Travel Technology - Any ideas for airplane laptop power supply?

Hello - Im flying AA-biz (777) with a Dell Inspiron 5100 and I cant find an auto-adapter that works with this model -- even if I did, the ones for the other models are over $100 -- is that right?

Does anyone know of any other type of converter that could work for a laptop? Ive never traveled transoceanic(LAX-LHR) before with this laptop, so I know this will run out of power. The AA website says they have auto-adapter type plugs -- is this correct?

[This message has been edited by AA_SPG_Fan (edited Feb 13, 2004).]

Search reveals:

http://www.flyertalk.com/travel/fttravel_forum/Forum4/HTML/000366.html

http://www.flyertalk.com/travel/fttravel_forum/Forum4/HTML/000458.html

Wow. Thanks -- never thought of searching for Inspiron -- just didnt think there were other posts about it - but I stand corrected!

You can also use the APC inverter. Its a little bigger and heavier than the Targus models, but it gives you a standard 110 oulet to use with your computer and any other device you desire (such as cell phone or Ipod).

Hey there mikel .. thanks for the reply. Is this the adapter:

http://www.apcc.com/resource/include/techspec_index.cfm?base_sku=PNOTEAC140&language=en&LOCAL.APCCountryCode=US

It seems with that, I can plug anything into it -- but, Im not sure what the powerport on AA looks like (is it just standard auto)? I read the other posts mentioned above, but the only answer Im finding is that it cant be done. Someone on the British Airways board has a similar discussion going and they recommended pulling out the battery (to reduce the draw), but things of power consumption, etc confuse me so I may not be understanding all of this correctly.

AA does indeed use cigarette-lighter style power recepticles on board their planes, unlike most other airlines (UA, CO, LX for example) that use the multi-pinned Empower-style recepticles.


Keep in mind that the on-board power systems only supply 70 watts of power - I don't know if that would be a factor in using the APCC unit.

Im confused about watts, volts, AC, DC, etc -- my laptop says it requires 90w (or is it v)? But, I read on BA board that you can take the battery out and its uses less power. So, would one of these standard auto-->plug-in types work for this laptop? Such as: http://www.kensington.com./html/3845.html

Im kicking myself for buying this Dell without checking it out further. I wouldnt normally care too much about air power, but I need to have some stuff ready before I get to LON.

[This message has been edited by AA_SPG_Fan (edited Feb 14, 2004).]

Bought an Inspiron 5100 in 5/03 and returned it within three weeks. Touchpad went out, couldn't get any of 3 (brands recommended by Dell) adapters to work with the power draw on the unit (90W consumption vs. 75W output from AA) though someone here mentioned that the unit would run in a somewhat "reduced performance" mode. Support was also abysmal with incompetent reps, lack of action and multiple over-one-hour-hold-time tech calls.

I never could get it to work on DC power on a plane...a tech support guy at Dell finally told me that it was designed to be a desktop replacement more than a mobile unit and tried to move me into a much higher priced Latitude model. Others here have posted having some DC power success with the 5100, but these may be later produced models... there may have been some kind of "fix" engineered from the time I bought my unit.

FWIW, the same problem applies with some of the Sony Vaio's and certain other laptops....the mfr's don't tell you this, but it's VERY important to check the wattage consumption requirement before buying the laptop IMHO. I don't think the Centrino or Pentium M models suffer from this problem, though, IIRC it was a P4 problem, mainly.

<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by fredmartens:
FWIW, the same problem applies with some of the Sony Vaio's and certain other laptops....the mfr's don't tell you this, but it's VERY important to check the wattage consumption requirement before buying the laptop IMHO.</font>Very true.

The Sony Vaio GRT270G (a media-enhanced P4 model) draws an astonishing 135 watts http://www.flyertalk.com/travel/fttravel_forum/eek.gif

The Vaio models with Pentium M / Centrino technology draw about 68 watts or less.

<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by AA_SPG_Fan:
Hey there mikel .. thanks for the reply. Is this the adapter:

http://www.apcc.com/resource/include/techspec_index.cfm?base_sk u=PNOTEAC140&language=en&LOCAL.APCCountryCode=US (http://www.apcc.com/resource/include/techspec_index.cfm?base_sku=PNOTEAC140&language=en&LOCAL.APCCountryCode=US)
</font>

This is the model I was thinking of (and that I own).

http://www.apcc.com/products/family/index.cfm?id=9&fs=Mobile%20Computing

It works well for both auto and airplane. It is only 75 watts, so you will have to use your 5100 in reduced power mode.

You can also get the Targus Universal Auto/Air adapter (Model #:PAPWR200U) or the Targus Universal AC/DC (Model #:PAPWR300U) and use power tip #118. Again--the airplane won't supply enough power so you will have to work in reduced power mode. The AC/DC adapter is nice because you will only need one power adapter for your trip instead of needing one for AC and one for DC.

If anyone wants an APC PNOTEAC75 (75 watt), I ordered two and have an extra one. Bought it for $36 on eBay.

I'll be testing both on an AA plane flight Mar 2, but they work fine in my car.

Mitchell

[This message has been edited by mitchell (edited Feb 14, 2004).]

Let this be a warning when you buy a P4 over a Pentium-M these days... Most P4 mobile systems are on average drawing 85watts, with some systems as mentioned drawing 130watts or greater.

If you plan to travel with a notebook more than once a quarter look for something with a Pentium M (a lower clock rate but more efficent x86 CPU)

<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by Non-NonRev:
Keep in mind that the on-board power systems only supply 70 watts of power - I don't know if that would be a factor in using the APCC unit. </font>

I keep seeing this reference (again, not familar with electrical terms) -- but is this just for the standard Empower airline connections or those special to American Airlines? If I look at the 777 config info on the aa website, they say its a standard auto-plug that hooks up to 15v of power. If the APC would work in my car, wouldnt that mean a 90w laptop work?

http://www.aa.com/content/travelInformation/duringFlight/onboardTechnology.jhtml

[This message has been edited by AA_SPG_Fan (edited Feb 15, 2004).]

Yikes!!!
I will be taking my new Dell Inspiron 8500 on it's first flight (EWR-HKG!!!!)next month. According to the Dell Website, the Targus adapter for it will pull 70w and operate in "Battery optimized" mode. Does this mean no DVD?

Sixteen hours and no computer sounds like inflight movie torture.

<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by AA_SPG_Fan:
I keep seeing this reference (again, not familar with electrical terms) -- but is this just for the standard Empower airline connections or those special to American Airlines? If I look at the 777 config info on the aa website, they say its a standard auto-plug that hooks up to 15v of power. If the APC would work in my car, wouldnt that mean a 90w laptop work?
</font>

Amps * volts = watts.

An airplane adapter that supplies 15v probably will not have sufficient amperage to run 90w at full power. As noted, you may be able to run at reduced power, or run but not be able to recharge the battery.

<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by Sluggo!:
Yikes!!!
I will be taking my new Dell Inspiron 8500 on it's first flight (EWR-HKG!!!!)next month. According to the Dell Website, the Targus adapter for it will pull 70w and operate in "Battery optimized" mode. Does this mean no DVD?

Sixteen hours and no computer sounds like inflight movie torture.</font>

Sluggo, welcome to FlyerTalk! If your Dell works anything like my P4 Toshiba, your DVD should work just fine in "battery optimized" mode. My "early model" 5100 did not have such an adapter when I bought it (it had only been out a few months), but probably would work fine now with the new ones.

On my Toshiba, the Intel chipset steps down "performance"; that is, clock speed, screen refresh rate, hard drive seek time and screen brightness. It also tends to put the screen and hard drive into hibernation mode faster during input lapses. During DVD playback, the screen brightness can be manually adjusted anyway if necessary. You may also see a slight "hesitation" between movie chapters, but it's no big deal. Display resolution may or may not be slightly reduced; try it in your car if you want to see how it will operate! I think it'll be fine, though.

Just updating in case anyone was in the same situation trying to get a 90w Dell working on a cigarette plug...

I called into Leo Laporte's show here in LA and I got on the air (I gave a plug to Flyertalk and the good resources here)! I was able to talk to him and he suggested the APC unit, which I bought from eBay with Flytertalker mitchell's help. Tried it out in my car and it works fine -- but seems a little shakey at times -- eager to see how it performs on a plane, but Leo seems to think it will work. It doesnt seem to work if I plug the battery out. The power comes on and off at times - but the laptop battery supplies the power when the plug-in power runs out.

<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by richarddd:
Amps * volts = watts.

An airplane adapter that supplies 15v probably will not have sufficient amperage to run 90w at full power. As noted, you may be able to run at reduced power, or run but not be able to recharge the battery.

</font>

The AC adapter for my Toshiba say 15V -- 4 A, so does that mean it draws 60 watts? If so, can I assume I'd have no problem using the APC adapter on an AA flight?

I currently have a Targus universal adapter, which I bought for use with a different laptop (Acer -- had to call Targus to request the right connector). The Targus website doesn't even list a connector for the Satellite Pro M10, and none of the connectors in the default package they sent seems to be the right size. Does anyone know what the correct Targus plug would be? Or should I just forget that and buy the APC adapter?

I'm looking for the tip that changes an air adapter plug into a car adaptor plug. I'd like to buy several of these since they tend to wear out. I've got several adaptors that work, but that tip is shot.

Any ideas? :confused:

Bruce