How to charge a laptop in a car. How to charge a laptop in a car using the cigarette lighter

Modern people require modern devices. Therefore, quite often you have to use laptops, smartphones and tablets. Being behind the wheel all day and not being able to charge your gadgets at home or at work, you have to look for a way out of this situation. Since each car has its own electrical network, you can take advantage of its capabilities by connecting the appropriate one. It’s worth finding out how you can charge gadgets in a car and what you need for this.

Options for charging a laptop in a car.

Charging methods

Since the driver always needs to have charged gadgets at his disposal, special devices should be provided for the car in advance to replenish the charge of various devices. In total, there are several options for how to charge laptops in a car.

1. Adapters for 12V. These are special adapters designed to operate on 12V. Since the laptop is adapted for charging via a 220V household network, direct connection is not possible. Using an adapter, it is inserted into the cigarette lighter and then connected to laptop computer, smartphone or tablet. Such adapters are often universal and have outputs for different equipment. In this case, it is possible to obtain an impressive amount of energy. They only work when the ignition is on or the engine is running. At its core, it is an inverter that converts the car's electricity. One side, and the other has a special exit. Often this is USB, but other options are possible. Easy to use, compact and versatile. Suitable for laptop, smartphone and tablet. On average they cost from 1500 to 6 thousand rubles.
2. Charging device. There are special universal chargers, designed specifically for laptops. They are divided into model and universal, that is, they are suitable for a wide range of models, or can only be used for a specific laptop computer. If you buy a charger, choose it from the same brand as your computer. Although not all laptop manufacturers make chargers for cars. To be able to charge different models Laptop computers will require an appropriate adapter. The chargers are very easy to use. The average price is 2 thousand rubles.
3. Standalone ROMs. These are starter-chargers that are compact in size and in many ways resemble modern power banks for smartphones. The ROM needs to be charged, after which, using adapters, they transfer the charge to the gadget. To charge a laptop, you will first have to charge the device itself. And this is not always convenient. Modern models can keep devices charged for 3 hours. But it is not suitable for frequent use. When the charger is discharged, it needs to be charged itself. And autonomous starting and charging devices cost about 6-10 thousand rubles.

Each option has every right to exist. The motorist must decide for himself what exactly to choose. It will be great if you can find a charger specifically for your laptop, designed to connect to the car’s on-board power supply. But if you don’t have it, universal chargers, adapters and ROMs will do.

Criterias of choice

When choosing a charger, many doubt whether it can be used in a car, and whether the use of such charging will lead to a short circuit in the car's electrical network. After all, supposedly the power supply to a laptop or other gadget will not be the same as when charging through a household outlet. Such a fear is justified only if the connection was made directly from the laptop to the cigarette lighter. You should understand how to properly connect a laptop to a car via the cigarette lighter. Direct connection there is no. Since the charger provides an intermediate element in the form of an adapter, there will be no problems with short circuits. The main thing here is to really choose good device, which will fit your laptop, smartphone or tablet.

1. Computer settings. First, study the characteristics of your laptop to understand which adapter will be able to meet its power needs. If you choose the wrong charger, it can overload the power supply, or pass too little energy. As a result, the charging process will take more than one hour.
2. Connectors on a laptop. USB port for everyone modern computers same. But here's the nest charger, depending on the gadget manufacturer, may differ. Therefore, choose an option that will be compatible with the plug connector.
3. Manufacturer. The ideal option is a car charger from the same manufacturer that produced the laptop itself. In some cases, they are included in the charging package for automobile and regular household electrical outlets. But not all companies have such adapters. Trust trusted component manufacturers, since cheap Chinese chargers can burn out a laptop and cause a short circuit in the car's network.
4. Price. Models that are too cheap will not last long. To begin with, there are no guarantees that the stated characteristics correspond to reality. Manufacturers from China often sin with this. Choose something from the mid-price segment. If possible, buy high-quality expensive chargers from leading manufacturers.

When choosing a charger, you should decide in advance which gadget it is intended for. There are certain differences in this component that force you to be more careful when purchasing adapters for phones.

Phones and smartphones

Before discussing a laptop specifically, it’s worth talking about a device for charging phones and smartphones in the car. Connecting a gadget to them and replenishing the device’s battery will not be difficult. To quickly and safely charge a smartphone, a voltage of about 5 Volts with a current of at least 0.5 Amperes is required. But it will be better if you take a device with 1 Amp. When buying a charger, look at the Output label. Such a designation must be present at the output. Such devices last as long as possible and completely protect the smartphone from possible damage. Structurally, phone chargers for cars are somewhat different from each other. Basically, motorists have 2 options.

1. Charging in the form of one cable, one end of which goes into the cigarette lighter, and the second is connected to a phone of a certain model. Currently, the production of such adapters has been discontinued because they lack versatility. Only for Apple products there is a universal connector that allows you to charge from on-board network car your devices: iPhone, iPad, iPod, etc.
2. Universal cigarette lighter chargers with standard ports. Modern and practical devices that simultaneously have several connectors on one body. Different current strengths are directed under them. One connector may provide 1 Amp, the other 2 A or more. If you take this charger, you can use several different gadgets at the same time.

The difference in prices for cigarette lighter chargers for phones is relatively small. You can purchase an adapter for 200 rubles and 700 rubles. When purchasing a charger, be sure to check the voltage readings on the adapter and your phone. The charger voltage should not exceed the phone voltage by more than 5%.

Tablets

Since tablets are often used by drivers as a navigator or purely for work or entertainment, with enviable frequency. And it’s extremely convenient to have suitable charger in car. A common mistake many people make is using smartphone chargers in the car to charge their tablets. Modern tablet computers, having powerful equipment, are extremely serious devices, as close as possible to laptops. Because of this, they require more current to charge. This indicator is at the level of 9 Volts and 1-2 A at the output. If you take a phone charger to the cigarette lighter and connect it to a tablet, you will almost certainly encounter a burnt-out controller. Because of this, you should never use car smartphone chargers to charge tablets. The optimal solution would be to buy a special charger designed specifically for tablets. Or take a modern device in the form Power Bank. But then you will have to additionally monitor the charging of the portable battery. That is, in many cases, connecting to the on-board electrical network is more convenient.

Laptops

Now in more detail about how you can charge your laptop from a car cigarette lighter. There are special chargers on sale that are designed to connect laptops. These are adapters that convert current from the on-board network into the voltage required by a specific computer. The principle of operation of chargers is no different from the adapters that you use at home when connected to a household outlet. When choosing a laptop charger that you can use to replenish the battery in your own car, you must first look at the characteristics of the computer itself. Usually the manufacturer indicates the required voltage on the bottom panel. In most cases, the parameters are 15-25 Volts, and the current varies from 4 to 8 Amperes. Next, we look at the connector that is used at the output of your laptop computer. Various manufacturers may use slightly different connectors. Although sometimes even within the same manufacturer they are not identical. It is worth considering that not all chargers on the market can be used specifically in your vehicle. Here you should carefully study the issue of output voltage on the cigarette lighter. When the laptop's input voltage is from 12 to 16 Volts, and you bought a charger for a truck or truck, where the cigarette lighter has a voltage of 24 Volts, do not be surprised when the charger immediately fails. This is not the worst scenario yet. It’s much worse when the laptop itself burns out.

There are a couple more points that you should definitely pay attention to when choosing a charger.

1. Wires and their fastening. Choose chargers that have strong, flexible, but fairly rigid wires. It is also extremely important to have special sealed protection in the area where the wire and connector are connected. If there is no protection, problems will begin from here. The wires will break, so the charger will soon require replacement.
2. Length of cable. Cigarette lighter location on different cars is different. Check in advance to make sure the charging cable is not too short. It is recommended to choose charger models equipped with long cable. This way the driver will be able to adjust it and place the gadget to charge where it is convenient, and not where the cord is enough.
3. Short circuit protection. Really good chargers have an additional function in the form of short circuit protection. During sudden voltage surges, they automatically turn off and stop supplying energy to the charging gadget. This allows you to prevent damage to laptops, as well as avoid problems with the machine's electrical network.

Having decided on the main characteristics and requirements, you can choose a device at your discretion. Design, dimensions, and the presence of indicators play an aesthetic role, that is, they do not affect the parameters and performance of the device. Charging in the car is a really convenient thing for modern man. It allows you to charge your gadget if necessary, rather than frantically looking for an outlet in the nearest cafe, not driving home, or staying late at work. It is only important to choose a device that matches the parameters of your laptop, tablet or smartphone, and also satisfies the capabilities of the car’s on-board electrical network.

On our trip to the Caucasus, like all tourists, we took with us a bunch of electronics: 2 phones, a SLR camera, a soap dish, 2 flashlights (car and travel), chargers for flashlight batteries, a portable radio station and a laptop. I agree - there is a lot of unnecessary stuff here, but experience is the son of difficult mistakes :)

The biggest problem with all this junk is that it needs to be charged. Almost all modern devices They are powered by either 5 Volts or 12 Volts, and fortunately the car has both voltages. But there are also relatively problematic devices: a laptop and a DSLR, which require 220V for native charging, or a 2S lithium charge controller from 12 Volts. It’s rare that a laptop now runs on 12 Volts - ancient netbooks required such voltage. Almost all modern ones are very voracious, they want to be powered by 18-20 Volts and, as a rule, eat up to 3 Amperes.

I have just such an assistant navigator - Itronix IX-250. This is truly an indestructible brick that can be used as a stool, a jack stand, a sand truck, a board for cutting vegetables, and then open a map in it and move on.

Actually, this comrade needs those same 19V @ 3A that cannot be found in the car normally. Many people do it simply - they buy an inverter, which they plug into the cigarette lighter, a regular mains charger three meters long into the inverter, and then a laptop into it. The following conversion is obtained: =12V - ~220V - =19V.

This design has the only advantage - through the inverter you can charge not only a laptop, but also other things, such as the same DSLR.

However, there are many more disadvantages:

A very long beard is a design that will constantly get in the way during a long trip, and even more so at competitions.
the efficiency of this chain tends to zero :) on each converter (inverter + laptop power supply) up to 10-30% of energy will be lost simply for heating the air.
My internal prejudices and technical education do not allow me to buy an inverter with a modified sine wave, but a good one with a pure sine wave costs a lot of money, and buying it just for a laptop is very expensive.
The quality of inexpensive inverters leaves much to be desired, and this is dangerous for the laptop.

Having considered possible connection options, I settled on a step-up DC-DC converter. That is, we will directly raise the constant 12(14)V on-board network to the constant 19V. You can buy such a converter ready-made, but those that were presented in local stores did not inspire confidence at all: a non-ventilated plastic case, thin wires, flimsy plastic... What can I say - I have one at work, it gets hot like a kettle and starts to stink.

I decided to try to make a similar thing myself. I won’t lie - I didn’t calculate and didn’t split the board, but used a ready-made one:

150W Boost Converter DC to DC 10-32V to 12-35V
Input voltage: 10-32V
Output voltage: 12-35V
Poppy. output current: 6A
Max. input current: 10A

Once opened, as you understand, it is impossible to use it in a car, so it would be nice to find some sandpaper for the board. For example :

The converter first needed to be slightly modified: the electrolytic capacitors were bypassed with ceramics to filter out HF noise, and corrected feedback PWM of the controller as advised.

Taking the board and the case in hand, it becomes obvious that the board with radiators will not fit into the box, and even without it. In order to squeeze in the unfitting, it was decided to remove the radiators, power elements (diode assembly and mosfet) and cut the board to the required size on a sharpening machine.

After cutting off one end, I had to restore the track with wire, and I took this opportunity to remove the LED and terminal blocks - they are not needed there. The legs of the power elements had to be bent so that the heat dissipation part was flush with the new edge of the board for good contact with the new “heatsink”.

The diode assembly and mosfet were placed on thermal paste through a thermal rubber band directly onto the aluminum case serving as a radiator and securely fastened with a screw.

GX16-4 was chosen as a connector - this is an “aviation” 4-pin connector that can withstand currents of up to 15 amperes according to the passport. I passed the incoming voltage through two pins, and the output increased voltage through the remaining two. The advantage of this connector is its relative tightness and reliable fixation of the plug.

Anticipating difficult operating conditions, I also took care of the cables: the input cable was a heat-resistant multi-core 2*1mm2 in a double silicone sheath (Basoglu SIMH). To be honest, I didn’t even expect such quality - the cable is very soft, pleasant to the touch, inside the outer sheath of wire is coated in talc, it is soldered perfectly. As an output I used a regular laptop coaxial cable. These are usually very wear-resistant cables with a good cross-section. I have been using these for a long time for crafts where the cable will be subject to constant stress. The plug for the laptop was soldered from what was available (temporarily).

With a little tricks, I sealed both cables into the connector, and put a spring on the thin cable - this design greatly extends the life of the cables around the connectors, because greatly increases the bending radius and prevents creases. A ferrite ring on the output line to dampen interference would also be useful.

It would be more convenient, of course, to use two sockets in the housing - one for the entrance and one for the exit from different sides. This is easier to install, and the “pass-through” design is more convenient to use. But each pair of father and mother locally costs 200 rubles, saved.

If desired and with a little effort, the structure can be made completely sealed, because both the case and the connector already have a reserve for this.

With my laptop I was able to load the converter only at 3.6A @ 11.8V at the input, and after 20 minutes of operation at this current the case warmed up a little more than the ambient temperature. The pyrometer shows 32.3°C. Measuring the temperature of an aluminum box with a pyrometer is not entirely correct, but even after painting over the area with a black marker, the readings did not change.

This is what the entire structure looks like in the car, a laptop without a battery to confirm operation. Half an hour of running the laptop at idle did not affect the temperature of the converter in any way, especially since it will work easier on the 13.8V on-board network than on the 11.8V at home.

The budget came out to about 1000 rubles, considering that half of the parts were taken in China. If you take everything locally, you can safely multiply the prices by two.

Now about impressions.
On the March weekend, I skated in two competitions: “Spring Breakthrough” as a navigator in a combat UAZ and “Queen of Auto”, dedicated to March 8, as a pilot, in my own car.

Already at the first competitions, I appreciated all the convenience of charging - nothing hangs or dangles anywhere. I plugged the charger into the cigarette lighter and put everything under the seat, and from there there was only one power cable leading to the laptop. The power supply, by the way, hardly heats up. There was a moment when I didn’t notice how the power plug fell out of the laptop, and it ran on battery power for about an hour, after which the power supply had to pull both the battery charging and the laptop’s operation. And everything was aggravated by the fact that in the UAZ the stove was working at full blast, blowing into the legs - right under the seat, and at that moment the power supply housing felt like 45-50 degrees, that is, a little hotter than warm.

Once again I was convinced that I did the right thing, that I bought a thick cable - it often happened that on a steep slope with the hood down, the power supply would fly out under my feet, and I would stomp on it for some time. Obviously, a thin cable will die much faster in such conditions.

The only thing that probably needs to be changed in the PSU-laptop connection is the power connector of the laptop itself. You need to put something like GX16-2 there, like the one on the power supply. This will prevent the plug from accidentally falling out and the possibility of the socket breaking from motherboard in a laptop when tugging on the cable.

One of the most vital accessories for a motorist is a charger for a laptop, tablet or phone. Moreover, it doesn’t matter at all whether you are going on a long business trip or watching a movie on your laptop on the way to work, since today most of our lives are spent using these useful gadgets and devices.

Let’s immediately answer the question: is it harmful to charge a laptop using such a charger? Many people believe that a laptop “charger” from the cigarette lighter can cause a short circuit, since the power supply in this case will not be the same as when connected to a regular power supply. This conclusion would be appropriate if the conversation was about direct connection to the cigarette lighter, but if you use a special adapter for charging, you won’t have such problems. The main thing is to choose a high-quality cigarette lighter charger for your laptop, phone or tablet. To do this, you need to pay attention to the features of such devices.

Phone charger

In order to quickly charge a phone, a voltage of 5 Volts is required, with a current of at least 0.5 A (it is better to give preference to 1 Amp models).

Important! Be sure to pay attention to the output of such a “charger”; it should have the inscription “Output” on it. Such devices last the longest, and failure of the smartphone due to charging in this case is excluded.

If we talk about the types of these devices, then a phone charger from a cigarette lighter may differ in design and characteristics, for example there are:

If we talk about price, then such a car charger for a smartphone from a cigarette lighter with several USB costs from 200 to 650 rubles.

Healthy! The voltage (V) on the charger can exceed the corresponding value on the phone by no more than 5%.

Tablet charger

Most car owners mistakenly believe that charging from a smartphone can also be used for a tablet. In fact, modern tablets with “serious hardware”, which are gradually turning into very powerful units, require a higher charge current, equal to 9 Volts. The output ampere in this case still needs 1-2 A.

Based on this, if you connect the tablet to a 5-volt phone charger, its controller will burn out. Therefore, under no circumstances should you use a telephone charger for tablet computers.

In order not to risk your gadget, it is best to purchase a charger specifically for your tablet or use a Power Bank equipped with outputs for all modern devices, including laptops.

Laptop charger

A charger for a laptop is an adapter that allows you to convert the amount of current received into that required by a specific device. The principle of operation of such a “charger” is the same as that of a conventional charger that you use at home.

To choose a car option, you need to pay attention to the characteristics of the laptop. To do this, look at its bottom panel, where the required voltage is usually indicated. Most often it ranges from 15 to 25 Volts, with a current of 4-8 A.

You should also pay attention to the type of laptop output connector. They usually differ depending on the manufacturer, but sometimes gadgets of the same brand may have different connectors.

Another important point is that not all laptop chargers may be suitable for your car. Therefore, when choosing, do not forget to check the output voltage in the cigarette lighter. If the incoming voltage in the laptop is 12-16 Volts, and the charger was purchased for a truck or van, where the voltage at the cigarette lighter is 24 V, then this can lead to failure of the charger, and sometimes the laptop itself.

What characteristics should you pay attention to when purchasing a charger?

When choosing a charger, pay attention to:

• Wire fastening. Particular attention should be paid to the junction of the rein and the connector, since this area must be sealed with special protection. If it is not there, then it is in this place that the wire will break, which is why the “charger” will quickly fail.
• Wire length. The cigarette lighter is located in different places in different cars. Based on this, make sure that the wire is not short. It is better to buy a charger with a long wire, which you can adjust and secure in a way that is more convenient for you.

In addition, it is worth noting that good chargers are equipped with special short circuit protection.

Other characteristics, such as the physical size of the charger, the presence of a charge indicator and much more, do not play any role and are not responsible for the performance of a particular charger model.

In custody

Although today you can find many Chinese devices on the market, manufacturers who promise that they are suitable for emergency situations should not be trusted. Especially if you plan to charge your laptop in the car. It may be much more convenient to purchase an additional battery or find another, more safe way recharging such a large gadget.

Recently, the need arose for an adapter to power a laptop from a 12-volt vehicle electrical system. Such devices are quite rare on sale; to be honest, I have never seen them in my electronics store. Well, of course, an experienced radio amateur can always do it with his own hands. Without thinking twice, I took advantage search engine to “dig up” circuit diagrams of such devices.

Charging circuit for a laptop from a car cigarette lighter

I assembled the most popular circuit using the NE555 timer. In the circuit, the timer is connected in pulse generator mode; in my case, I set the frequency to around 110 kHz. The power of the circuit as a whole is about 100 watts, the output voltage is 19 volts (stabilized) at a current of up to 5 Amps, but I think you can remove more if you really want to.

The power element is a powerful field-effect transistor, I used the most affordable one - IRFZ44 with a current of 49 amperes, but if desired, you can use the more powerful IRF3205 - in order to increase the output current of the circuit. The trick of such an adapter is that the output voltage is stabilized and is not affected by changes in the vehicle’s on-board network.

It is advisable to install a 10 Amp fuse at the input and a diode to prevent power overload. The choke is wound on a ring made of powdered iron, consists of 21 turns with 1-1.5 mm wire, it can be dug into computer unit nutrition.

In our charging circuit, the charging choke plays the role of a storage device, the pulses from it are rectified by the diode assembly and accumulated in the output capacitor, the operating voltage of the latter is at least 25 Volts, the capacity is 1000-4700 μF. It is worth installing a small filter at the input of the device to smooth out ripples and interference from the car network, but if desired, they can be excluded.