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simple question about laptop charger voltages

  • 14-07-2007 9:15pm
    #1
    Puteq
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 380 ✭✭


    OK I know this question is so simple someone is rolling their eyes to the heavens at how obvious the answer is - and i'm hoping they'll tell me! I have a lenovo laptop and was looking to buy an extra charger for it (just so i can have one plugged in at home the whole time and another one to carry around with me). looked on ebay and found a squillion chargers advertised for my model laptop, but they all read 90W, my charger is 65W. now unless i am gravely mistaken that would fry my laptop, but whats the story, is it 90W in the States or something, cos ebay is full of 90W chargers but no 65W chargers can be found anywhere. Just wondering why there would be tons of chargers all advertising themselves as being for my laptop and yet none of them are the same wattage as my existing charger?

    Thanks


Comments

  • #2
    Capt'n Midnight
    Moderators, Recreation & Hobbies Moderators, Science, Health & Environment Moderators, Technology & Internet Moderators Posts: 93,604 Mod ✭✭✭✭Capt'n Midnight


    It depends.

    What matters most is the connector on the charger, it has to fit. It also has to be the the right polarity - but I haven't heard of them being mismatched yet, in the way my zip drive adaptor blew a set of speakers :o

    Now even if it fits you have to be careful. many DC jacks are interchangable and the one thing you don't want is too much voltage. repeat the voltage must match. After that the computer usually takes as much current as it needs.

    check your model on the companies website to see if that model adaptor is listed as a spare part for your laptop, especially if there is a docking station as many companies (take a bow DELL) need a more powerful adaptor than supplied with the laptop to run the laptop when docked.

    also for the future had you posted the model of laptop and the model number of the adaptor someone would have probably said "that's what I'm using" by now :rolleyes:


  • #3
    legs11
    Closed Accounts Posts: 1,347 ✭✭✭legs11


    the laptop will only draw as much wattage as needed, my xps m1710 has a 130watt power supply, using a 90watt power supply with this and it wont even boot up, not enough juice.

    if your laptop is rated at 19 volts @ 90 watts. then plugging in a 19 volts @ 120watts power supply wont fry your laptop , it will work fine.

    as long as the voltage is correct and the plug fits it should be ok. higher wattage supplys will be more expensive. just dont go putting a 20 volt power supply in, then things will indeed fry up.


  • #4
    Puteq
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 380 ✭✭Puteq


    legs11 wrote:
    if your laptop is rated at 19 volts @ 90 watts. then plugging in a 19 volts @ 120watts power supply wont fry your laptop , it will work fine

    Cool this seems to answer my question, thanks to the both of you for replying. The adapter I was looking at has a variable voltage setting (a switch on the side), so I am happy I would be able to set the voltage correctly, what I was worried about is the fact that the wattage didnt seem to be variable, it is 90W even though my laptop only needed 65W. but so long as the laptop can handle 90W and only take what it needs so long as the voltage is OK then I am happy with that. Oh, and it is a charger with loads of different heads so it can fit any number of laptops so i am not worried about physical connectors fitting

    cheers for the help guys


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