has a fan. It can also be adapted to a battery with gator type clips (optional but included)
Most lappys need 90 watts, but you want to get more than that for an RMS output average.

 

[Siddhartha]

Do not get a powersupply that has a fan. I have found that if you use your laptop for playing mp3 files you will get fan noise from the powersupply.

 

[fbrdphreak]

Originally posted by: HannibalTheCannibal
stay away from those, If you have an AC adapter for your laptop, then get a DC/AC coverter. I picked up a 350 watt from autozone for $35. It is nice. It basically plugs in to your cig lighter, and has a regular 110V wall plug on the unit. It even has a fan. It can also be adapted to a battery with gator type clips (optional but included)
Most lappys need 90 watts, but you want to get more than that for an RMS output average.

Yeah, you really don't need a fan for these if all you're running is a laptop; especially non-P4 ones. My Thinkpad only draws 30W max when charging, 90W should be sufficient for almost any other notebook. If you're planning on running other things (PS2 etc) then you might need more. If you get one specifically "designed" for laptops :roll: it will run you some more dough, but often they have USB ports built in which is nice if you have a device that charges off of USB (Cell phone, PDA, etc). Either route, that is what you need