Date:         Thu, 1 Dec 2005 20:04:47 -0500
Reply-To:     Hans Achter <hansachter@HOTMAIL.COM>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Hans Achter <hansachter@HOTMAIL.COM>
Subject:      Re: Inverter at Radio Shack
Comments: To: Robert Rountree <syncro87@HOTMAIL.COM>
Content-Type: text/plain; format=flowed; charset="iso-8859-1";
              reply-type=response

It probably will actually run it.  I discovered something on a recent trip.  I was running the same
400W inverter from Canadian Tire that Frank Condelli was talking about.
My girlfriend and I each had a laptop on a recent long trip and it was having trouble running even
one of them from the cigarette lighter outlet.  Constant voltage alarms and shutdowns.  I noticed
the reported voltage was often below 12 V.  I finally hooked the inverter leads straight onto the
battery terminals (actually while she was driving!) and the reported voltage went up to where it
should be and for the rest of the trip there was absolutely no problem running both laptops on the
inverter.  And my laptop is a bit of a power hog, it takes a 75 watt power brick.  No trouble and
the most power I remember seeing the inverter report was 80 or 90 watts.  I've never seen a 120 watt
power brick, though...
Anyway, give the inverter some solid power!
-Hans


----- Original Message -----
From: "Robert Rountree" <syncro87@HOTMAIL.COM>
To: <vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM>
Sent: Thursday, December 01, 2005 6:31 PM
Subject: Re: Inverter at Radio Shack


>I second or 3rd this... I have a 175 watt and a 300 watt inverter... the 300
> can NOT run my laptop... it will charge it (takes a good while) But it will
> NOT run and charge it at the same time..... 3 mins into running the fans
> kicks in ..less than 5 mins the alarm goes off and it shuts down. The 175
> watt one, with no fan would run my old laptop for hours. The New one... will
> NOT run my new bigger laptop .. The power brick says ... 120 watts ... go
> figure?.. my .02 worth... get a min 750watt inverter... if you're doing
> anything more than charging your cell phone or small camera batterys.
>