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Power Brick Questions

Posted: Tue Jan 08, 2008 11:32 am
by hellosailor
When we spec'd a R-series for my niece a couple of years ago, Lenovo offered an AC/DC combination power supply brick, so she could carry one "brick" and use the computer in transit or off wall power.

When I went to order one for my T61P, I was told they were not available (translation: Maybe out of stock, maybe out of production) and I'm having a hard time locating an aftermarket DC supply. Among other things Targus (generally great folks) tell me they have no tip to fit the socket on the T61P.

Anyone have suggestions for a good DC upply, or AC/DC combo supply if there is still one made?

And does anyone know the proper name for the oddball power plug on the power cord? I've never seen a "coaxial power plug" with an inner needle plug like that, I'd like to know what to call them, even if that's "Lenovo Proprietary" from Hirose or someone else that only sells by the thousand.

Posted: Tue Jan 08, 2008 11:47 am
by erik
what you probably need is lenovo part number 41N8460.   this is the new and improved slim 90W ac/dc adapter.   stock is low/limited right now because it was just released on monday.

Posted: Tue Jan 08, 2008 12:02 pm
by hellosailor
Looks like it has "more stuff" than the old ones, aimed at charging a cell phone or other gizmo at the same time. And making a bulkier package, with all the parts almost as big as two separate chargers. Still, at least something EXISTS again.<G>

Thanks, Erik.

Posted: Tue Jan 08, 2008 12:08 pm
by uberT
Very sexy! I'm almost afraid to ask 'how much' :?

Posted: Tue Jan 08, 2008 1:14 pm
by erik
retail is $119.95 USD.   as soon as mine arrives i'll take a photo of it next to the 90W and 65W AC adapters to show the differences in size.

Posted: Tue Jan 08, 2008 1:37 pm
by hellosailor
Thanks, Erik.

Would you know...how tolerant is the stock power brick, about being plugged into a 12V inverter instead of wall power? I've got a nice small modern one for other purposes, "for now" it should do--unless these power bricks get upset about not seeing true sine wave AV?

Posted: Tue Jan 08, 2008 4:14 pm
by erik
as long as your 12V inverter can output at least 100 VAC then your factory power brick should work as advertised.

Posted: Tue Jan 08, 2008 5:30 pm
by bill bolton
erik wrote:what you probably need is lenovo part number 41N8460.
For users in Australia and New Zealand, the part number is 41N8487.

Specific part numbers for other markets can be found here..... http://www-307.ibm.com/pc/support/site. ... 68306.html

The difference appears to be primarily the type of mains power cord that is supplied in the package.

Cheers,

Bill B.

Posted: Tue Jan 08, 2008 6:21 pm
by Greg Gebhardt
Does anyone have stock on this new "slim" ac/dc power supply. I would like to have one

Posted: Tue Jan 08, 2008 6:58 pm
by erik
Greg Gebhardt wrote:Does anyone have stock on this new "slim" ac/dc power supply. I would like to have one
all retailers are backordered.   availability is expected sometime between late january and early/mid february.

Posted: Tue Jan 08, 2008 8:26 pm
by rkawakami
Aw, man... that just obsoleted my 22P9003s!

Posted: Wed Jan 09, 2008 2:12 am
by erik
ray, ya gotta admit that it was a good run though! :D

Posted: Wed Jan 09, 2008 6:10 am
by ejr
Who are the dealers with more reasonable prices for this new power supply?

-er

Posted: Wed Jan 09, 2008 6:17 am
by Greg Gebhardt
ejr wrote:Who are the dealers with more reasonable prices for this new power supply?

-er
Until there is some stock, I doubt you will pay much less than the retail price.

Posted: Fri Jan 11, 2008 10:27 am
by arlab
erik wrote:retail is $119.95 USD. as soon as mine arrives i'll take a photo of it next to the 90W and 65W AC adapters to show the differences in size.
What's the difference between 90W and 65W charger? The 90W charges faster?

Also, are the 65W and 90W lighter than the "normal" battery charger? Because it really weights a lot...

Posted: Fri Jan 11, 2008 10:54 am
by erik
arlab wrote:What's the difference between 90W and 65W charger? The 90W charges faster?

Also, are the 65W and 90W lighter than the "normal" battery charger? Because it really weights a lot...
the 90W adapter is standard issue with T60/1/p models with discreet graphics.   the 65W adapter is standard issue with X-series models and T-series with integrated graphics.   these are the normal battery chargers.

the weight of the 65W and 90W adapters are extremely close to each other but the 65W is slightly smaller.   if your thinkpad shipped with a 90W adapter then using a 65W adapter is not recommended due to differences in power draw and the potential risk of system damage.   see this thread for more information.

the slim travel adapter i've linked above is a 90W adapter and can service systems needing 16V/56W, 16V/72W, 20V/65W, and 20V/90W.   it's slimmer but i don't yet know if it's any lighter.   i'll report back as soon as it shows up.

Posted: Fri Jan 11, 2008 12:40 pm
by arlab
ThinkPad and Lenovo 90W Slim AC/DC Combo Adapter
* Approximate height: 15.5 mm (0.61 in)
* Approximate width: 71.0 mm (2.80 in)
* Approximate length: 131.0 mm (5.16 in)
* Weight: 425 g (0.94 lb)


ThinkPad 90W AC Adapter
* Approximate height: 30.0 mm (1.18 in)
* Approximate width: 50.0 mm (1.97 in)
* Approximate length: 126.0 mm (4.96 in)
* Weight: 358 g (0.79 lb)


The Slim adapter weights more... :cry:
But being slim sill makes it more portable, though...

Posted: Fri Jan 11, 2008 12:55 pm
by erik
arlab wrote:The Slim adapter weights more... :cry:
But being slim sill makes it more portable, though...
the 65W is 260 g (0.57 lb) and doesn't seem that much lighter than the 90W adapter.   i doubt you'll be able to notice the weight difference between the 90W regular and 90W slim travel adapters.

for reference:
ThinkPad 65W AC Adapter
* Approximate height: 29.0 mm (1.14 in)
* Approximate width: 43.0 mm (1.69 in)
* Approximate length: 104.0 mm (4.09 in)
* Weight: 260 g (0.57 lb)

Posted: Mon Jan 14, 2008 12:23 pm
by arlab
Anyone has found a shop that is currently shipping to Europe?

Posted: Mon Jan 21, 2008 11:19 pm
by Jackboot
The new slim charger is showing up on Lenovo Canada's website now, $109.99:

LINK

It is about twice the weight and 2.5 times the price of the regular 65W adapter - no thanks! It is nice that it is slim and includes a DC adapter...but still, I'll be sticking with the little 65W adapter for my X61s.

I wonder if Lenovo will produce a 65W version of this new slim adapter that will decrease in size and weight? After all, 90W is way more than some Lenovo notebooks need (i.e. x-series)

Posted: Tue Jan 22, 2008 9:11 pm
by erik
Jackboot wrote:It is about twice the weight and 2.5 times the price of the regular 65W adapter - no thanks!
i believe the quoted weight is for everything, not just the adapter itself.

on a side note, it looks like the upcoming thinkpads will be drawing even more power since there is now a 120W adapter (22P9150) available.

Posted: Tue Jan 22, 2008 9:41 pm
by JaneL
erik,

That's not it on the US site, is it? It doesn't mention the ability to use it with the T2x/T3x/T4x/etc series.

Posted: Tue Jan 22, 2008 9:46 pm
by erik
nonny, you're right... i linked the wrong adapter. :oops:   i've edited my post above to prevent any confusion.

Posted: Tue Jan 22, 2008 10:53 pm
by hellosailor
There's also an Igo ac/dc adapter (with a splitter to charge two devices at once) rated at 130 watts with the fine print saying 100 watts sustained, that has been around for a while and does sell discount. I'm not sure how the sizes compare, but considering the Igo is well stocked and discounted...

I could be easily interested.

Posted: Tue Jan 22, 2008 11:33 pm
by Jackboot
erik wrote:
Jackboot wrote:It is about twice the weight and 2.5 times the price of the regular 65W adapter - no thanks!
i believe the quoted weight is for everything, not just the adapter itself.
That's certainly possible, but the weight is listed alongside the adapter's dimensions, so I would tend to think the weight is specifically for the power brick portion, sans adapter(s):

Architecture
Depth Metric 143.5 mm
Height Metric 15.5 mm
Height US 0.610 in
Weight Metric[2] 0.430 Kg
Weight US[2] 0.95 lbs
Width Metric 78.0 mm
Width US 3.071 in