Laptop car/plane power adaptors.

[Crispy]

Are the $100 ones that come with a brick really necessary? I already have a brick, isn't there some cable attachment for a cig lighter that I can use?

[mercutio]

Yes, you need an AC/DC convertor, not just a cable adapter. Maybe you should consider an extra battery for that price.

depends... If youre using one that has a "brick" cable then the output of that brick is often already converted to DC. That means the input for the laptop will require DC. find out what the output of that transformer is and build your own adapter.

[Crispy]

Yeah, I was under the impression that the whole purpose of the brick was to convert the AC coming out of the wall into DC. Since that job is taken care of, just a cable adaptor should be enough. The brick does have a removeable cable going to the wall, which suggests it could be swapped out with other cables with other adaptors on them. Looking on the back, it says it tolerates an input of 100-240 volts AC. Does a cig lighter fall into that range?

[mercutio]

Does a cig lighter fall into that range?

Crispy, no offense, but if you have to ask, then forget my previous advice.

A cig adapter will be 12V DC. Wiring up your own adapter is fairly simple if you have some knowledge of electronics but if you dont know the standard automitive power supply is 12V then I'd suggest letting someone else build it for you to get the current conditioned right. I'm sure there is an aftermarket design or even one put out by the manufacturer for that laptop. What kind of laptop will you have? I'll do some research.

[Crispy]

Yeah, I was about to say, I wasn't about to go making my own adaptor for my uber-expensive laptop. Oh yeah, duh of course the cig lighter is DC, it comes from a car battery. Brain no work right now. Anyway, Dell has an o-fficial one for sale, but it supports everything other than the 8200 that I have. I wonder why? There are plenty of others, but this ability isn't worth $100 to me, $25 at the most.

[befamfivh]

Yeah, DC to AC to DC is kind of silly... but still not that expensive. Did a quick look around on http://www.pricewatch.com and found an inverter for $20 (and what looks like approx $10 s/h).

I've gotten stuff from the reseller before -- they seemed pretty reputable. That was a few years ago, though.

[Crispy]

Hm....hm....

Maybe I should check out a thingee like that. Even if it doesn't work with the laptop, it would be useful in other ways, and for only $20...

[Crispy]

No, and I don't think I will. I am in economy coach class and I'm pretty sure the seat doesn't have power of any kind. Also, those things look heavy and I am carrying enough hardware as it is.

[cstaylor]

Yeah, in coach you'll be lucky if they give you a working light and decent airconditioning.

BTW: Don't touch the food (unless you're flying JAL). They really make life uncomfortable for coach-class (to encourage you to spend more on a business-class the next time)

[Crispy]

I don't usually eat the in-flight meals, but then I am not usually in the air for ten hours at a time. I might be forced to...

[cstaylor]

It's called "pack a lunch". Seriously. I guarantee that you won't get sick either.

[befamfivh]

whu? Are you flying out on a Japanese airline, Crispy?

[Crispy]

No, United. If I wanted to take JAL I'd have to fly up to Vancouver and then over, but United goes direct from SeaTac to Narita.