Small inverter recommendation

Mark Maulden

Mark Maulden

.
Jan 25, 2011
2,439
S2 11.0A Anacortes, WA
So, the admiral buys a new Apple laptop and about the only way to charge it away from shore power is with an inverter. I really have no other use for an inverter so I'm looking for recommendations for a small 200 watt pure sine wave inverter. Thoughts?
 
rgranger

rgranger

.
Jan 19, 2010
12,925
Hobie 16 & Rhodes 22 Skeeter Charleston
I would get one or two of something like this...



Do a google search for "Reserve power for Apple laptop" I got a bunch of hits when I did that.

I've used these sort of power banks to charge iPhones and they claim to be able to do laptops also. I can recharge my phone four or five times on a single charge and mine is a much smaller version. I recently took a week long trip in the rural mountains of Mexico and that is what I used to keep my phone charged. The price ranges from mid-$20 to mid-$60 for the bigger ones. For the price of an inverter you could buy three or more of these. Charge them up when attached to power and you got several days worth of charge before you need to find an AC power source again. These are also smaller and more compact.

Edit: or what JSsailEM said... :)
 
L

LeoLambert310

.
Nov 18, 2013
171
Catalina 310 Campbell River
If its just for your laptop check out Walmart as you don't need a pure sine wave for a laptop any inverter will do.
 
Sumner

Sumner

.
Jan 31, 2009
5,254
Macgregor & Endeavour 26S and 37 Utah's Canyon Country
I've been using a 180 watt Wagan Pure Sine Inverter....

http://www.batteryspace.com/Wagan-D...ZfwfbpC8LFOPEP6Ll8gZVJUVdWAUfAuLaNBoC7Svw_wcB

... like in the link above (didn't buy it there)....



..... for some time to charge...



... power tool batteries that I have with us and sometimes my CPAP machine for some reason doesn't like running on 12v., so run it all night on the inverter when that happens. No problems with it.

See if you can find a DC to DC inverter for the computer if possible....

http://www.ebay.com/itm/like/282125618089?lpid=82&chn=ps&ul_noapp=true

..... I have them for ours and they are more efficient I believe vs. using the 110 inverter....
Sumner
==================================================================
1300 miles to The Bahamas and Back in the Mac...
Endeavour 37 Mods...
MacGregor 26-S Mods...
Mac Trips to Utah, Idaho, Wyoming, Canada, Florida, Bahamas
 
Last edited:
Ron20324

Ron20324

.
Jan 22, 2008
8,050
Beneteau 323 Annapolis MD
Also prontocharger .com for dc-dc adaptors. I have 2 of them.
 
Last edited:
Mark Maulden

Mark Maulden

.
Jan 25, 2011
2,439
S2 11.0A Anacortes, WA
Laptop is a new 15" macbook Pro Retina. Takes a bit of power. The power supply is 84 W. The Kensington has some mixed reviews and I'm not fond of stocking up on multiple packs. The dc-dc could work, but they tend to be electrically noisy in the switching power conversion stages..and being non apple, there's the connector compatibility issue. (Maybe?) This computer charges through a power supply and corded to a "mag safe" connector on the computer. If I read the literature right, they say it can be charged through the USB-c port. But USB is 5V and I think the normal charge voltage is ~19.. They dont say a source for usb....Todays generation doesn't know how to communicate a set of instructions..a bit off topic, I bought a mini maglite flashlight. Has four modes..read instructions, front-back of pkg and had to go online to learn how it works. Sent maglite an email and they said it was at the bottom of the warranty card.. where's that head banging emoticon.... There is a quasi authorized Apple store in town.. might have a conversation with them...
 
jssailem

jssailem

SBO Weather and Forecasting Forum Jim & John
Oct 22, 2014
24,523
CAL 35 Cruiser #21 moored EVERETT WA
The Apple Store is a great idea. Yes the USB Thunderbolt 3 connection is an option. It functions as a power input or output. ( You can tap the laptop battery to charge your iPhone). In looking for a way to keep my PC laptop functioning I discovered that DC to DC is better than DC to AC to DC. Less energy loss. Charging a laptop is power intensive. Fortunately the MacBook has a decent 10 hour battery.
 
HMT2

HMT2

.
Mar 20, 2014
900
Hunter 31 828 Shoreacres, TX
I have a small Stanley 500 watt inverter. Works great for charging my laptop, IPad or running decorative lights for Yachty Gras or pretty much anything else with a small power draw. It was like $40.00 at a big box store. It has worked great for five years.
 
walt

walt

.
Jun 1, 2007
3,550
Macgregor 26S Hobie TI Ridgway Colorado
I think (but am not sure) USB-C has a power delivery option where a device can request higher power - up to 100 watts (5 amp at 20 volts).
 
C

Chief RA

.
Nov 26, 2012
2,315
Catalina 250 Bodega Bay CA
Dc to dc power supply: Apple 85w Magsafe MD506LL/A. Chief ,Electronic Eng. FCC #1890
 
jssailem

jssailem

SBO Weather and Forecasting Forum Jim & John
Oct 22, 2014
24,523
CAL 35 Cruiser #21 moored EVERETT WA
At least you have adequate Ahr battery bank so the lady of the boat will not suck all of the juice from storage.

My first laptop use attempt was with a pair of old Grp24 70Ahr (when they were new) batteries. I fortunately was only using one of them powering my laptop for about 6 hr down the sound (tracking my progress - testing the system). Nearly killed the battery. (it eventually did die a gruesome death). No idea that an old laptop was than hungry. Isolating them allowed me to still start the engine when I reached the marina. My first big opps...

A lot better to charge the laptop with the engine running - charging the batteries.
 
C

Chief RA

.
Nov 26, 2012
2,315
Catalina 250 Bodega Bay CA
Your right Mark, my mistake. Just go dc to dc as has been pointed out, it is the most efficient. Chief
 
Last edited:
Mark Maulden

Mark Maulden

.
Jan 25, 2011
2,439
S2 11.0A Anacortes, WA
Visited the "apple"store. If the laptop has the mag-safe method of charging, it cannot be charged via USB-C. There are some models that do not have mag-safe and do charge via USB-C..I did find some dc-dc converters and have settled on a brick from GPK Systems using mag-safe..A lot of them do not have the best reviews..
 
jssailem

jssailem

SBO Weather and Forecasting Forum Jim & John
Oct 22, 2014
24,523
CAL 35 Cruiser #21 moored EVERETT WA
Being the detailed experimenter you are, we and the Apple loving boating community will be in for a treat. A knowledgeable sailor sharing.

A hard hitting and clarifying review of powering the MacBook laptop on a sailboat,.... or How to keep the Admiral happy with her laptop while sailing.
Be strong Sir Mark... The force is with you.
 
Mark Maulden

Mark Maulden

.
Jan 25, 2011
2,439
S2 11.0A Anacortes, WA
Well you're gonna have to wait till mid May. We're headed to the Colo. River and floating through the Grand Canyon..No laptops, ipads, ipods, iPhones allowed..our decision and theres no way to charge batteries..a pile of camera batteries though..
 
jssailem

jssailem

SBO Weather and Forecasting Forum Jim & John
Oct 22, 2014
24,523
CAL 35 Cruiser #21 moored EVERETT WA
Patience is my middle name.
C River rafting can be a lot of fun. Hope it is warm for you. You will have "I" withdrawals :biggrin: but they will pass. More stories in our future of the standing wave that almost flipped you. ;)
 
S

SFS

.
Aug 18, 2015
2,091
Currently Boatless Okinawa
Mark Maulden said:
Well you're gonna have to wait till mid May. We're headed to the Colo. River and floating through the Grand Canyon..No laptops, ipads, ipods, iPhones allowed..our decision and theres no way to charge batteries..a pile of camera batteries though..
Click to expand
That's a life-changing experience, especially on a private permit. A month on that river. You could take a small rollable solar panel to recharge stuff, but you've made a good decision to leave it all behind (except the camera). Digital will make your life so much easier. My first trip, in '92 IIRC, I shot 67 rolls of 36 exposure film.

Might want to take an aircraft frequency handheld radio for emergencies.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Top Bottom