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electrical:12v:laptop [2021/05/17 12:40]
frater_secessus [use a DC adapter] |
electrical:12v:laptop [2024/07/25 11:42] (current)
frater_secessus [DC adapters] |
| ====== Charging and powering laptops ====== | ====== Charging and powering laptops ====== |
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| Laptops are the most power-hungry of the nomad's communications devices; phones and tablets require [[electrical:solar:frugal|much less power]]. | Laptops are the most power-hungry of the nomad's communications devices; phones and tablets require [[electrical:solar:frugal|much less power]]. Pretty much the only communication device that will consume more power would be a [[communication:internet|Starlink]] dish. |
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| There are two basic approaches to keeping your laptop charged on the road: | There are two basic approaches to keeping your laptop charged on the road: |
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| ===== opportunity charging ===== | ===== Opportunity Charging ===== |
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| **Sit near outlets** whenever possible. When being seated by a host ask for a spot near an outlet. Test the outlet before settling in. | **Sit near outlets** whenever possible. When being seated by a host ask for a spot near an outlet. Test the outlet before settling in. |
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| Install a [[electrical:12v:intro|power setup]] in your vehicle. | Install a [[electrical:12v:intro|power setup]] in your vehicle. |
| ===== use a power-sipping laptop ===== | ===== Use a smaller laptop ===== |
| {{ :electrical:12v:delllaptopadapterannotated.jpg?200|}}This advice will likely come too late. :-) | {{ :electrical:12v:delllaptopadapterannotated.jpg?200|}}This advice will likely come too late. :-) |
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| If you don't already own a laptop, consider buying one that uses less power. One crude measure will be the wattage rating of the AC adapter. It really tells us the peak power use but there is usually a relationship between peak and average power. | If you don't already own a laptop, consider buying one that uses less power. As a general rule, the larger/heavier a laptop is, the more power it will use. |
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| | One crude measure will be the wattage rating of the AC adapter. As a //very// general rule, laptops will consume between 25-50% of their power supply's rated power when doing normal activities (web surfing, watching youtube, etc). Doing computationally intensive tasks (gaming, video & photo editing, content creation, graphic design and engineering software) will GREATLY increase this, and will often have the laptop running at 100% of the power supply's capabilities. |
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| Sometimes the adapter will give watts on the back label or in the documentation. In the example on the right, this Dell laptop adapter does say it is a 90W charger. | Sometimes the adapter will give watts on the back label or in the documentation. In the example on the right, this Dell laptop adapter does say it is a 90W charger. |
| If the label only shows output in volts and amps we can use Ohm's law to calculate watts. In this case, 19v x 4.62A = 87.78W, which is in line with the 90W number on the label. | If the label only shows output in volts and amps we can use Ohm's law to calculate watts. In this case, 19v x 4.62A = 87.78W, which is in line with the 90W number on the label. |
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| Example from secessus' personal experience: | Example from secessus' & Princess_Fluffypant's personal experience: |
| * older Dell corporate laptop, **90w** | * Full-sized (16"+) gaming laptops: **200-300w** |
| * new entry level laptop with very similar benchmarks as the Dell, **30w** | * Larger 15" corporate or engineering laptops, **90w-140w** |
| * chromebook, **16w** | * MacBook Pro, most 13-15" laptops **65w** |
| | * Entry level/budget laptops **30-45w** |
| | * Chromebooks, MacBook Airs, other ultra-lights **16w** |
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| Watching movies on a tablet or even a phone will use less power than a laptop. The smaller screen may also allow you to reduce resolution and [[communication:bandwidth_conservation|save bandwidth]]. | Watching movies on a tablet or even a phone will use less power than a laptop. The smaller screen may also allow you to reduce resolution and [[communication:bandwidth_conservation|save bandwidth]]. |
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| ===== use a DC adapter ===== | ===== DC adapters ===== |
| Using a DC adapter for your laptop rather than an [[electrical:inverter|inverter]] + the original 110v charger can save 10% or more power that would otherwise be lost in the inversion process. | {{ :electrical:12v:12v_usb-c.png?nolink&300|}} |
| | Using a DC adapter for your laptop rather than an [[electrical:inverter|inverter]] + the original 110v charger can save 10%-20% or more power that would otherwise be lost in the inversion process. Most DC adapters will come with the ciggy port plug; it is common to cut the plug off and and wire it to the fuse box or to your preferred connector type. |
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| | Almost all small-to-medium laptops made from ~2021 and later run off USB-C, which is commonly rated for up to 90w; a [[https://www.amazon.com/Charger-HKY-12V-24V-Adapter-Replacement/dp/B08MQ7HMPY/|12v USB-C adapter]] will plug into a 12v [[electrical:12v:ports|cigarette lighter]] port and give up to 90w of USB-C which will power most laptops. For a bit more money you can buy an OEM((Original Equipment Manufacturer)) car charger. |
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| | Dell sells a 12v power supply for their older/larger laptops that is much less bulky than generics: [[https://www.dell.com/en-us/shop/dell-auto-air-adapter-90w/apd/450-aelt/pc-accessories|Dell 12v Auto/Air DC Power Adapter]]. |
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| Many modern laptops run off 19v; a [[https://amzn.to/3fna9n6|generic DC adapter]] will convert your nominal 12v DC power to 19v or whatever the laptop wants. For a bit more money you can buy an OEM((Original Equipment Manufacturer)) car charger. | {{:electrical:12v:12v_140w_usb-c.png?direct&200 |}} |
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| | For larger/newer laptops (made from late-2023), USB-C has been expanded to support 140w of power delivery((Technically refered to as USB-C PD 1.4)). This is too much for a [[electrical:12v:ports|cigarette lighter]] outlet((they're only rated for 10amps, which works out to 120w)), but [[https://www.usbgear.com/cg-pd140epr.html|direct-wire DC power supplies will give you a 140w capable USB-C port]]. This is only realistically needed for the largest/heaviest laptops, especially gaming laptops or engineering/creator-oriented laptops. |
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| ===== reduce power consumption ===== | ===== reduce power consumption ===== |
