I figured id put this in the ecuflash section since this is the reason my laptop is in my car. What do you guys run for a power supply? I have a 350w continous and 1000w peak power inverter and it shuts off while windows xp is loading up. I have it running to the battery of 8 gauge wire. Any clue?

The laptop is a compaq n800c

Any ideas? Or is that just not enough power? They show laptop inverters with a 150w continous power supply, but mine is shutting off with a 350w power supply? Im lost!

 

I just got one from walmart that i use it just plugfs right into the Cig lighter, and you plug the cord into right there. Not all fancy but it gets it done. I use it all the time. Im pretty sure that Ralph use's the same thing. Maybe you inverter is just broke.

 

yup same here $30

 

ok Im going to buy a new one.. Worst case scenario my car is broken and I can return it! lol

 

Power inverter has self protection when load is exceeded, like when your laptop runs XP.

Remember, when you convert AC current to DC the current is much more.

Likely your ground or power connection sucks, does it happen when engine is running too?

 

Put a Standalone 5000W Generator in the Trunk with a George Foreman grill for Hot dogs

 

It happened only when the engine was on.. I have it runnin off a distribution block from my power wire to my amp. I ran 8 gauge wire.

*Update*

Just got back from walmart with a 400w inverter and it works flawlessly. Must have been my old junk that wasnt up to par.

Another question refering to evoscan.. They only way to monitor the gauges is when your logging? That sucks.. I thought I was gonna be saving money from buying extra gauges and just glance at my laptop anytime I wanted too!!!!

This puts a damper on my situation. I wanted it to be on 24/7 in my car..



** I dont need a bigger invertor for the george foreman grill .. Im runnin propane out back for cookouts!

 

I used to use a power inverter, but they suck and its too much stuff. Now I just use a HP power cord that plugs into the cig lighter.

 

I hate the look of bulky things plugged into a cig lighter.. I hard wire everything!

 

mine has a in car charger that came with it

 

So to my 2nd question...

The only way to have real time gauge monitoring is to be logging?

 

Guys, just as a warning, seriously...

I have one that sounds like the ones you guys are running, it barely is enough to support the laptop, and I mean barely enough. I bought it a Wallyworld (Walmart) too..

As a result, which I didn't know for the longest time, is that the base of the inverter is getting smokin hot down in the lighter plug area. You would never know because you can't get your fingers down in there.

Make sure that next time you are out, check it after a bit, because you might be getting the insides of that lighter socket smoking red hot...

 

Well, the power supplies can get very hot, regardless of their use or whatnot, so Its unfortunately normal. If it starts to melt then its something to worry about, but the plug itself is designed to house a Lighter, ya know, the thing that can BURN the end of your cigarette.

Just check it once in awhile.

I would stay away from the all-in-one adapters that have all their electronics as part of the plug though, they are not designed to handle the load of a modern laptop.

Most good quality power supplies have a seperate plug, I bought one (I think its a targus) that had interchangable plugs for the laptop side, and it worked with the voltage my laptop uses (Presumably the ends determined the output voltage, but every one is a little different as there are some that have a switch) But the one I purchased was a "Travel Charger" as it came with the ability to use it with 110v A/C, 12v DC for both Automotive and Airline, In fact, it was even a bit smaller than the power supply that came with my laptop, and it has always worked fine.

There are some laptops that are difficult to get power supplies for, but most that arent the high-end workstation class machines with giant displays, have DC power supplies or travel adapters available.

I would stay away from using a laptop that ONLY will work with an inverter, as they tend to draw way more current and a ton of power is lost while operating the inverter. This is especially tricky with cars that are sensitive to voltages required for flashing. Solution for that is to disconnect the power supply for the duration of time your trying to flash, and don't drain the battery.

I am somewhat unique as I have quite a few laptops I've purchased or aquired over the years, some are better suited for mobile use than others, and I have specific laptops that do specific jobs.

The ones that I use most often in my car, or travelling are the smallest and lightest, have the lowest current draw and smallest travel power supply available that will work with both AC and DC.

 

What would you suggest then Jack? I'm using a dell b130 with a 15.7in screen and I think it's abit big for use in my car not to mention that the battery life sux.

 

Im using a targus adapter that plugs into a wall or a cig lighter. I see no need to hardwire right now because the amount of time that I log does not justify the amount of time needed to hard wire in a setup. My setup works great. My laptop is 17" which is way too big but it gets the job done.