Power a laptop with a solar panel and diesel engine

Thread Starter

ArakelTheDragon

Joined Nov 18, 2016
1,362
Hi guys!
I am trying to create a system for an RV which will power a notebook. I have a few questions.

0. The laptop charger says 65W, but the input says 230VAC, 2A. Shouldn't the charger be rated 460W as this is the input?
1. Why do I need a solar panel, isn't it possible to power the 50Ah battery with the car or at least it should help and charge during driving?
 

ericgibbs

Joined Jan 29, 2010
18,766
hi ATD,
Usually the 230Vac refers to the input voltage to the laptop charger and the 2Amp to its rated current output.
The laptop PSU's I have used have approx 19Vdc output, off load.
The actual voltage for your laptop will depend upon the internal battery voltage and the charging control circuit.

Measure the charging current and voltage to your laptop.

The method I have used to do that is to have a short length of twin cable, with a laptop socket at one of the cable and a laptop plug at the other end.
You can use the short length of cable to make a current connection thru your meter, by cutting thru one of its conductors.

E
 

oz93666

Joined Sep 7, 2010
739
You should be able to power the notebook from your vehicle battery , the best plan is to get a plug-in to your vehicle cigarette lighter socket and that steps up voltage and feeds the notebook .... with a full battery you should be able to power the notebook for about 6 hrs , and still be able to start the RV
 

Thread Starter

ArakelTheDragon

Joined Nov 18, 2016
1,362
Thank you for the suggestions and information. I am waiting for the solar controller to arrive, I think it has a voltage and current setting. I intend to cut 1 laptop charger and use it as directly connected to the controller. The battery is 70A/h(I assume the worst option), I hope it to be 100A/h, but I have not seen it yet. Normally for cars the battery is "55A/h", so for an RV or B category truck it should be at least "70A/h".
 
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