Thinkpads Forum

Hi!

I'm considering getting a W530 to replace my T61. And the power adapters have changed to the new 170W type.

I use my laptop in the car all the time and wonder if anyone know of a car charger for the W5x0 series?

A search here and on google did not reveal any.

Thank you,
Stine

I was worried about this, too with my W520. I haven't found anything that offers a 12V auto plug on one end and a 20V Lenovo plug on the other that can give the 170W.

There are many inverters which claim they can output 200W, 400W, etc. You may have noticed that 170W@20V is 8.5A. At 12V, it's 14A+ and that doesn't consider any extra current required to overcome the inefficiency in the inverter. While the inverter may be able to do this, the fuse on your car's power outlet may decline... or depending on the unit, there could even be a risk of overheating the wires to the 12V plug.

During a prolonged outage courtesy of Hurricane Irene last year, I got a 400W inverter that easily handles the W520's 170W supply. It did come with a set of small "jumper cables" for hooking directly to the battery's positive terminal and a chassis ground. This ensures the cabling is adequate.

However, I found that the Sandy Bridge's power consumption and the improved battery life (vs. my old T61p) has been more than enough to get me through any of my in-car computing sessions. Usually I'm just waiting around a couple hours during a child's activity. Once I ran out of power while waiting during a dress-rehearsal... just as they finished. Your W530's Ivy Bridge may be even better, but if you really mean "all the time" as opposed to frequently-but-intermittently, I think you'll have to get a good inverter.

I have read somewhere that the W520 can be charged with the old 90W adapter when it's off.

If I could charge the turned off w530 while driving that would help a lot!

stkris wrote:I have read somewhere that the W520 can be charged with the old 90W adapter when it's off.

I can confirm this - I successfully charged my w530 in my car when the PC was turned off.

I have yet to try and see what happens if I connect the car charger to a running w530...