12V DC to 19V DC laptop power?

glend (Glen) · #1 10-06-2014, 08:39 PM

Just wondering how people are handling getting 19V DC into their laptops in the field? I'd like to power my PHD netbook off of my camper batteries - because I have so much capacity there already. Is there an obvious solution other than an inverter and the AC power supply.

MrB (Simon) · #2 10-06-2014, 08:57 PM

Jaycar (and probably others) have 12v universal laptop supplies. Take your laptop in with you wherever you go to check the correct plug comes with the kit.

GTB_an_Owl (Geoff) · #3 10-06-2014, 09:02 PM

this what you are looking for Glen?

http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Universal...item5d3bf5a97c

or

http://www.jaycar.com.au/productView.asp?ID=MP3472

geoff

Astro_Bot · #4 10-06-2014, 10:22 PM

I bought an eBay one for $25 and it works fine.

mithrandir (Andrew) · #5 11-06-2014, 12:09 AM

No-one seems to make one of those to power a Toshiba Qosmio. It wants 19V at 9.5A and has a 4 pin plug.

RAJAH235 · #6 11-06-2014, 02:49 AM

Hi Andrew,
I found a couple, (not sure if they are for your model though), but one is damn expensive.
> http://www.psaparts.com.au/laptop-no...r--8vxwjp.html
> http://www.laptopsbattery.net.au/tos...er-p33525.html

MrB (Simon) · #7 11-06-2014, 04:08 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RAJAH235

I found a couple

Those are both 240v input.

Andrew, a 200W 12v supply is pretty chunky and might be difficult to come by.
Might have too look at using an inverter with the standard supply. This is less efficient (12->240 and 240->19), but it works.

Speaking of chunky, a laptop running a 200W supply is pretty heavy duty for field use! Is it a quad core i7 or something?
I use a cheap little 10" netbook which runs ascom/eqmod/phd/cartes du ciel and sometimes backyard EOS or APT, and it never skips a beat. Runs for about 4 or 5 hours on the battery with the above software running, powering the qhy5, WiFi on, minimum backlight(still too bright!) and screen set to turn backlight off(not sleep!) after 5 mins of no mouse/keyboard input.

glend (Glen) · #8 11-06-2014, 07:30 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MrB

Those are both 240v input.

Andrew, a 200W 12v supply is pretty chunky and might be difficult to come by.
Might have too look at using an inverter with the standard supply. This is less efficient (12->240 and 240->19), but it works.

Speaking of chunky, a laptop running a 200W supply is pretty heavy duty for field use! Is it a quad core i7 or something?
I use a cheap little 10" netbook which runs ascom/eqmod/phd/cartes du ciel and sometimes backyard EOS or APT, and it never skips a beat. Runs for about 4 or 5 hours on the battery with the above software running, powering the qhy5, WiFi on, minimum backlight(still too bright!) and screen set to turn backlight off(not sleep!) after 5 mins of no mouse/keyboard input.

Simon, that sounds like my set up, Netbook running PHD for guiding camera etc, and since I am using a Canon DSLR I only need shutter control. My AC power supply only outputs 2.1amps (19v of course), so those big expensive ones are overkill. I wanted to avoid the ones that require plug swaps but the one from China looks good.

coldknights (Cathy) · #9 11-06-2014, 01:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mithrandir

No-one seems to make one of those to power a Toshiba Qosmio. It wants 19V at 9.5A and has a 4 pin plug.

Hi Andrew let me know if you find one ! We looked just before Xmas and could not find a 12v to 19v 9.5A ....so I just use our 5000w inverter when we go camping with the original charger.

julianh72 (Julian) · #10 11-06-2014, 02:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mithrandir

No-one seems to make one of those to power a Toshiba Qosmio. It wants 19V at 9.5A and has a 4 pin plug.

I suspect you will be able to power the laptop with something quite a bit smaller than 180W (19V x 9.5A) - check the specs carefully.

My work laptop (Dell Latitude 15") is a pretty powerful CAD-class mobile workstation. It came with 2 power supplies - a big 200W unit, and a much smaller 90W unit.

The 200W power pack stays on my desk, to power the laptop and its docking hub, with a bunch of USB accessories (including hard drives etc), plus provides rapid charge capabilities. The 90W is the one that I pack in my laptop bag - it powers the laptop and a few small USB accessories (mouse, keyboard, etc) easily, but is slower to charge the battery while the computer is actually in use.

If you get a smaller power supply, you will probably power the laptop easily, but it may struggle to charge the battery, especially while the laptop is being used.

mithrandir (Andrew) · #11 11-06-2014, 03:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MrB

Those are both 240v input.

Andrew, a 200W 12v supply is pretty chunky and might be difficult to come by.
Might have too look at using an inverter with the standard supply. This is less efficient (12->240 and 240->19), but it works.

Speaking of chunky, a laptop running a 200W supply is pretty heavy duty for field use! Is it a quad core i7 or something?

Simon, I've actually got two Toshibas. The Qosmio X770 (i7) that i can't get a PS for, and a Satellite L50-A (i5) which should be simple enough to get one for. I want to use the X770 for non-capture stuff and the L50-A for capture.

Quote:

Originally Posted by coldknights

Hi Andrew let me know if you find one ! We looked just before Xmas and could not find a 12v to 19v 9.5A ....so I just use our 5000w inverter when we go camping with the original charger.

Cathy, that's probably the best solution. I can get replacement 240V power supplies for it, but no sign of a 12->19 anywhere.

Merlin66 (Ken) · #12 11-06-2014, 05:27 PM

Andrew,
Most, if not all the voltage convertors, 12-19V only have a few amp capacity....
I use one on the NEQ6pro (set to 15v)

astronobob (Bob) · #13 08-07-2014, 05:24 PM

Hi Glen, I have been using the 2nd one that GTB Owl (Geoff) has put up for about 7yrs now, it has been faultless !
I see it delivers only 8amps @ 19V - so not sure how itd go with your lappy requiring 9.5 amps. Might be worth questioning JCar if can or need to ? They may have a bigger one ?

The one thing I considered with lappy purchase for astro was the power draw, seeing I use of a battery bank out leyburn. My Toshiba needs 19v but only draws 3.3amp tho that would equate to about a 6amp draw off the batteries at a 12v output - hense - if your needing 9.5amps @ 19v, then that would draw closer to 15-17 amps off the 12v battery supply !
Something to consider anyway !

All the best with it ...

http://www.jaycar.com.au/productView.asp?ID=MP3472

ZeroID (Brent) · #14 08-07-2014, 07:28 PM

APC ( the UPS people) put out a 12vDC & 240vAC universal power pack with selectable output voltage and good current capabilities.
I have one downstairs which I keep on hand for those unusual situations.
Check out their website to see if they are still available. I scored this when my wife used to work for them so it may be a promotional product.