New Gadget/ Work tool

[Grant Lamontagne]

I picked up one of these today:



It's a 100W inverter so I can recharge my laptop, phone or other needed gadgets in the car, and it's supported by a battery.  I have never been happy with the battery life of my laptop and now that I am spending a bit of time working on the road, I felt it was important to get something to help.  I initially planned to get a car charger for the laptop, but then decided that I would get an inverter instead- it bugs the crap out of me, having to have two chargers for everything.  So, when I started researching inverters, I found this one and thought the battery might be a handy thing to have.

I've charged the battery all afternoon and I'll be giving it the acid test tomorrow, as I'm working from 8am until 10pm in the car.  If I have any sanity left afterwards I will be sure to post any observations on it!

Def

[NutSAK]

Looks like a great tool.  I need something like that too.  Where do 'ya get onea them ther?

Is there a mAh (milliamp-hour) rating on the battery?

[Grant Lamontagne]

I got it from the Source, which is what Radio Shack in Canada is now called since they were bought out by Circuit City:

http://www.thesource.ca/estore/Product.aspx?language=en-CA&catalog=Online&category=Notebook+Accessories&product=2619323

I'll have a look for the technical info and see if I can find something resembling mAh!

The small inverter part on the top separates from the larger (and heavier!) battery portion on the bottom and is actually compact enough to fit in a jacket pocket.  There's a three prong plug in on the front, as you can see, but what may not be immediately obvious is the rectangle on the left (closer) side of the front panel, which is a USB charging port for iPods and other USB powered goodies.

It also came with cables to plug it into the 110V household outlet to charge the battery and a cable for the 12V cigarette lighter.  Plus, the head of the 12V plug snaps off for plugging it into those funny airline outlets.  To charge the battery while in the car, you have to separate the two parts, plug the inverter into the 12V adapter, then plug the battery into the inverter.  It's a neat system, and the literature says that the fully charged battery will run a laptop for about three hours- of course dependent on the laptop model, what you are doing, the settings you use, etc. 

While it's not the be all, end all solution to all your portable power needs, if it works as well as it's supposed to, it will certainly be a welcome addition to my traveling gear.  I'll try to get some comparison shots as well so you can see how compact this thing really is.

Def

[Mike]

That's a pretty slick looking unit you have there Def. It will be interesting to see how it works out for you.

I have a two part setup myself comprising of a Vector MAXX SST 400 power inverter and a Black and Decker Simple Start Vehicle Battery Booster. Here are a couple links for those who care to have a peek:

http://www.donrowe.com/inverters/vector_400.html

http://www.blackanddecker.com/ProductGuide/Product-Details.aspx?ProductID=16346

Please note, I have never had to use either of these devices (knock on wood). Got them as gifts and keep them in my truck.


Mike

[Dtrain]

Inverters are nice things to have.I use a 700w plug in inverter to run my XM Boom Box in the Semi at night.Also doubles as a plug in outlet if I want to charge my phone that way.

Dtrain

[Grant Lamontagne]

Well after spending most of the last three days in the car (14 hour shifts) I can honestly say that this is a handy little rig.  I need to do a little more experimenting with the battery though, as I'm not sure if I hooked it up wrong or if it's not powerful enough, but it didn't do much for my laptop.  Fortunately the two halves separate and you can use one or the other.  The inverter worked fine, keeping the laptop running the whole time without an issue.

Def

[NutSAK]

I'm not sure if I hooked it up wrong or if it's not powerful enough, but it didn't do much for my laptop.  Fortunately the two halves separate and you can use one or the other.  The inverter worked fine, keeping the laptop running the whole time without an issue.

Def

Durn.  I was hoping the battery would give at least 30 minutes of laptop use.  I'm like you, I've never been too impressed with the battery in my Dell.

[Grant Lamontagne]

In the future I am going to buy the top of the line battery with any laptop I get.

The one I have will not last long enough to play an entire DVD.

I haven't played with it any more yet since I was so bloody sick, but I will take a shot at it this weekend, and let you know if it works any better.

Def

[NutSAK]

In the future I am going to buy the top of the line battery with any laptop I get.

The one I have will not last long enough to play an entire DVD.

I haven't played with it any more yet since I was so bloody sick, but I will take a shot at it this weekend, and let you know if it works any better.

Def

Yeah, it's always cheaper to buy the best battery with the computer then buy it later.  There are some aftermarket suppliers that are much cheaper than dell and have great performance specs, but I don't know about warranties or longevity.

[NutSAK]

I got it from the Source, which is what Radio Shack in Canada is now called since they were bought out by Circuit City:

http://www.thesource.ca/estore/Product.aspx?language=en-CA&catalog=Online&category=Notebook+Accessories&product=2619323

I'll have a look for the technical info and see if I can find something resembling mAh!

The specs state 3.3Ah.  mAh = Ah * 1000 so, it's a 3300 mAh NiMh battery.  That's not too shabby, and at full charge should run the laptop for at least thirty minutes.

[Grant Lamontagne]

She's all charged up again, so I'm off to fire up the laptop!

Def

[Grant Lamontagne]

In the future I am going to buy the top of the line battery with any laptop I get.

The one I have will not last long enough to play an entire DVD.

I haven't played with it any more yet since I was so bloody sick, but I will take a shot at it this weekend, and let you know if it works any better.

Def

Yeah, it's always cheaper to buy the best battery with the computer then buy it later.  There are some aftermarket suppliers that are much cheaper than dell and have great performance specs, but I don't know about warranties or longevity.

You aren't kidding- $310.00 for the battery- laptop cost me $500...

Def

[Tarrodemierda]

do they make some conversion of that inverter for WELDING tasks too 

[Grant Lamontagne]

Not that I know of, but then I don't know much about electricity, so anything's possible!

Def

[scibeer]

That's pretty slick.    Too bad the battery isn't enough for the laptop.    I've been using a small inverter like that for motorcycle trips to charge batteries/phone/ipod etc.   

[Grant Lamontagne]

I am going to give it a shot for charging the laptop when the laptop is off- so far I've been unsuccessful with it on, but it may charge the battery better when there's decreased consumption?

Since I don;t smoke, I am also seriously thinking of removing the ash tray from my Jeep and hard wiring in either an inverter or a few extra 12V outlets to handle charging duties.  That will be just after I get the second battery/upgraded alternator setup though.

Def

[Dtrain]

You could probably hardwire in a 1500 watt inverter and put it in under the back seat.When they get this size they have to be hardwired.The additonal plug idea is not a bad one at all.When I ran over the road the 660 Volvo that I lived in had a total 4 12volt power points plus a 5th that was the cigarette lighter to begin with.No inverter though,pluws the company I pulled for geeked if someone hardwired one in to run a Microwave.

Dtrain