hey all . just interested if any body knows of any brand / model of laptop to use on twelve volt with out a inverter . cheers
Failing that, the inputs to all laptops are DC not AC anyway, so you can use something like this to make sure you end up with the right DV voltage without the need for an inverter:
www.dicksmith.com.au/da/
any laptop can run off 12v. its as simple as going to dicky smith and getting a 12 to ??? volt adapter to suit your laptop. plugs into a ciggy lighter.
did it to mine for a year while living aboard with no probs at all. cost 90 bucks.
flat screen tv will work direct connected as well. 12 to 14 volt range but again you gotta check the details on the device!!
thanks all for the valuable info
seems i now just need to start hunting for a dinosaur and see if i can drag it back to the cave !
cheers
One question comes to mind is that most electronics not destined for marine work will have some componentry susceptible to the ravages of moist salt air.
I have an idle lap top I'd like to use, but I also don't want it to clap out from corrosion after sitting in the boat for a year....
Comments?
Michael
I recently got a apple laptop, performance wise it kills my toshiba, battery life is great i got a genuine 12v adaptor from apple and it is just a cigy lighter plug with the cord coming out.
It took a couple of days to get used to it but now i prefer it. I got windows for it as well and can run Parallel laptops and click and drag between the two. No more viruses, and no hassles.
Most laptops like the toshiba you can get the 12v power supplys for Belkin make a lot of them.
A netbook at the fraction of the cost can have up to 10 hrs battery life...
I have a laptop onboard but I use it for music production, it is heavy on the juice so I use a netbook for everything else.
I also use a Sony psp for watching movies, I plug it in to the flat screen and have dvd quality movies (plus games) with a 4 to 5 hr battery...
Just got an IBM T21 Laptop with 1g RAM and 30G Hard Drive from work as a write off. Bought a 12 volt power supply from Dicks for $120 which will also power/charge the blackberry and ipod. The IBM works on 15 volts, and so is quite happy with this adaptor www.dicksmith.com.au/da/
Flattened the hard drive and re-installed WinXP and Office, as well as SeaClear II and will be installing the GPS puck and the charts when I can figure out how to and where to get the charts for a reasonable cost.
Bonus is, that it has a DVD player and will also drive a wireless internet connection when close to mobile phone range via the blackberry.
SO, anyone got any Eastern Australia Charts they'd like to "share" or swap?
Michael
