how much power using a laptop

[miker]

any idea how much power a laptop would drain from my regular battery if I got a small inverter ( 400 watts) and used the cig lighter application. I would not be trying to charge when sitting without running the van and would only use it if needed to keep the laptop going, mostly would try to find a standard outlet at motels,restraunts,etc.

 

[Turtle]

Couple of amps, maybe three. Maybe 5. Depends. It'll tell you right there on the brick transformer on the power cord for the laptop, tho. And usually in the specs for the laptop.

 

[chefdennis]

mine draws 6 amps, but I also run a 3000 watt inverter and 2 700 amp cca deep cycle batteries with a isolator so the van battery is never affected by any draw fom the accessories i use inside.

To be honest, using "standard current" from a hotel or restruant, unless you are doing it while staying there or eating there, isn't as easy as you might think, or advised.

Invest in a good battery, big inverter and isolator and "set it and forge it!!" For me personally, more is always better.

 

[Turtle]

How many Cold Cranking Amps does your laptop use?

 

[chefdennis]

LOL, it depends if i am "trawling" or just bobber fishing, since they are marine batteries!! LOL

 

[Turtle]

LOL Yeah, I know. True deep cycle batteries won't have cranking amps stamped on the case, unless they are Concords marketed directly to the marine industry. It's confusing that marine deep cycle batteries are labeled as such, since they're not deep cycle at all, but merely deeper cycle and slightly thicker plates than cranking batteries. What matters most is amp hours, not cranking amps. But, marine deep cycle batteries are designed for the slow, relentless draw of a trolling motor, and that's pretty much how most folks out here use them (unless they hook a microwave up to it). It's the high amp draws (and draining the battery until inverters scream and stuff stops working) that kill the batteries before their time.

 

[miker]

what is a good name brand inverter, I see a lot of cobras which I trust but see a lot of others by names that I have never heard of in the electronics market

 

[dhalltoyo]

As the others indicated, don't draw any amps from your start battery.

My QC was installed and I forgot to tell the installer to have them program it to shut down completely after 5 minutes and not be awakened until the ignition was turned on.

I dropped off a load in a dead area and stayed around to make a few personal visits while in that area. I left the van sit for 5 days. (Wed - Sun) Monday I got a load offer and the start battery was not strong enough to crank the engine.

If you want to go the inexpensive route you could purchase a "Jump Box" that charges from the 12V power outlet or 110V wall outlet. When you stop you could power the laptop from the battery in the "Jump Box".

PS. Restaurants, Walmarts, Meijer, Jewel-Osco, truck stops, etc. that do not have accessible wall outlets to allow me to use my laptop....they don't get my business. McDonald's at the rear of Walmart stores down south are particularly bad for not having any AC outlets. I have walked into a several Burger Kings and then walked back out when they didn't have a wall outlet in the dining area. I then walk down the street to the next fast-food place and whoever has a wall outlet in the dining area gets my business.

PSS. Recently, I had a power-tripping "20 something" at the Walmart in Peoria ask me what I was doing. I was sitting on a bench in the front of the store with my laptop. I said, "I am finished shopping, but my wife is still in the store." He said, "Well, you are plugged into our grid." (Must have a parent who works for the power company). I said, "And your afraid I'll create a blackout?" He replied, "We are here to shop, not to surf the internet...so pack it up." We did exactly that. My wife returned every item in her cart back to the shelves and we left. A friend convinced me to contact Walmart corporate. The store manager called and indicated that they had other complaints regarding this "20 something" assistant manager. She told me to come in and plug into their "grid" anytime I was in the area. She also said to contact her personally if anyone gave me a hard time. A tip of the hat to Walmart!

 

[Turtle]

what is a good name brand inverter, I see a lot of cobras which I trust but see a lot of others by names that I have never heard of in the electronics market

Tripp-Lite or Cobra are decent for modified sine wave inverters. Any others you see at truck stops and CB shops are junk. For pure sine wave inverters, Xantrex, Go Power!, Omnion, Exeltech and Aims are the better ones. Xantrex is the cream of the cop for mobile inverters, by far the most popular for RVers, marine, emergency and other mobile uses. They are also the highest priced.

For most out here a cheap Cobra will suffice. I have an Aims 3000 watt pure sine wave that I need to get some work done on, but in the meantime I'm using a Cobra 1500 watt inverter (cause it was quick and easy to get and I needed one ASAP).

Everything will run better, quieter, with less heat and draw less power, with a pure sine wave inverter. It's the same as household current. Certain types of electronics require a pure sine wave inverter, like sensitive electronics (ambulance stuff), many laptops (though many don't care), laser printers, a few other things. Anything with a motor, like a fan or a fridge, will run considerably smoother with a pure sine wave, and will certainly last longer. Many rechargable things, like tools, won't recharge properly on a modified sine wave.

All battery chargers will charge way, way better on a pure since wave. Even though many will charge on a modified sine wave, they just won't charge the batteries completely, or they may overcharge. In any case, batteries charged up with a modified sine wave inverter should not be expected to last as long as those who are always charged at home or on pure sine waves.

For a cheap inverter to get you started, go with a Cobra. For more sophisticated needs move up to a Tripp-Lite. Cobra is budget modified sine wave, Tripp-Lite is high end, good solid electronics. You get what you pay for.

For a good budget pure sine wave, go with Aims. For the cream of the crop, or if you will use a generator or hook to shore power often, go with Xantrex or Go Power!.

Stay aware from inverters like Vector, Black and Decker, whatever that goofy brand name you see at the Petros and a few other places. They're junk. Granted, Cobra is just one step above the junk, but it's one step up nonetheless.

Basically, I's currently using a Cobra cause it was quick and easy and cheap, I'll get the Aims repaired cause it's good pure sine wave on a budget, but if I had the money I'd go Xantrex and not look back. Aims ain't cheap, but Xantrex is twice the cost of Aims.

 

[highway star]

Turtle, I have a Magnum Energy with shore power. It's working great , no complaints. Are you familiar with this brand? Any comments?

 

[hondaking38]

why a 400 watt inverter for a laptop?? i have a 100 watt black and decker sold at all major chain store (walmart,meijers,k-mart etc) for around $17.00 it draws less juice..i usually start the van every 4 or 5 hours and let it run for 10 minutes or so...however i have left it on all night and the van started in the morning (highly not recomended) this is a gasser van with one battery, only 3 months old though so battery is still newer

 

[Turtle]

Turtle, I have a Magnum Energy with shore power. It's working great , no complaints. Are you familiar with this brand? Any comments?

Ah, Magnum. I can't believe they slipped my mind. There used to be a company called Trace that made inverters and other power thingies. We've got a Trace inverter/charger on the houseboat. They were good. Real good. So good that Xantrex bought 'em out in a kind of "If ya can't beat 'em, buy em'" thing.

A few of the Trace engineers started Outback Power, which is also really good, especially for off-the-grid stuff, and a few went up to Everett, Washington (meaning, Made in the USA) and started Magnum Energy. They make really good inverters for over the road, marine and RVers.

A few of the former Trace guys from Outback have recently joined back up with the former Trace guys at Magnum and they are now making some killer 110 and 220 inverters for alternative energy off-the-grid applications, as well. I would imagine that it'll just get better with Magnum.

I should have mentioned them as one of the high end modified sine wave inverter manufacturers. Probably overkill for most out here, but it depends on how "RV" your sleeper is. They're not cheap, but for what they do (pure sine wave battery charger and a modified sine wave inverter in one) and how they are constructed, they are very, cost effective. Whichever one you have, it should last a long time, nearly bullet proof (important for over the road), and is relatively energy efficient.

The smaller models are in the $400 to $700 range, and the bigger ones are, I think, $1200 to $1500 or something like that. They are basically priced right in between the Aims and Xantrex inverters, and they're easily just as good as the Xantrex.

 

[highway star]

Thanks, I'm glad to hear it's a good one. My sleeper's relatively basic. The hardest the inverter gets used is running the microwave for 2-3 minutes. I really like the shore power when I'm at home for a few days.