Plugging in laptop and phone when boondocking with solar

jules2go

I'm feeling really silly this morning, more than usual when I post here. But it somehow only just dawned on me that I have no idea how I'm going to power my laptop and phone when working remotely on my upcoming trip. I've got a couple of days at campsites without 30amp service. (I haven't bought my new battery btw if you might have been helping me on my other thread.) I have factory solar installed on my Tab (please also tell me how many amps those factory panels provide). Do I need to buy a special portable inverter, and if so, how do I attach it to the solar (or is that not how that works!?)?? Ugh. Thank you!

Marceline

Phone = USB ports in T@B. If your T@B doesn’t have USB ports get a cigarette lighter adapter for the 12v port. 

Laptop = Get a 12v charger for your laptop. Try to charge up laptop from running vehicle while enroute as much as possible. Here's a 12v adapter for a Dell PC. Be sure to get the correct adapter for your laptop.

Tabnero

solar panel on sunshine day will give you about 5 amps per hour

Denny16

The front USB ports on a TaB400 are 12VDc powered and work when the TAb is on battery power, at least they do in the 2018/2019 TaB400

pthomas745

Find a simple inverter that can plug into the 12V ports.  I have both inverters and 12V adapters for my laptops.  They still seem to draw as much power with either method, but an inverter has it's own power needs. So, an inverter around a 100 watts is best.  The bigger the laptop, the larger the power draw from the battery. I measured my (older) laptop with a Kill-a-watt meter a couple of years ago, and put some details in this thread with another discussion.  A laptop might use up to 5 amps, so I'm pretty careful with mine when the sun isn't up.  I carry a small, 30 amp hour battery specifically for laptop purposes, and a couple of "small" inverters.

https://tab-rv.vanillacommunity.com/discussion/8886/use-computer-while-charging-or-use-on-battery

jules2go

@pthomas745 I looked at your post and it appears to have valuable info, but I can't get my head around it. My laptop is also an ASUS, a small Zenbook. I'm going to go back through other posts and try and find some videos. Thank you. 

pthomas745

What I have is an inverter sort of like the one in the Amazon link below.  Plugs into a 12V port, and I can plug devices like a laptop, battery charger, etc. into it .  SMALL devices.  (nothing higher than 150 watts for me when I use something in the 12V ports.

I also have a 12V "adapter" to charge my laptop.  I have that small extra battery I carry, with a 12V plug wired to it.  I can plug the inverter or the 12V adapters into that.  I've measured all my "toys" at home, and pretty much know how much power they would all use.  I consider the 2 or 3 amps I use for a laptop to be "not too bad".  Once I learned how to measure and monitor my battery, I was able to get much more comfortable with these things.  It surprises me to hear those with the newer trailers and giant batteries still huddled in the dark with their Luci lights "conserving power".  As long as it works for them!

Link to the inverter:  what I found interesting in this Amazon page is the huge pictures and warnings about what you cannot use with this inverter.  Never seen that before....obviously people were buying this small inverter and blowing it up trying to run a toaster oven!

https://www.amazon.com/BESTEK-150W-Power-Inverter-Car/dp/B07DW1PSRH/ref=sr_1_10?dchild=1&keywords=inverter&qid=1621310883&sr=8-10

Apparently, 12V power adapters for laptops aren't as easy to find compared to just a few years ago, the one I purchased for my older Zenbook is not available. 

This is a picture of my "battery in a box" with an inverter connected to it.  I've hard wired the small 12V port to the battery, and the 12V inverter plugs into the port.  I can plug (small!) things into the inverter.

N7SHG_Ham

I run a 150w inverter in my work truck for laptop duty. I used to be able to buy a 12v charger, but they seem rare now, at least OEM ones or any aftermarket quality ones. I have a new Touchpad for work and looking for a 12v solution for that now too.

I will say on the small "cig plug" inverters quality varies a lot, most are junk and very noisy.

I currently run one of these, twice the size of most run if the mill 300w inverters, but no RFI and it has lasted a number of years, recommend!

https://samlexamerica.com/products/150-watt-pure-sine-wave-inverter-pst-150-12/

jules2go

@N7SHG_Ham Thank you for that link and info. So to charge it then one would plug it into a household regular 3 prong outlet? Or maybe solar panel? I'm probably going to get one of these devices eventually. 

N7SHG_Ham

@jules2go, no that inverter plugs into a 12v outlet (cig lighter plug) and is only good for small things. Edit to add, it looks like no cig plug anymore, I have that inverter with a cig plug. You could add wire and one pretty easy. You can't go more than about 150w inverter on any cig plug, including the one in the Tab.

The laptop charger then plugs into the inverter.

These are made in much larger sizes that direct wire to your battery, but of course they will kill a battery pretty fast.

bergger

You could also look into getting a small jackery style portable battery.  The smaller one, the 240, would be more than sufficient to run your laptop for quite some time, or just charge it back up a few times.  They are nice as they are a lithium battery, mppt charge controller and inverter all in one little package.  I acutally think they are on sale this weekend.  Plus you'd have the option to take it anywhere you wanted and not just have it in the trailer.  We ended up getting a larger jackery 1000 and have used it to power our internet when we loose power at the house as my wife works from home.  

mickietucs

I got this inverter and it works great. I plug it into the 12v socket in the trailer and plug my computer into the inverter. Have used it for years when I'm camping without hookups.         https://www.amazon.com/BESTEK-300W-Power-Inverter-Adapter/dp/B004MDXS0U/ref=asc_df_B004MDXS0U/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=198151843411&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=7517558111073039591&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9030244&hvtargid=pla-391702780059&psc=1

jules2go

I ended up buying one of the Bestek 150w inverters for the cig outlet and will see how that works. When my budget allows for a big battery pack like the Jackery kind, I'll probably get one. Thank you everyone for being so helpful. 

cameron

I installed 12v and USB ports all around the T@B 400, for this reason (among others). You can either run an inverter (I'd suggest a pure sine wave inverter), or better yet, get a 12v power supply for your stuff. For example, for my new Mac with USB-C: https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B07KDZ2T44/

(We also have a Multiplus 3000 inverter now, so we can easily run on AC power anywhere we are. But I mainly did that for air conditioning ...)

jules2go

Today I tried out my new Bestek inverter and it seemed to charge my laptop pretty quickly. @cameron I don't think this one is pure sine wave -- why is that better to have? 

dragonsdofly

@jules2go, a pure sine wave inverter produces 110/120 volt alternating current, identical to household electrical current. It is what delicate electronics (in the usa) are built to run on. A modified sine wave inverter closely simulates that alternating current that the American power grid is built on, but does have enough variation that it can damage the power supply of aforesaid delicate electronics. A standard inverter produces alternating current to a much looser specification. Non-delicate electrical items can run on that "loosely" simulated alternating current. A household window fan's motor can run off of a standard inverter and not suffer damage, as can a household toaster. They have no computer chips which can be easily damaged by a standard inverter or a modified sine wave inverter. Only a pure sine wave inverter produces 110/120 volt current within very close (or a narrow range) that is safe for delicate electronics (those with microchips) to operate on. -Denise

pthomas745

The only thing I've ever not had run from a ordinary inverter was an electric blanket.  Any laptop today that required a pure sine wave inverter to run would have very bad reviews on Amazon.  Mostly, it is because they have that big power supply to lug around.

"However, most electronic devices run just fine on a modified sine wave. For example, laptop computers, cell phone chargers, and all other equipment that uses a rectifier or AC/DC adapter to take an AC input and output DC to the device will typically work just fine without a pure sine wave inverter."

https://www.lifewire.com/pure-sine-wave-inverters-534758

dragonsdofly

@pthomas745, thanks for the update. Got my CIS degree in the early 80's. Before the advent of pc's. Trained on virtual machines. Shortly thereafter, desktop computers were introduced and what I posted was true then. But @jules2go appears to have no knowlege and asked why a pure sine wave inverter would be better for her laptop or other electronics. I tried to present a simple, understandable explaination. Hopefully, it will suffice. Again, thanks for the technological update. Am a bit of a dinosaur, as I did not remain in the field while technology advanced.

pthomas745

@dragonsdofly Everything has gotten so much better...my first laptop, the huge brick, plugged right into the wall, and it would not run on an inverter (not very well, at least).   Much to the dismay of the various astronomy groups at the time, the pure sine wave inverters back then were even more spendy than the laptops!

I'm careful with anything I run on inverters, even though I can....I'm always watching closely.

The newer electric blanket (they call them "warming blankets" now) would not run on any of my inverters, even the 300 watt pure sine wave.  The newer controls  apparently don't play well with the inverters at all.

cameron

There are still lots of electronics made that do not deal well with inverters that produce stepped instead of sine wave curves to the current. Most recent name brand electronics will handle it fairly well. And we're not talking about super expensive inverters, either ... e.g. https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B07KQ4Q2L5/

Mellow_Yellow

Marceline said:

Phone = USB ports in T@B. If your T@B doesn’t have USB ports get a cigarette lighter adapter for the 12v port. 

Hi Marceline and @pthomas745 - where is the 12V port on an older T@B? Now that I've got my solar panels working, I'd love to be able to charge my iPhone, etc. while boondocking.

pthomas745

The reference is to what we used to know as a "cigarette lighter" plug.  Same looking plug, it provides 12V power the inverter uses.  Looks something like this....the round "port" on the left...your Toyota probably has a "port" like this. An inverter should have a plug that would use this port.

Verna

@Mellow_Yellow, I think the 2014 T@B’s has their 12V plugs on the underside of the front upper kitchen cabinets. I believe there was only one plug and one USB. 

Mellow_Yellow

Thanks @Verna - I found the 12V plug (I wondered what the round hole was for, lol) and the USB is on the Jensen radio console. I will try them out on my next trip, a few days from now