inverter killing dell power supply

[Blake Michaleski]

Apparently my $20 single outlet inverter has killed two dell PA-6 ac adapters. this first one i thought was just the powersupply dies as it was much older then my spare. I plugged the spare in and it killed it almost immediately. I'm thinking the inverter either over or under applyed voltage. I'll check it with a DMM when i get one from a friend.

This inverter powered the laptop fine for about 6 months. Its just one of those inverters that plugs directly into the 12VDC outlet and has one 120VAC outlet. The whole thing is abou the size of a small point and shoot camera. It is pluggd into a dedicated 12vdc outlet wired straight from the battery and is fuse protected.

Has anyone else had this happen? Obviously a laptop ac adapter is a bad thing to lose on the road. It is the only thing I run that needs AC power so maybe I could get a DC-DC step up converter (laptop needs 20vdc).

How about a good reliable inverter in the 300w range? just so I could run a sepererate TV or charge my camera during extended tropical intercepts.

Thanks

 

[Brett Adair]

I have power issues with a 500W inverter. As a matter of fact, I just installed some 4GA wire and a fuse block to hook it up to. I think my issue may have been that I was using 14GA wire to hook it up with from the start. I sure hope so.....I'll let you know how things go when I finish putting the power to my inverter later on tonight.

This also caused power issues with my 2M Icom V-8000. Now that I have wired it to the battery, problem solved.

 

[David Drummond]

Maybe try using one of those surge protection power strips with your inverter? I have always used those mobile and so far haven't blown out any electronics from dirty power.

The inverter I have been using for a long time now is the red one they sell at Walmart. The brand name escapes me right now. I've had that for several years.

 

[Brett Adair]

David,

I was using a power strip and had the issue using it and without using it. I'm going to try this method and hopefully I won't have the same issues. Thanks for the suggestion though.

 

[David Drummond]

How old is your laptop? I remembered something about a Dell recall on the adapters....did a search and found this:

http://www.engadget.com/2004/10/09/dell-recalls-a-million-laptop-ac-adapters/

 

[Blake Michaleski]

brett, yes using that 14 GA was your problem...

I'm runnign 12 but its just powering the small inverter. if i get a larger inverter it'll get a dedicatd line as well of at least 8 guage.



David, That's a good idead with teh surge suppressor strip but it'll make for a cluttered install for sure. I like wha ti had because it was nice and neat. still a good idea.

I guess I'll be trying a little larger inverter.

 

[Blake Michaleski]

How old is your laptop? I remembered something about a Dell recall on the adapters....did a search and found this:

http://www.engadget.com/2004/10/09/dell-recalls-a-million-laptop-ac-adapters/

Also, i dont think this is an issue... one adapter died on me. i took it and plugged it into household AC and it still didnt work. I got my spare and it almost immediately went out when plugged into the inverter. now neither works.

As you may have seen in some other threads, my AT&T gc83 card is my only internet... I'm using it at my girlfirends house right now. I guess I'll tether my cellhone to my desktop computer when i get home and use the sim from the card jsut so I can order a new adapter since my desktop doesnt have a cardslot...

 

[David Drummond]

You could hide it somewhere. I have my inverter permanently mounted under the passenger seat, with direct wires from the battery. I mounted the surge protection strip (single row strip) on the back of the center console (custom built). So I have 6 protected outlets conveniently available right there for anything I need. I always use that and never plug directly in to the inverter.

The whole reason I did it that was was convenience and add a layer of protection for the electronics. So far we haven't ruined a single thing due to a power issue.

 

[Blake Michaleski]

yeah if i get a bigger inverter I'll do that. do you have a recommendation on a good strip?

I'm not at all afraid to run wires and drill into stuff, etc.... that's part of the fun of equipping a chase rig.

 

[David Drummond]

I just picked up one at walmart. As long as it has surge protection, get it from the electronics dept. The ones in hardware are just extra outlets without the protection.

 

[Blake Michaleski]

funny, now the backup ac adapter is working... like it shut down and stayed disabled for a while but now it works. maybe it has some sort of built in protection. i dont have the original one here with me right at the moment but i wonder if it works now too. If i plug this one into the inverter in the truck, it works for a bit and quits. Like i said, it worked fine for months. Now something is up with the inverter I guess. I'll check the inverter with a DMM when i get a chance but I supposed its just time to get a "real" one.

Thanks for the help David.

 

[Brett Adair]

Well, my adaptor isn't one of the recalled ones. It was manufactured in 04. I have an Inspiron 9300. Anyway, it looks like using the dedicated line has solved my problem. Powering with no issues currently and using a power strip as well.

 

[Gene Moore]

Apparently my $20 single outlet inverter has killed two dell PA-6 ac adapters. this first one i thought was just the powersupply dies as it was much older then my spare. I plugged the spare in and it killed it almost immediately. I'm thinking the inverter either over or under applyed voltage. I'll check it with a DMM when i get one from a friend.
How about a good reliable inverter in the 300w range? just so I could run a sepererate TV or charge my camera during extended tropical intercepts.
Thanks

Blake, I had this happen at the worst time during the thick of things in Kansas on May 5th. We decided to break off the first storm (formed near Pratt) that was producing mainly weak tornadoes and head back southwest. My 600 watt inverter (4 outlets) suddenly went out and took the electrical system down with it (computer, Delorme mapping, GPS, Barrons etc). This inverter had years of time on it, I used it to run my mobile PC unit, so I guess it was getting tired. Problem is, how do you see these things coming? Like all chase boo-boo's I try to see what I did wrong instead of just blaming it on circumstances (bad luck). What comes to mind first was I had too much important equipment all dependent on one device. Second, everything was hard wired for dependability and the wiring hidden .....never good to "trip" on the computer cables in the floor while getting out of the vehicle to shoot. Again, a well meaning concept that turned to crap since rewiring on the fly while new tornadic storms were forming was impossible. Remember most of the big tubes that day occurred in the last hour of daylight...not to mention many were somewhat rain wrapped. Early this season long time Dallas chaser Sam Barricklow said, we've become way too dependent on technology and that sure rings true in this situation. I got a truck-stop invertor the next day and spent the morning rewiring. Still, I must rethink how to keep this from happening again if the new invertor goes sour. For one, I am carrying a small invertor as a backup and doing some direct wiring to the battery along with replace fuses where I can find them fast. When you buy an invertor make sure you get a quality one, not a square wave signal unit like the ones Radio Shack sells. Also, remember the rating on the box (300 - 600 watts etc) is always the peak power for only a few minutes which is somewhat false advertising since most users run these units for many hours at a time.

Gene Moore

 

[Stuart Robinson]

Inverters for laptops why use them ??

I dont see the point of converting power from 13.8V to 110V only to then convert it back to 19V (dell)

For my laptops (DELL and IBM) I use the car/airplane chargers which just convert 13.8V to 19V in a single unit - I have NEVEr has any issues with power as the amps draw is so small - as a bonus the smaller convers do not overheat

Try a google search for you laptop model and car charger - failing this both kingston and Belkin do generic laptop chargers...

I reacall after hurricane Ivan that the carpet of our car got very wet and I was not too impressed that my chase parners inverter was then sitting in water!

 

[David Wolfson]

No expert on inverters, but I've use one in various rental cars that has a Vin, Vout, and Wout meter, and complains annoyingly with a low Vin. My observations are:

1. Most inverters don't produce a true sine wave. DC or a very poor AC will destroy power supplies, which can occur from poor design, inverter internal failure, or overloading them. Much less likely I think are spikes in the vehicle electrical system, which would damage radios and electronics installed in the vehicle -- an expensive consequence that designers certainly avoid.

2. Vehicle electrical systems (alternators, V-regulators, battery condition) vary in their effect on Vin. A temporary or intermittent low Vin condition isn't uncommon with factory electrical systems and/or old batteries.