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    Dell M1710 Power adapter question

    Discussion in 'Dell' started by mZimm, Oct 31, 2006.

  1. mZimm

    mZimm Notebook Evangelist

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    With my M1710 I have two 130w PA-13 power cables. I am going to be driving in the car for about 15 hours this weekend, and would like to use my computer for at least some of the trip. I have an dc/ac power inverter that claims that it can provide up to 400w continuous power and 800w peak, but when I plug in my computer using the 130w power adapter it beeps and fluctuates in power and the computer flickers from battery power to wall power every second or so. I have had this inverter for a while, and it powers other items perfectly fine that are rated for less power. I still thought that it could be the inverter, so I went and purchased another inverter that was rated at 150w continuous power from the DC 12v connector. When I tried this adapter it would not power the computer at all, and it read that it was running off of battery the whole time.

    This leaves me with a dilemna, which I'm hoping you guys can help me solve. My battery will last two hours when charged, so I am perfectly fine with not running the computer while it is charging, but is it possible to charge the computer with a smaller amount of power if it is turned off? If somebody has a Dell PA-10 90w power adapter and an M1710 I would love to know if it will run with the less power (you would have to boot off of battery and then plug it in as the M1710 checks for a 130w adapter only when booting), even if it is underclocked; or at least whether or not that adapter will charge the battery.

    If that idea is not possible then I am wondering what other products you guys have that provide enough power for this to work. I know they make special adapters to work with computers for the car, but will that work better than the inverters that I have already tried?

    Thanks for your help guys, I can't imagine having to endure that long of a trip on one battery charge.
     
    mZimm, Oct 31, 2006
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