Questions and Answers
The questions below came from our customers and the answers were provided by our engineers and customer support teams. If you have a portable power or power conversion question, please ask us.
Richard from Illinois asks:
Q: I have a Lind Auto-Air Adapter #DE2035A-259 for an older Dell C800. I now have a Dell Latitude D410. Do you make an output cable that will also charge the battery?
A: If the current Lind adapter can have the output cable replaced or is detachable from the adapter body, then you can replace the cable to work with your laptop. It can then allow you to power your laptop but the battery will not charge.
Our auto power adapter #DE2035-1317 ( #DE2045-1320 for Dell laptop models that require 90 Watts) will power the laptop and recharge the battery. Dell now puts a communication IC in their AC adapter that must handshake with the laptop to allow battery charging. The adapter you have now does not contain that IC. The Lind adapter models listed above contain that IC.
The replacement cable we have available is cable #CBLOP-00122, US$12.95 each plus shipping. It is found under our Cable link on our website.
The adapter can be ordered from our website and it is found under our Auto Air Adapter link - Dell listing.
These items can also be found on our web site by searching by the part number you see here.
http://www.lindelectronics.com/
John from Florida asks:
Q: I am checking to verify that your Model #DE2045-1320 will provide at least 90 Watt output for a Dell Latitude port replicator docking station.
A: The Dell port replicator does require the 90 Watts and this is the correct adapter to do it.
John from Michigan asks:
Q: I am interested in operating an LCD TV from a 12 volt battery system. The TV is installed on a boat so there is a fair amount of battery power available. Currently the TV uses a 110 volt AC to 12 volt DC adapter. I have been told not to connect directly to the DC system due to the fluctuation that occurs as the batteries discharge. Your system appears to address my needs perfectly. The TV uses about 60 watts @ 12 VDC. Do you have an adapter capable of this voltage and power requirement?
A: We have adapters that can provide a regulated 12 VDC output at up to 8 amps. It would be helpful if you could also provide the correct size and dimensions of the mating connector that connects to the TV so we could provide an adapter that would connect right in to it. We can provide an adapter just with bare wire leads and you can install the necessary connector if you wish. At Lind, we can provide you an adapter specific to your exact needs or one that provides flexibility for your application. For additional assistance, please call our technical sales group at #1-800-659-5956.
Nona from Texas asks:
Q: I am seeking a power cord adaptor for car and airplane for a Sony Vaio™ laptop SZ370P/C. Do you carry such a cord and if yes, where on your website should I look?
A: For your laptop you can order car adapter #SN2050-631. This one can power your laptop from a car, however your laptop requires 100 Watts of power to run. The airline in seat power is limited to 75 Watts. You cannot power it from this system. Our Automobile and/or Auto/Air adapters are found under our website link: Auto Air Adapters. To find this specific adapter, you can search on our site by the adapter part number to find it.
http://www.lindelectronics.com/
Ross from Australia asks:
Q: I am trying to find a vehicle DC-DC adapter for general purpose use with input voltage between 12-32V and which will provide approx 90-100W at 12V output. I thought I might be able to select one of your laptop units but it is difficult to sort through technical specifications to tell me which one will provide the desired voltage and amperage. Can you please advise if any of your normal products can provide the desired output?
A: Most of the adapters are listed by part numbers on our website and are specific to particular laptops, devices or applications. Each adapter has its power specifications listed within the spec sheet. For a specific application or power requirement, we ask that the customer contact us directly so we can assure that the item you receive is right for the application. During our business hours we always have technical personnel present to assist and email enquiries are promptly responded to.
We have adapters that can provide a regulated 12 VDC output with a 12-32 VDC input. There is a variety of output mating connector options available. There is the input/output cable lengths that need be considered also for the application. If you can provide this information, we most likely can provide the adapter as you need it or we can provide it with bare wire leads so you can install your own connectors. We also have mounting brackets for most adapters.
John from Illinois asks:
Q: I currently have your air adaptor for my Apple Powerbook G4 and I love it! I'm thinking of purchasing a new Mac Book Pro. Do you have or will you have a charger for that model laptop?
A: Sorry, Apple™ will not allow 3rd parties or us to use nor will they license the use of their new MagSafe™ connectors. We cannot do an adapter or provide a replacement cable for previous Lind Auto/Air adapters for Powerbooks. Also, the Powerbook™ models operated on 24 VDC at less then 65 Watts. All of the new MacBook™ series laptops operate on 18.5 VDC and 80 Watts. Because of the differences in voltage/power it would be unwise to try to retrofit these adapters to this series. Apple does make an airline pass through power cable for Mac Books with a MagSafe power plug. These will allow the laptops to run but the battery will not recharge. These can be obtained through the Apple store.
Stephen from Georgia asks:
Q: I have one of your aircraft power adaptors for my laptop. It is excellent. Do you offer a variable output power adaptor that can be used with different output voltages and connection tips to power e.g. laptops, cell phones, PDAs all from the one unit? It would make packing for overseas business trips SO much easier.... Thanks!
A: Sorry, our adapters are generally built to a device’s particular power needs. Whereas we have adapters that are made to provide dual or triple voltage outputs for specific devices, most of our adapters provide a single factory set DC voltage output. Changing output cables or connectors cannot change the voltage. There are a multitude of devices in the marketplace which operate on different voltages, amperages, connectors and they have there own safeguards that should be adhered to.
It is our philosophy to build and design our products to work to specific power needs of the device being powered. This helps to eliminate errors of potentially choosing a tip wrongly or of applying incorrect voltage to the device and causing damage. Also, connectors and power needs for many devices seem to change as quickly as the devices themselves do. Tips become lost easily and many times you have to go back and find or repurchase the right one. Replacement tips also can be costly.
Ken from California asks:
Q: Bought your 12v adapter for my Toshiba p25 series (big screen power hog) for use on a 12v boat system but it didn't last long. Seemed to run hot and failed early in the voyage. I ordered for the P25 series but the part supplied was labeled P20. This may be the problem or it may be that the computer, fully running with display and navigation USB ports, just draws too much. I still have a need to run the computer from batteries and would much prefer to plug into the cigarette socket to do it if possible. Any advice appreciated.
A: We assume that you ordered our adapter #TO1963-1004. This adapter works with all the following Toshiba models: Satellite P10, P15, P20, P25, P30, P35, A35, A60, A65, A70, A75 series. Please double check. I don't have you listed in our database. This is a 120 Watt adapter and yes your computer draws a lot of power. One of the primary problems that exist in boats where the user wants to power devices that draw a lot of amperage is the boat wiring. Many times the wire gauge is quite small and the length of the wire run from the battery to where you connect the adapter is significantly long. A long length of small gauge wire can result in a voltage drop that we have seen upwards of a couple volts. To the adapter this appears as a low voltage ( LIVCO ) condition and it will shut off. Re-evaluate the wire gauging and length that is used in your boat. The heavier the gauge wire and the shorter the distance to the boat battery that you connect the adapter will go far to reduce the power problems. If this does not solve the problem, please contact our customer tech support at #1-800-659-5956 (+1-952-927-6303) and they will assist in trying to determine the best solution.
Russell from Maryland asks:
Q: I am looking for an airline power adaptor for an IBM ThinkPad T60. Can you tell me when one will be available?
A: We have an automobile power adapter available for the T60. It may be possible to use it with the airline in seat power system, but there are limitations. Your laptop requires 90 Watt of power. The in seat power system is limited to 75 Watts. Please call our sales group at #1-800-659-5956 and they will go through steps you may need to take. You can order at that time and you must request the airline in seat input cable. See: Adapter IB2045-1871 It can be found by searching by part number on our site.
Brendan from Maine asks:
Q: I work at an environmental education center in Maine in the Sustainability office. Part of my job entails working with high school students to incorporate sustainable practices into their daily lives. Two students have taken the initiative to start a new independent study of solar electricity. Specifically they are trying to make solar chargers for their laptop computers. Although the cells we have will not be able to charge a computer while in use we are hoping to extend the range on a charge by keeping the solar panels in the sun. The technical details of the project have fallen to me, and with experience making solar panels in the past I am happy to help them out. Before these students invest there hard earned cash in your product I wanted to make sure that your system is capable of handling variable voltage from 9-12 VDC. In addition, the panels we are building will only produce about 1 amp at 12 VDC. I understand that your system will convert this to .5 amps at 24 VDC. Is this amperage too low for either your system to run or to charge most computers? I believe you can charge with low amperage and it just takes longer, but I don't know if there is a thresh hold that must be achieved to have any effect.
A: Most laptops require between 60 and 80W of operating power. Many users assume that they can use just a small solar panel to operate and/or charge their laptop. This just isn't the case for most laptops. If you're using 60 to 80W to run the laptop, laws of physics dictate that you will have to provide that much from the sun to operate and/or charge your laptop.
Our adapters generally work between 11-16VDC and we have others with a wider 12-32VDC input range. Our adapter are DC-DC converters which take the voltage from an input range and convert to the constant voltage as required by the chosen laptop. The amperage draw is a function of the laptop's needs and not a prescribed output of the adapter. The adapter will provide an up to amount of amperage. Example: Most Mac Powerbooks operate on 24VDC, but may draw 1.5 amps of power when its battery is fully charged, It may draw more than 2 amps if it has to charge the battery when the laptop is running. There are other factors that can affect the amperage draw other than just the battery; screen brightness - hard drive spin op - processor - graphics - computing in general. Amperage can be reduced by only charging the battery and leaving the laptop off. Or, the battery can be removed but then they are subject to losing data if there is an interruption in input power. No battery backup. Different things can change amperage draw.
Our adapter will allow up to 3.0 amps to be drawn. Also consider efficiencies. Our adapter is about 90 % efficient at 12 VDC and above. Efficiency becomes poorer as the voltage drops under 12 VDC and the can very well be about 75% efficient at 10VDC input. To turn on our adapter will need the amperage of the laptop times the efficiency of the adapter. : laptop = 2 amps, efficiency x 1.10 (90% eff.) input requires = 2.2 amps.
To adequately do the job, they will need enough solar panels to provide adequate amperage and the voltage needs need to be regulated to the optimum range of the adapter.
Or, they can use a smaller panel and use it to charge a non-spillable 12 VDC battery. The battery can be used as the solar energy storage device and should be able to provide adequate amperage for the laptop and adapter. There are many amp hour battery sizes available and of course the larger capacity, the longer run time that will be observed.
There is a lot of additional solar advice on the web that is easy to find and some sites even provide sheets to help calculate power requirements. Hope this helps.
Reference:
http://www.icpsolar.com/4105/system_setup.asp
http://www.howstuffworks.com/solar-cell.htm
http://www.ctsolar.com/
http://www.ctsolar.com/Laptop%20solar%20power.htm
http://www.gaiam.com/retail/product/53-0112_MSTR
http://briandesousa.com/bicycling/bikecurrent/solar.htm
http://www.yaktrek.com/content/view/6/1/
Brendan from Maine asks:
Q: We are looking to provide about .6 amps at a consistent 13 V+. It appears that this amperage is so low that it won't allow your system to turn on with a computer running. Is this correct? With the computer off the load is reduced. Do you think the load would it be reduced enough to allow your converter to turn on and convert this energy?
A: The new MacBooks that have the new MagSafe type connector, we can not do an adapter. Apple will not release the rights or license the use of that connector to 3rd parties. If the student has a white iBook or earlier with the round connector, then our adapter #AP2425-523G3 adapter will work for him.
Generally, this laptop in its least power draw mode will draw close to 1.0 amp. This is most likely when the laptop is off and only recharging the battery. It may be that low if the laptop was powered on and the battery was removed. Add the efficiency of our adapter into the equation, the solar system will need to provide to the adapter about 1.1 amps. In normal but energy conservative mode, this laptop is going to want to draw closer to about 1.25 (eff. 1.38a) to 1.5 (eff. 1.65) amps. The adapter is going to respond or turn on to whatever amperage the laptop draws whether it is .5 amp or more.
I think to get a satisfactory result, your student may need to get the output of the solar system up over a 1 amp output. Also, the amperage draw may also be lower if the input voltage to the amp can be a bit higher or closer to 16 VDC upper limit of the adapter.
Final Response: I believe the kid has an ibook. I am not sure if it has the new magnetic plug or if it is the year before. Thank you for the answer you already gave, it is full of detail, and going through it with the kids will teach them a lot. Brendan
Tom from Oklahoma asks:
Q: Can you tell me how your IBM Timer Adapter knows when the vehicle is shut off? My power sockets are ON after the vehicle is shut off, so how does this thing know? I hate to spend the $30 over IB1645-291 if it isn't going to do anything anyway. Also, will CBLPW-00220B Bare Wire Kit work with IB1645T-1677? Thanks
A: The shut off timer is generally activated when it senses a drop in voltage. The voltage is typically 13.8 VDC when the vehicle is running (charger). When ignition is turned off, voltage drops to 12 VDC. Use bare wire cable #CBLIP-00051.
John from Canada asks:
Q: Dear Lind people I am interested in a Lind TO1963-1295 for my Toshiba A-70 laptop, for extended use in an RV. (I need 19 volts at 6.3 amps). The Toshiba users manual warns of using anything other than the power supply that comes with the laptop. I sent Toshiba Customer Support details of your adaptor and they persisted in recommending using only an inverter. It seems very inefficient to convert 12v up to 110v then back down 19 volts. What are your views about this? Why is Toshiba so insistent? Does your Company guarantee that its adaptors are SAFE?
A: The Toshiba people in this part of the world have not done any testing of our adapters so it is reasonable that they are reluctant to recommend it. There are a lot of low quality adapters that get introduced in the market continually so we are not surprised at this reaction. We do manufacture a very high quality adapter with many safeguards to prevent damage to the computer and the adapter. In this we are quite confident of our product performance.
That said you are quite right in assuming that it is inefficient to power through an inverter. The efficiencies of both the AC adapter and the inverter are additive. So obviously, it is going to be twice as bad as a single supply. Efficiency of the AC adapter & an inverter together will be around 75-80%. Using our adapter alone is about 90%. Also, we have distrust in the use of inexpensive modified sine wave inverters. They are harder on the AC supply and they do not work well if the AC adapter has built Power Factor correction circuitry. Pure sine wave inverters are typically OK but much more expensive.
For complete definition of Power Factor see: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Power_factor
There is another issue that must be addressed. You have a laptop that draws a lot of amperage (up to 120 Watts). When a lot of current is pulled a significant distance through relatively small gauge wire, a voltage drop on that wire can occur. This can initiate the Low Input Voltage Cut Off (LIVCO) safety feature of our adapter. In the case of inexpensive inverters the fuse can blow or possibly it can be destroyed. Our adapter turns it self off if it sees a low input voltage. This is done so the vehicle battery does not discharge any further. A voltage drop on the input wire (we have seen cases of as much as a couple volts) will activate the LIVCO circuit and turn off the adapter powering your laptop. The point here is: make sure your RV wiring is of as heavy a gauge wire as possible and connect in at the shortest distance to the battery as you can to avoid this situation.
One last thing, The Toshiba division in Europe have thoroughly tested and approved the use of our adapters with their laptops. For many models, we even OEM manufacture for them. Unfortunately, the Euro & North America divisions operate independently and apparently do not share results.
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