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    12v Power inverter, modified sine wave vs pure sine wave?

    Discussion in 'Hardware Components and Aftermarket Upgrades' started by Towlieee, Apr 23, 2016.

  1. Towlieee

    Towlieee Notebook Geek

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    So I have a T420 lenovo, and snagged a cheap power inverter for my car, it's a shumacker 410w rms modified sine wave inverter.
    My charger is a 90w adapter, says it draws 1.5amps at 110v (aka around 150-160w), so I have over double the available power, however, I'm just concerned, would the "modified sine" inverter possibly hurt my laptop in anyway?

    I'm not super concerned about the charger itself, I go through these $14 ebay chargers every 9-12 months over the last 3 years (the tip just loses connectivity and gets worse over time). I daily drive my laptop, running 12-16 hours a day, just want to charge it in my car since I already got hte inverter. I don't want to kill the laptop, if the charger goes then its just another lesson on what not to do lol

    Btw my electrical system in my car is solid, Even with my headlights and ac on, and my stereo on full tilt, I maintain 13.2-13.8v as long as I'm not idling (at idle it does drop to low 12's) at my amps themselves.

    Sorry if this is in the wrong section!


    edit: My old car years ago I ran a super cheap "700w" inverter (was probably only 300-350rms), and ran a modded original xbox as a media center, drove around daily with that for a good 4+ years with no problems.
    My T420 is my baby though, old, but sturdy =P
     
    Towlieee, Apr 23, 2016
    #1
  2. kosti

    kosti Notebook Virtuoso

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    kosti, Apr 24, 2016
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  3. John Ratsey

    John Ratsey Moderately inquisitive Super Moderator

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    In my experience the switched mode power supplies used for computers are very tolerant of poor quality AC power. The description here indicates that the incoming power first gets rectified and I would expect sine wave, square wave or anything in between would all be usable.

    John
     
    John Ratsey, Apr 24, 2016
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  4. Kent T

    Kent T Notebook Virtuoso

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    Re: AC Adapters. Buy manufacturer's originals. They are much better than most if not all aftermarket choices and last longer.
     
    Kent T, Apr 24, 2016
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  5. TomJGX

    TomJGX I HATE BGA!

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    They also reduce the chances you being electrocuted, burning down your laptop or worse your room or even worse your house! Buy originals!
     
    TomJGX, Apr 27, 2016
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