inverter vs. 12v laptop power supply

[BobT]

I found a 12vdc laptop power supply matched to my old dell. It works like a charm. Less than $50 from shopbattery.net
It seems to me that I'll be saving some juice by not running an inverter.

 

[Stu Jackson]

It seems to me that I'll be saving some juice by not running an inverter.

Yes, you will, by about a factor of ten. Nice find.

 

[Pops]

Thanks for the tip, Bob. They've got one for mine too.

 

[Bad Obsession]

I talked to Gateway about a cord for my laptop....the price was nuts. I have a small inverter that plugs into my 12V power outlets. It is all I need to charge the battery. I have a large housebank for what I am doing so I am okay.

 

[Seattle Scott]

someone here told me to buy a transformer

and dump the inverter, so I did. Radioshack had one for about $60. Plug into the 12v lighter plug and then dial up the transformer to about 18dcv to run the laptop. the thing had a bunch of plug ends and one fit the HP laptop. Also a transformer doesn't make any noise, no fan.

 

[BobT]

Since my house bank is one battery and my starting bank is one battery, I was glad to cut out the inverter! Thanks for the validation Stu.

On a nearly relateed note...Years ago when Microsoft pt out their Streets program I bought a stand alone GPS antenna for it for $57 or something. This summer I bought maptec's chart book for the Chesapeake & DE bays and the Navigator lite software that came with it likes that antenna just fine. So now that I'm so dang energy efficient I will have to resist the temptation to run a 15" chartplotter!