Car Power Inverter 95W?

659 Views 14 Replies 5 Participants Last post by mth91, Nov 26, 2009

mth91

Discussion Starter · Nov 26, 2009

Hey, I've got a vehicle power inverter that plugs into the cigarette lighter, and i'm sitting in the car right now. When I plug my laptop into it, the laptop continuously switches between battery and ac mode. Is 95W enough? Is there something i'm doing wrong which is making it switch? Also, what is that little black switch at the end of the inverter?

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MrAMD_Fan

· #2 · Nov 26, 2009

Is your car running? Is the key in the accessory position? Some cars don't leave that on, when the car isn't on in some form or another. 95w should be plenty....
Also, if there is a light on the inverter, is it staying on or going on and off?

Reactions: 1

mth91

Discussion Starter · #3 · Nov 26, 2009

It's staying on, and the car's running. Someone else is driving. I'm sitting in the back. I'm thinking that it might have something to do with that little black switch, but I can't find out what it is.

MrDeodorant

· #4 · Nov 26, 2009

It's hard to tell if 95 watts is enough for your laptop without knowing how much power your laptop draws, or at least what kind of laptop it is. It's probably fine, though.

A friend of mine had similar issues, and we traced it to the multi-socket he was using. It's probably a bad connection somewhere.

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mth91

Discussion Starter · #5 · Nov 26, 2009

Yeah. Thanks for the help. Rep+ for both of you. Can either of you tell me what the little black switch is though? Is it used to lock the connection in some way or another?

MrAMD_Fan

· #6 · Nov 26, 2009

Most laptops have 60w or 90w ac adapters.... how many outlets does it have?
Oh, that is probably a breaker, in case it overloads, the button will pop out farther and you have to push it in to get it to work again. If that was tripped tho', nothing would work....

MrDeodorant

· #7 · Nov 26, 2009

The switch could be a reset for a circuit breaker, I guess. Do you know what kind of inverter it is? I could look it up.

Also, thank you for putting me to 50 rep.

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dralb

· #8 · Nov 26, 2009

Could you post a link to the inverter? Also, I am not sure, but there could be a limitation to the socket itself no matter what the inverter can do.

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MrDeodorant

· #9 · Nov 26, 2009

You know what, if it's constantly switching, I bet the 95 watts is a peak rating, and it isn't actually able to provide enough current.

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UndertheGun

· #10 · Nov 26, 2009

Could that switch be some kind of polarity switch? Is the cars battery voltage strong? Many of these adapters turn off if battery voltage drops below a certain threshold?

Also if your adapter puts out 90w would it not need more than 95w inverter because of efficiency issues?

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MrDeodorant

· #11 · Nov 26, 2009

No, the adapter rating should be the power it uses. Also, how often do you need to switch your AC polarity? Finally, the car's electricity should be running off the alternator, shouldn't it, not the battery?

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UndertheGun

· #12 · Nov 26, 2009

Quote:

Originally Posted by MrDeodorant

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No, the adapter rating should be the power it uses. Also, how often do you need to switch your AC polarity? Finally, the car's electricity should be running off the alternator, shouldn't it, not the battery?

It is output not input on both. Read the specs on any inverter or power brick.

OP you need more than a 95w to output 90w on your power brick.

Sorry about the misstated way a cars electrical system works. So check the alternators voltage output. But that is irrelevant as you said the inverter stays on it is the notebook that demonstrates.

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MrDeodorant

· #13 · Nov 26, 2009

Quote:

Originally Posted by UndertheGun

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It is output not input on both. Read the specs on any inverter or power brick.

I'm slapping my forehead as we speak.

Quote:

Sorry about the misstated way a cars electrical system works. So check the alternators voltage output.

Surely you mean either current output or power output. And he'll have difficulty doing that from the back seat of the car. Regardless, I'm sure it can handle 100 watts.

Either way, I think the inverter just isn't suitable.

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UndertheGun

· #14 · Nov 26, 2009

I agree that as you say. In my last post tried to say I realized that my low voltage comment was off and a bad diagnostic path. Inverter is not having the problem.

Reactions: 1

mth91

Discussion Starter · #15 · Nov 26, 2009

Yeah, guys, I think it's the inverter. The light on the inverter dims out then comes back on at the same time my laptop switches between battery and ac. I don't think the thing can provide enough power. It does work pretty well for charging though.

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