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Car Charger for Powerbook?


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Car Charger for Powerbook?
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eleazar
Member
 
Join Date: Jan 2005
 
2005-05-11, 12:55

Does anyone know of any brand of car charger for a powerbook? If so, what's it called, how much was it, and what do you like and dislike? I am looking for one to take on my next road trip.
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pilot1129
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Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: Alexandria, VA
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2005-05-11, 14:36

you can get one for $40 at best buy. it basically plugs into the car outlet and replicates a house wall outlet. powerbooks use a 65watt adapter so just get one of those that is rated at 65 or higher
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Kestrel
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Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: Underground
 
2005-05-11, 14:39

Oops, he was faster than me.

Anyway, Walmart, Radio Shack, and Circuit City all carry these portable inverters. I'd just swing by whichever is convenient and pick one up. You can get more than 100W of capacity for less than $40 - you'll need at least 65W for a 15" or 17" powerbook, and 45W for a 12".

Last edited by Kestrel : 2005-05-11 at 14:44. Reason: Someone else posted the same information first
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screensaver400
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Join Date: Jan 2005
 
2005-05-11, 15:05

Be aware, though, that buying an inverter has advantages and disadvantages. An advantage is that it can also be used to power other devices... On one road trip, I had a little 1 to 3 power adapter plugged into an inverter that powered a set of 2.1 Altec Lansing speakers and a Sony laptop.

The disadvantage, though, is that it means you have to carry around two separate adapters. If you get this (http://www.kensington.com/html/4103.html), it is the only power adapter you'll ever need to own (well, unless you move to somewhere with non-US style power sockets). Air, AC, Auto is all covered.
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eleazar
Member
 
Join Date: Jan 2005
 
2005-05-11, 15:42

So another question (because I am a dum dum), are those inverters bad for your car? I mean, I am pretty sure that the power comes from the alternator and not the battery while you are driving, but if I use one of these things will it kill the battery on the car? Is there such a thing as an inverter that is TOO strong, like 300 watts?
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EmC
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Jun 2004
Location: Columbus, Georgia
 
2005-05-11, 16:18

Quote:
Originally Posted by screensaver400
Your link had an extra parenthesis.
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screensaver400
Veteran Member
 
Join Date: Jan 2005
 
2005-05-11, 16:21

I actually put parentheses around the whole thing... But for some reason, the forum only added the second one into the link.
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Kestrel
Member
 
Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: Underground
 
2005-05-11, 21:47

Quote:
Originally Posted by eleazar
if I use one of these things will it kill the battery on the car? Is there such a thing as an inverter that is TOO strong, like 300 watts?
Yep, your car's alternator can only supply so much power. Draw more than that and you'll start draining the battery. If you do that for long, your car will die right in the middle of the road. This is why police cruisers, tow trucks, and some other vehicles are fitted with larger-than-usual alternators - they have lots of equipment to power (particularly when trying to charge a stranded motorist's battery)!

If you want to be certain that you will never drain your battery like that, look around online and see how many amps your car's alternator produces. Subtract 30 amps for the car (spark plugs, fans, lights, etc.), multiply by 12 volts, and you'll get the number of watts you have available. Most cars should be able to easily handle a measly 65W power brick for your laptop, and some will go up to 400W or more available from just the stock alternator.

If you're still feeling really nervous about it, you could buy one of those emergency charger things from an auto store. They're basically just a battery that you plug into your cigarette lighter to charge your battery if you accidentally run it down.

BTW, it doesn't (in practice) matter how much extra capacity your inverter has - you could have a 1000W inverter and never kill your battery if you never plugged anything into it that drew more power than your alternator could supply. It's all about how much power you're actually drawing.
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eleazar
Member
 
Join Date: Jan 2005
 
2005-05-12, 13:08

Thanks Kestrel....

and thanks to all others for the information.
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