Power Inverter - for Laptop on the run...

[slim6y]

So I tried a computer forum aimed directly at my Alienware lappy... And the replies are less than helpful...

So here I am...

I'm about to head camping over the Aussie summer and I plan on taking my Alien to see the sites and sounds around the country (several thousands of kilometres).

Most of my camping locations will have some form of electricity to keep the beast going.

However - some parts of the journey will require my Alien but I will be without electricity (this may include movie nights in the bush, times when I will need to empty the contents of my digital SLR etc etc).

The battery on here lasts long enough to do some things - but in order to run it continuously when in the car I thought of getting an inverter.

The questions in regards to this are as follows:

1) Is it ok to be a modified sine wave inverter? Or does it need to be a full sine wave?

2) Is there a risk to the Alien in any-way-what-so-ever?

3) Does the transformer (power-pack) require x amount of wattage? If so - how much?

Any other things I should know? What should I avoid? What should I look for in an inverter?

Thanks kindly for reading and taking time to answer:

Notes:

Assuming it suggests inputs of 240V and 3.5A then the as power (wattage) is V x I then:

240V x 3.5A = 840W

Now I have seen a 1000W inverter which is perfectly sufficient for this. So that most likely answers that question.

The car has a 35Amp Hour battery (plus it's chargeable) that's 10 hours of alien computing without even turning the car on... I think that's sufficient too.

So the real questions remain:

1) Does it need to be a full sine wave - can it be a modified sine?

2) Is there any risk?

Thanks again.

 

[JAS101]

i dont know about all that other mumbo jumbo , but when me and my brother used to tune our cars via the lap top i just used a 350wt invertor and that worked fine [ lap top battery was totaly stuffed]

 

[dossy]

could i recomend getting one of those cig lighter charger things?
i went around australia in a prado and in the back of this brado we have a 220v 100 w power point and it was enough to run the laptop....i also segest that if your going around australia u do not need movies...just watch the bush tv....the fire

 

[slim6y]

could i recomend getting one of those cig lighter charger things?
i went around australia in a prado and in the back of this brado we have a 220v 100 w power point and it was enough to run the laptop....i also segest that if your going around australia u do not need movies...just watch the bush tv....the fire

100W won't be enough for this alien... it's a bit grunty for that...

Secondly - love your suggestion of not requiring movies... however... Have you noted what the la-nina weather forecast is for this summer?

Cairns and the far north are in for an estimated 6 cyclones... I think movies are definitely a top priority!!!

Fire is often extinguished in heavy rainfall too - this is another thing I am prepared for

Finally - the inverter is also required to turn the lappy on when out in bush after taking 900 photos! I need some way to get the photos from the camera to the laptop and as it is the gruntiest of lappys it requires a fairly grunty inverter too....

So if I have an inverter then I have movies...

If I have movies then if it rains I don't require fire

This also saves the environment

 

[MatE]

slimy6y ive been told to go for the full sine wave.I bought a 300watt inverter and it works great,but if your wanting 1000watt you will have to hardwire it to the battery,as mine says it was only good for 150watt out of a lighter plug.Jaycar sell some pretty good inverters,1000watt i going to cost you a bit tho.

 

[Jonno from ERD]

I have a 150 watt Dick Smith inverter. Plug it into the cigarette lighter in the car and off we go - it's run our laptops for the last 6 months whenever we're on the road.

 

[slim6y]

Yeah - I think I just read somewhere else 1000W needs hardwiring... Which doesn't overly solve my problem.... but at least I know

 

[slim6y]

I have a 150 watt Dick Smith inverter. Plug it into the cigarette lighter in the car and off we go - it's run our laptops for the last 6 months whenever we're on the road.

I think I need 800W to run this laptop...

 

[BrownHash]

Have you tried measuring the wattage that your laptop uses? Generally the wattage stated by the manufacturer is peak wattage when the laptop is under load, i.e. gaming. I know my pc has a 650watts power supply, however its average power consumption when browsing the internet etc. is only 250W.

 

[slim6y]

Have you tried measuring the wattage that your laptop uses? Generally the wattage stated by the manufacturer is peak wattage when the laptop is under load, i.e. gaming. I know my pc has a 650watts power supply, however its average power consumption when browsing the internet etc. is only 250W.

Yes, you're 100% correct there... It is peak load... and I can turn plenty of the mod-cons off or to lower settings to make it more efficient...

However, I have decided - not to get the inverter and just to charge up at powered sites

 

[stockhorse]

WARNING dangerous inverters @ ExplorOz Forum

Australian 4WD Action | Forum - View topic - SAFE INVERTERS ??????

Both of theses links are good reading on the dangers of inverters.

 

[slim6y]

It's ok now - not getting one anyway