Using a Laptop from My Car Battery?

Is it possible to somehow tap into the auto battery of my car to power my
laptop?
--
Wayne Watson (Nevada City, CA)

Web Page: <speckledwithStars.net>

W. Watson wrote:
> Is it possible to somehow tap into the auto battery of my car to power
> my laptop?
The battery, no problem.
The car is a BIG problem.
Suggest you read this before hooking it up.

http://littelfuse.com/data/en/Applic...tes/an9312.pdf

mike

--
Return address is VALID!
Bunch-O-Stuff Forsale Here:
http://mike.liveline.de/sale.html

I only plan to use it when the vehicle is not running. In other words, when
I'm through driving for the day. What do I need to successfully use the
battery? Some sort of divider?

mike wrote:
> W. Watson wrote:
>> Is it possible to somehow tap into the auto battery of my car to power
>> my laptop?
> The battery, no problem.
> The car is a BIG problem.
> Suggest you read this before hooking it up.
>
> http://littelfuse.com/data/en/Applic...tes/an9312.pdf
>
> mike
>

--
Wayne Watson (Nevada City, CA)

Web Page: <speckledwithStars.net>

W. Watson wrote:
> Is it possible to somehow tap into the auto battery of my car to power
> my laptop?

There are plenty of convertors to do this on ebay, for under $20.

For example
http://cgi.ebay.fr/ADAPTATEUR-SECTEU...QQcmdZViewItem

Sorry this one is in French, but you get the picture!

google for: auto power adapter laptop

you will find lots of adapters that plug into the lighter, provide power to
the laptop. You may find a model specifically for your laptop, as well as
many generic versions.

Alternatively, you could get a DC/AC inverter that will create 110V AC,
which you then plug your normal laptop powerpack into.

Val

On Jun 4, 7:32 pm, "W. Watson" <wolf_tra...@invalid.com> wrote:
> Is it possible to somehow tap into the auto battery of my car to power my
> laptop?


Besides using the cigarette lighter adapter thingy you mean?

Such an adapter can be ordered form the manufacturor of your laptop,
or can be purchaced through various third parties.

Maybe, but more likely not.

First, you must not connect your laptop to the electrical bus of the
CAR. The car's power bus is incredibly dirty and has huge spikes as
things cut on and off.

As to a car battery (disconnected from the car itself, or with the car
engine not running), it's a good source of 12.6 to 13.5 volts. The
problem is that your laptop most likely runs off of 15 to 19 volts DC
from it's power supply and a car battery is probably too low.

It might be possible to jury-rig a connection to where the laptop
battery connects to the laptop, but on most laptops the battery has an
onboard microprocessor that talks to the laptop, and the laptop may not
work without this data connection; simply providing power may not be enough.

Again, don't under any circumstances try to connect the laptop to the
car's electrical system with the car running.


W. Watson wrote:
> Is it possible to somehow tap into the auto battery of my car to power
> my laptop?

The easiest ways (which you COULD use with the engine running) are:

1. Buy an "auto-air" power supply that supports your laptop
2. Buy an inverter (rated at about 120 watts or more ... preferably
more) that will produce AC power (110-120 volts) and plug your laptop's
AC adapter into the inverter.



W. Watson wrote:
> I only plan to use it when the vehicle is not running. In other words,
> when I'm through driving for the day. What do I need to successfully use
> the battery? Some sort of divider?
>
> mike wrote:
>> W. Watson wrote:
>>> Is it possible to somehow tap into the auto battery of my car to
>>> power my laptop?
>> The battery, no problem.
>> The car is a BIG problem.
>> Suggest you read this before hooking it up.
>>
>> http://littelfuse.com/data/en/Applic...tes/an9312.pdf
>>
>> mike
>>
>

I have a inverter, but recall (perhaps incorrectly) that such devices do not
provide a smooth (consistent) frequency well, so that there might be injury
to the laptop's HD or maybe other components.

I should have tried this on an old laptop I had, but gave away about six
months ago.

wrote:
> On Jun 4, 7:32 pm, "W. Watson" <wolf_tra...@invalid.com> wrote:
>> Is it possible to somehow tap into the auto battery of my car to power my
>> laptop?
>
>
> Besides using the cigarette lighter adapter thingy you mean?
>
> Such an adapter can be ordered form the manufacturor of your laptop,
> or can be purchaced through various third parties.
>
>

--
Wayne Watson (Nevada City, CA)

Web Page: <speckledwithStars.net>

Here's a possibility
<http://www.gateway.com/accessories/product/12682250.php?seg=hm>. I'm not
yet convinced that this is not just an inverter that gets me from dc to ac.

I just talked to the mfger, and they claim it just replaces the ac adpater I
have. This may be what I need.

W. Watson wrote:
> I have a inverter, but recall (perhaps incorrectly) that such devices do
> not provide a smooth (consistent) frequency well, so that there might be
> injury to the laptop's HD or maybe other components.
>
> I should have tried this on an old laptop I had, but gave away about six
> months ago.
>
> wrote:
>> On Jun 4, 7:32 pm, "W. Watson" <wolf_tra...@invalid.com> wrote:
>>> Is it possible to somehow tap into the auto battery of my car to
>>> power my
>>> laptop?
>>
>>
>> Besides using the cigarette lighter adapter thingy you mean?
>>
>> Such an adapter can be ordered form the manufacturor of your laptop,
>> or can be purchaced through various third parties.
>>
>>
>

--
Wayne Watson (Nevada City, CA)

Web Page: <speckledwithStars.net>