I purchased this product with the intention of using it for charging my laptop while on the road. According to the product's spec sheet, it is rated to supply 140-watts of continuous power (and 150-watts peak) and it is marketed as being a suitable power supply for laptops. Unfortunately, when I plugged my laptop (which uses a 90-watt charger) in to the unit it would overload and trip the surge protection after a few seconds. I was thoroughly unamused.Additionally, I found this nugget from a review on Newegg:
"The problem with this unit is that neither the hot or the neutral plug on the unit are referenced to ground. In other words, the neutral actually has a potential of 60v above ground. This can lead to some shocking situations. The ground leg of the inverter is just a dummy hole -there is no actual ground.
In layman's terms, the electrical design of this unit is very poor and would never achieve household electrical standards. I can't figure out how they are allowed to manufacture and sell this unit especially when they advertise it for use with laptops."
And upon further inspection, I can confirm that this is accurate, which could possibly be the reason why my laptop charger overloads the unit despite the fact that the unit is supposed to be able to supply 140-watts continuously.
This unit does seem to work well for small electronic devices, but I cannot recommend this unit for any electrical device that draws much power or uses a 3-prong connector.
This item came in very handy after we experienced a hurricane. Power was out for a couple days and this little thing charged everything. Laptops, phones, PSP, I worked my juice blender from my car!
plus, there is also a fan inside that keeps the plugs cool to the touch. A bit noisy because of the fan, but the power and convenience far outweighs that.
I definitely recommend!!
Buy CyberPower CPS150BI AC Mobile Power Inverter/Converter, 12VDC to 120VAC, 150W, Bottle Mount Now
When I took several electronic items on the road (including my laptop), I was glad to have this small device along. It allowed me to work while my husband drove, and ensure that if I wasn't able to charge my laptop at night, I could quickly plug it in while traveling.I keep it now as a handy "emergency" back up plan ... and will carry it with me next month when I am on the road again, although most of my electrical charging is done through USB chargers now my iPad has replaced my laptop for road trips!
What I enjoyed most about it was that it flexes, allowing you to angle it in a way that makes plugging your device in easy.I got this, thinking I could power my laptop from the cig lighter...but it doesn't have enough current capability. I don't know what I'd use it for now....a fishing lure?I bought mine in a retail store back in 2008 (for over $30), and love it. Never had a problem with it not handling the load of my laptop and other devices in my car, and for long periods of time. However, yes, it is noisy.
Wanting to get another one, I've had this in my cart for a while, watching the price go down and up and down again, and today discovered that some peeps have had problems with it not being grounded and tripping off. I suspect there was a stretch of poorly assembled units, but if this issue is resolved by the manufacturer, I can attest that this is a pretty nifty device to keep in your car for all kinds of needs and particularly emergencies, such as if your mobile phone dies and you're a long way from home--you can keep a car charger in your car for your mobile, sure. Or you can have something like this that works for multiple uses.
Save 64% Off
No comments:
Post a Comment