I'm looking for a connector that will let me use the empower plug on planes that will work with either Microsoft's Zune or will accept a regular AC two-prong plug from the United States (as I have a USB charger that plugs into a USA electric outlet). Anyone know of something that'll work?
The Xantrex device has an US-style two-prong AC socket.
Pardon my ignorance on the subject but is there anyway to buy an add-on that would make my AC adapter work on a plane with DC ports?
Yes, it's called a "DC inverter" or just an "inverter."
You're in luck with AA, since an automotive jack style one will work rather than an empower-specific one. Make sure the wattage is enough to power your laptop power cord (typically 65-75W) but no higher than necessary.
So an update from me, i bought the igo juice70 and my Dell X1, on american can use it for both charging and power, but my friends dell the D600, can only use it for power.
A fairly new development is the Inflight Power Recharger...it's charges your USB ported device (cellphone, digital camera, ipod) using the standard headphone jack found in most airline seats...simple yet (seemingly) brilliant... http://www.inflightpower.com/products.asp
New versions are now available since the quoted reply below.
-dc
Quote:
Originally Posted by neutrino
I have no personal experience with this one, but it seems interesting since it claims to bring in flight power to the masses.
I saw this thing a few weeks ago on engadget.com. It purports to use the audio jack on any seat to charge a USB device.
Apparently, you plug it in, crank the volume on the audio, and it trickle charges for 5 minutes. Then, it charges your device for one minute!
I don't know if this has been mentioned elsewhere but I travel with an APC Universal battery (8 hour version). On my 14.2" laptop I can watch two full 2 hour movies or word process for 5:30 or there abouts. When you throw in my laptop's base battery, it's enough juice to get me from BOS to LAX without having to power down. The APC battery adds about 18 OZ to my bag plus one additional cable but for ~5 hours of actual power time, it's more than worth it for me. Even when I'm on a plane with power, the APC device can be recharged fairly easily and insures that if the power draw is too low, I'm still able to run.
As a final note, the battery pack comes with a range of tips so I've been able to use it with both my own laptop and my coworkers, which is a nice perk, but not something I'd recommend trying to bring when you travel.
I cant fine a compatitable adapter for my dell. I tried the Kensington and it said it works with the D series, but didnt. And I actually had teh same problem with the adapter I bought from Dell direct. Anyone know of an adapter that would work?
Well, Dell is apparently trying to make itself stand out against other laptops . Most Dell adapters use this stupid 3-prong flat jack. I have a D600 and whenever I travel to a 110V-powered country (lol. btw i live in asia), I have to bring my converter instead of my spare 110V wire, which uses the "pyramid" style 3 prong that is all too common these days. What is most annoying is that this whole 'converter' concept is pretty new to me as my old laptop used the pyramid style prongs. As for your actual question, you should follow the guidelines of the first answer, since I have no experience with these adapters (only flew CO and AA once), because I usually fly with NW, which has the normal AC plugs which theoretically should work fine with my converter when I try it out this summer.
Has anyone found adapter tips for the IBM/Lenovo T60/X60 laptops?
They're different from the T43/X40 tips--both the voltage and physical design of the tip is different.
Old post, new answer: Kensington's N29 tip was made for Thinkpads T60/X60
Yes, the Kensington charger I linked to above supports this, with the "M15" tip, which you have to order separately. One caveat: Though it charges my Motorola RAZR phone, it turns the phone on and leaves the backlight on the whole time while charging. It also prevents the phone from ringing while charging. Kensington is aware of the problem and working on a better tip. Allegedly the tip works fine with other mini-USB devices such as the blackberry.
Would "M15" be like Kensington's "universal" USB tip or was it designed specifically for the RAZR? Trying to find out if it might work to charge my Plantronics discovery 655 BT headset.
I use 2 of these for the long flights from SYD-SFO/LAX and have always had power to spare on arrival.
They are very lightweight and sit nicely under your notebook, however, you need to use them correctly.
Create a power profile i.e. "Flying on External Battery" and set that to be slow CPU, dim screen, and shutdown of h/drives. Mainly because your Notebook will think it's on a full power source and suck them dry.
Use them from the start, don't run down your battery then plug the Universal Battery in, you will get less time out of them.
Charge time is the disappointment, they can take up to 5 hour to charge, however if you have not seat power and plan ahead these batteries are a god send.
The newer models even have a USB port on them for charging your USB devices, which means you can leave any of the power packs behind if your device has a USB charge ability.
Bestbuy does sell them in the USA, different models are hard to find through them, and I just noticed they now have a 90watt model. Bestbuy often have returned unit offered cheaper, as the package has been opened, but YMMV.
I am using the Kensington adapter referred to in another thread. Thanks to DenverBrian I now have the right tip for it
When I look at the empower adapter, I can see where it plugs into the seat, but I can't figure out how it plugs into the laptop? It has a plug that doesn't seem to match anything else. Do I need a separate adapter to go from the empower adapter to my Kensington power supply?
Sorry if this isn't clear, I am unsure of the right terms for these.
I'll be actually able to fly in a class where there's in-seat power for once, and I'm quite excited. While looking for a good inverter, I've run across a product (/product line) called iPowerPro. The description for the product I'm looking at is here: http://www.digitalwirelessgroup.com/...ail.asp?ID=104
I haven't seen very much on this one - anyone used it, and is it reliable? If not, what's a good inverter for someone who expects to be able to have in-seat power on their flights every once in a blue moon?
. Most Dell adapters use this stupid 3-prong flat jack. I have a D600 and whenever I travel to a 110V-powered country (lol. btw i live in asia), I have to bring my converter instead of my spare 110V wire, which uses the "pyramid" style 3 prong that is all too common these days. What is most annoying is that this whole 'converter' concept is pretty new to me as my old laptop used the pyramid style prongs. As for your actual question, you should follow the guidelines of the first answer, since I have no experience with these adapters (only flew CO and AA once), because I usually fly with NW, which has the normal AC plugs which theoretically should work fine with my converter when I try it out this summer.
