I don't think that the laptop I have accepts a 12V input. I know I can easily knock the voltage down but I am unsure about the current. If the input for the laptop is say 6V @300mA, will I fry the machine if I just knock down the voltage to 6V?

 

Most laptop manufacturers, as I recall, usually offer a cigarette lighter adapter that's designed to step the 12V DC lighter output up or down as required to get the right juice to the computer, although, again IIRC, most comp. manufacturers use 12V systems. (Even a desktop, on the inside-the-box side of the power supply, uses 12V for power, although some components use 5V...)

What kind of laptop are you tangling with? I might be able to dig up some information that could help, since my Econ final today isn't 'til 2:15 Pacific time...

 

Procrastinating for me? You shouldn't!

It is actually my GF's. I told her that I would make her one so she could do her work while we drive out to OH on Friday. It is a Dell of some sort. She bought it almost a year ago. ~1 gig CPU, I think it is an Inspirion. That about all I can tell you since I can't get in touch with her at the moment.

Thanks for the help.

 

The easiest way to do it is just go buy an inverter at your local electronics store. It plugs into the lighter socket and will give you a 115V outlet in the car.

 

I just picked up an inverter from wall mart for $40. It's 750 watt model. I'm also using laptop in my car, but I'm logging data from the onboard computer using the craig moates software.

 

Dell's site is hosed, so I can't get any answers from them. However, I can back up the recommendations above. When I'm on the road with my old Dell Latitude CP, I just use the wall-outlet adapter and a 350-watt AC inverter I bought at Costco or Sam's Club or one of the other membership warehouses.

And I’m not procrastinating; the final exam was do-at-home and 2:15’s just turn-it-in time.

Besides, trying to help others puts some purpose back into my life. The research paper that has been my life for the past three years is drawing to a close, and there's nothing more I can do for the campus newspaper until January. The way I am, operating at anything less than full throttle is grossly inefficient... and I find inefficiency in my operations MOST distasteful...

 

I too have a Dell Inspiron laptop that i have used in my car....get you a TRIPPLITE..140watt PowerVerter and Belkin Master cube from Best buy......both have worked great for me and i have never expereinced any spikes in voltage coming from the car with them while using my laptop to watch DVD'S in it.......even though the Tripplight is a straight plug in I still got the Belkin as a surge protector just for added protection..........

 

I run my CTX laptop directly from the cig lighter. I just rigged a fused plug and found the right mate to my PC. The battery in my laptop is a 9.6v. I think that is the lowest that they use. Most are 12v as mentioned above.

Yea I know the right thing to do would be to use a power inverter. But I have had no trouble at all with my setup, and it was a real cheap setup.

If your look at your normal AC power cord and supply for your laptop, it should say what the output voltage is. Most are several volts above the real bat voltage. Mine says output of 20.0vdc, at 2.7a. So I don't think at 14v car battery supply will hurt it.

 

i have a dell inspiron 8000 and i run it with the cig lighter adapter all the time... you should be able to buy one on ebay or from dell, just look for your apropriate laptop model