Published on July 24th, 2017 | by Guest

Laptop Power Supply and its Forms

Laptops are popular and practical companions in everyday life. Even at home, many users prefer to use a laptop instead of a traditional desktop PC. Laptops are already equipped with a screen and a keyboard and therefore require little space on the desk.

However, whether for home or mobile use, Laptops need power for operation. Although the devices are equipped with an integrated rechargeable battery, this must also be recharged from time to time.

To recharge the battery, power supply or chargers are used. With these accessories, you can charge the battery of your laptops. The power supply or charger suitable for your laptops is included with the device.

Special forms of the power supply

The solar charger

If you like to take your laptops while you’re on a trip or going somewhere, for example during a hike or a bicycle trip, it can happen that you will not find a socket to recharge the laptops with a power supply.

To supply your laptops with power during the day, you can use a solar charger. This is equipped with a small solar field that converts sunlight into electrical energy. This energy feeds a rechargeable battery installed in the solar charger, which in turn allows you to recharge your laptop battery.

Solar chargers are a great alternative to classic power supplies and especially a good purchase if you are often traveling with your laptop in the open outdoors.

However, solar chargers are usually less powerful than conventional power supplies. The process of charging of the rechargeable battery may thus take considerably longer than you are used to at home.

The car charger

There are people who like to use laptops in car while they’re on a trip or are going on a business trip. Car chargers are ideal for people who travel often. These chargers are connected to the cigarette lighter of vehicle and thus ensure the charging of the laptop’s battery.

Since the cigarette lighters are standardized in cars, you can use the car charger in almost every vehicle.

The power connection

In European countries majority of electric sockets are equipped with two small holes for power plug. However, if you are traveling abroad, you may not be able to use a power supply purchased in Germany for your laptops because you may find different sockets there. Make sure that you are look online for the types of electric sockets that will be there and to consider the country in which you want to use this unit before purchasing the AC adapter. If the power supply is not equipped with a universal plug, you can purchase a travel adapter. This can be used to convert the plug of the power supply so that it can be plugged into an outlet in other countries.

Tips and qualities for buying a charger

The plug

Power supplies differ not only in the built-in power connectors but also in the connectors with which you are connected to the laptops. Check the shape and size of your laptop’s power input before purchase. As a rule, certain laptops series are equipped with the same connector type. Make sure that you look thoroughly at the product description of power supply unit to determine which devices can be operated with it before you buy it.

So-called universal power supplies for laptops come with several adapters so that you can use these power supplies with almost any laptops. However, be aware that the power adapter may become unusable if you lose the adapter that matches your laptops.

The output power

Output power supplies provide out power. This is the power that the power supply is capable of delivering to a maximum. The data are given in watts, in short W.

You can find out how much power your laptops needs for everyday operation, in the data sheet or the operating instructions of laptop. As a rule, the output power required by laptops is 85 – 90 watts. However, high-performance devices can also require higher output power.

The voltage

The purchase decision does not only affect the output power but also keep in mind the voltage supplied by the ac dc power supply. This is indicated in volts. Briefly V. Each laptop needs a certain voltage for trouble-free operation. You can find out how much this should fail, similar to the required output power, the data sheet or the operating instructions. Please note that a voltage that is too high or too low can lead to a defect in the battery or even to the entire laptops.

Adjustable voltage

If you have several laptops that require a different voltage, and if you want to operate these devices with only one ac dc power supply, you should choose a model that allows you to adjust the voltage. The regulation takes place via a small toggle switch or rotary knob, with which you can adjust the voltage individually to the laptops, which you want to supply with power. Some power supplies are equipped with a voltage regulator, which can only be operated with a screwdriver or a coin.

You see, when buying a power supply for your laptops, there is a lot to consider. We hope that we helped you and answered your questions. If you have other ideas on the topics feel free to share them with us in the comments.

Tags: electrical, forms, laptop, power, supply