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build you own campervan and live the van life
build you own campervan and live the van life
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powering laptop
i purchased a 120w laptop power adapter from maplins. It ranges from 15-24v and comes with all different sized plugs. plus it was a third of the size of a invertor.
Your adapter is more
Your adapter is more efficient than an inverter, as inverters lose at least 10% of power when changing voltage.
I always use a 12v laptop adapter, as I use my laptop quite a lot for work
Solar charging
I have a 120w solar panel on the roof of my Renault connected to a leisure battery through a dual regulator (to stop overcharging the battery). I can charge my laptop, run a cooler box, charge the phone, boil the 12v kettle and also charge my camera and run LED lights all night.
I use a 150w inverter which plugs into a lighter socket. As I’m in Spain pretty much all of my power needs are taken care of but I’m planning on adding a second panel this year.
I hope this helps and maybe gives you some helpful ideas.
A mains kettle takes a huge
A mains kettle takes a huge amount of power. If you run one through an inverter you will drain your batteries very quickly. It’s generally not a very good idea.
12v kettles take quite a lof of power, and take a long time to get hot.
Gas is generally the best source of power for a kettle.
Is there any reason why you don’t want to use gas?
Inverters for kettle & Toaster
I want to power my kettle and toaster of the mains instead of gass.
Should I buy and inverter for this to turn 12V to 240V or fork out more money and buy 12V kettles
If anyone can help that’d be great. I read all above about laptops but don’t know if the same principle applies.
Thanks
Matt
inverters for laptops
Hi there, so do you rekon that a daptor is the way to go then. What are the risks of plugging in a laptop to a leisure battery? Im a complete virgin on this subject but want to take my lap top away to wales with me so i can surf and check google maps etc…whats the worst that could happen?
A 12v adapter is the best
A 12v adapter is the best option if you intend to use your laptop a lot. It’s more energy efficient than using a 240v inverter.
The output from a leisure battery is constant, i.e. it won’t surge and damage your computer.
I used one on a trip for over 9 months. That was 4 years ago and the laptop is still working fine.
When the power of leisure battery gets too low to charge the laptop the charger just switches off, leaving your laptop running on it’s internal battery.
Tip: it takes half as much energy for your laptop to run when it’s fully charged, than when it’s internal battery is flat and needs charging. So charge your laptop when you are driving as you’ll have more energy, assuming your leisure battery is charging from the engine battery.
would it be possible to
would it be possible to connect 12v cig lighters in the back of the van to the leisure battery and then just the adapters?
Yes. You can connect a 12v
Yes. You can connect a 12v cigarette lighter to the leisure battery. Make sure you use a fuse though.
Then plug the 12v laptop adapter into the 12v cigarette lighter. Then plug the adapter into your laptop.
This will work fine, and is the most energy efficient method.
12v cigarette lighter
Hi Darren,
I have bought a 12v laptop adapter to power my laptop in my van. I’ve plugged it into a cigarette lighter via my leisure battery. It initially worked when stationary, but now only works when the engine is going. Any ideas why it might have stopped working?
Thanks, Tom
Hi Tom
That sounds like there
Hi Tom
That sounds like there isn’t enough charge in the battery to power the adapter. When you start the engine there is full power as the alternator is giving the power, and the adapter works.
So this suggests that the battery is not being charged properly or is not holding charge well.
How old is the battery?
How is the battery being charged, with a split charge relay?
Inverters
Hi
Useful tips thanks
Anyone recommend a good brand for inverter? Have found Power Ring, and Power Bright. Both have good reviews. Anyone have first hand experience with either?
Thanks
Hi Croc
You need to know how
Hi Croc
You need to know how much power your laptop draws. If you’re lucky it will tell you on the underside of the laptop, on the power sticker. If not look on the power transformer.
You need to know how many Watts the laptop draws. It might be written as 100W. If it doesn’t state the watts, look for volts and amps. Watts = Volts X Amps.
Once you know the power (Watts) you can but an inverter that is rated slightly more powerfully, to ensure it works ok.
Don’t buy a cheap no-name brand.
A better solution, that I used myself, was to buy a 12V laptop adapter. This plugs straight into the cigarette lighter, and the other end straight into the laptop.
It converted 12v to 19v, which is more efficient then going to 240v.
If you intend to use your laptop a lot get one of those instead of an inverter.
You can find the transformers on eBay.co.uk
http://shop.ebay.co.uk/?_from=R40&_trksid=p3907.m38.l1313&_nkw=12v+laptop&_sacat=See-All-Categories
thanks darren again
thanks mate that was really helpful.bought an inverter this morning 150watts.
with that much power i should be able to sell some electric back to the national grid lol
12v cig socket power source
Hi i’ve got a 19.6v Sony Vaio, i bought the regulated 12v power supply from MAPLINS.
it has adjustable ends, and adjustable voltage out. my son watched films on a 6hr trip to newquay with no problems at all
Darren B