This is definitely one of the areas I need to investigate further in light of multiple requests to expand my original post and submit it to the Journal for possible publication.
There are a couple of other areas I need to do more work on, too. -------------- Original message from Clint Bradford <clintbra...@earthlink.net>: -------------- > >> ... Most cigarette lighters circuits have a 15 to 20 amp fuse on > them. That ought to work fine for charging/using with your computer ... > > That amount of current can/will destroy sensitive electronic devices. > (20A??? That's more than what an Icom IC-706MKIIG uses at 100W TX > power ... ) > > Personally, I would never run my laptop off a vehicle's charging > system while the vehicle is running. You won't find many reputable > laptop manufacturers recommending this. > > And all power feeds to my radio gear are properly conditioned and > filtered. > > If I needed to run my laptop for extended periods on a 12VDC system, I > would use nothing less than a ... > > Tripp Lite PVINT375 > (although this model comes with a cigarette lighter plug, that > connection has to be one of the electrically most UNreliable for what > we are doing - so the plug gets whacked off and the unit is wired > directly) ... or > > Astron Pi-250W > 12VDC-to-120VAC inverter made for such circumstances. Wire it in to > your vehicle's 12VDC system, and simply use your existing AC power > supply. Immediate benefit is the ability to power/ charge other > electronic items you may have using regular AC chargers. > > There's no need to know the voltage/current/connectors of the laptop. > The laptop's manufacturer already did all that work for you when they > supplied the AC adapter. > > Another downfall of using the cig lighter circuit for comms: very > rarely is that line filtered for noise and such. I mean, who needs > that line filtered to heat up a cig lighter? More intelligent cars do > have filtered/conditioned "power ports." But I do not leave anything > to chance, and make sure my equipment is properly protected. > > Then there are folks who run their 100W HF rigs through a cig lighter > plug and swear that all's well with the world ... > > And so it goes. > > Clint Bradford, K6LCS > http://www.clintbradford.com > 909-241-7666 > _______________________________________________ > Sent via amsat...@amsat.org. Opinions expressed are those of the author. > Not an AMSAT-NA member? Join now to support the amateur satellite program! > Subscription settings: http://amsat.org/mailman/listinfo/amsat-bb _______________________________________________ Sent via amsat...@amsat.org. Opinions expressed are those of the author. Not an AMSAT-NA member? Join now to support the amateur satellite program! Subscription settings: http://amsat.org/mailman/listinfo/amsat-bb
