Inverter

mrboswell

Just wondering if anyone has a recommendation for an inverter for the car? Brand etc.

To charge a laptop (2 laptops max).

Thanks.

watty

A direct 12V to Laptop PSU is more efficent and safer.

Assume the manufactuer is bending truth a little. Get and inverter rated at twice the power of the two laptops added together. Note that the "Cigar" socket is not a great connection and ONE laptop could take 9A via 12V (normal PSU volts/ 12 x laptop current x 1.3 for losses.). You may need "wired in via fuse & Switch" to have enough current for two.

There are many inverters that supply more power (thus more current at 12V) than the Cigar socket can continiously and reliably supply, which is somewhat less than the fuse rating. My 50W Mobile Radio didn't work reliably from the socket.

The 60W to 120W that a single laptop takes is up to 70W to 140W on mains side of its PSU, and then the Inverter has similar losses, so 80W to 160W on Inverter 12V in. A Netbook might be 55W on charge and screen full brightness. A typical laptop about 75W. Mine is 90W (At DC side, the mains side on ALL laptops is 10% to 20% more power consumption, feel what heat your PSU is). A 17" full HD+ 1920x1200 Gamer laptop can be more than 120W, thus more than 135W from mains/inverter is possible and more than 165W (nearly 14A!) from the Cigar socket.

That's why a direct 12V to Laptop PSU is a better idea. A good one will use about 66W for 60W out. Inverters if giving approximated sine wave may only be 80% efficient or even 75%.

mrboswell

Thanks for the info.

Best place to buy?

watty

Online somewhere