Laptop charging from inverter socket

[Travelling Togs]

Later this morning we pick up our new, and first, California Ocean. A whole new experience and a whole new world is about to open up for us I'm sure. As avid photographers the freedom it will offer us will be extraordinary. To be almost anywhere we want / need to be at any given time, without the need for finding B&B / hotel accommodation, will be a massive positive for us.

As photographers we will need to have the ability to re-charge our MacBook batteries often as we spend lots of time downloading, editing, researching etc whilst we are away. As we intend to wild camp, without the facility of EHU, will we be able to use the 240v inverter outlet from the leisure battery to do this re-charging ? Has anyone got experience doing this ?

We are very much looking forward to our first 'trial weekend' away this coming weekend and will be visiting the area around Hadrians Wall, it will be a trial for us, not the Cali I'm sure

Thanks for any advise / info, appreciated.

John and Karen.

 

[GrannyJen]

I have never had any success recharging a macbook from that socket. No reason why not to my un-trechnical eye: it is not a power issue, 85W is easily sourced from that socket.

For my MacBooks I use a 12v charger available from Amazon. never a problem

 

[Velma's Dad]

I have never had any success recharging a macbook from that socket. No reason why not to my un-trechnical eye: it is not a power issue, 85W is easily sourced from that socket.

For my MacBooks I use a 12v charger available from Amazon. never a problem

Ah, Macs and their funny little ways.

John and Karen you may in any case be more ideal to charge your laptop from a 12v socket than from the inverter, as the inverter is inherently inefficient (as I understand it, only delivers between 60 and 90 percent) so will drain your batteries more quickly.

Having said that, I charge my Toshiba laptop quite happily from the inverter socket. But we don't spend multiple nights in the same place so leisure battery power just isn't a constraint for us.

Be aware that if you leave something plugged into the inverter socket it will continue to draw some power so it's not so good for overnight charging.

If you decide to use one of the 12v sockets for charging, while you're not actually driving the van, make sure it's one of the outlets attached to the leisure batteries rather than the engine battery. Lots of posts on this forum have made it clear that you shouldn't assume which is connected to which battery as they have been wired oddly by VW at times. Plug something in to draw some power and see whether the control panel shows the drain on the leisure batteries - if not that outlet must be connected to the engine battery.

Happy camping and snapping!

 

[MickyTwoPints]

I often recharge my laptop using the Inverter socket when off grid. If I'm away on my own, I often watch a film at night on the laptop and keep it charged using the Inverter.

 

[Romke]

We charge our MacBook all the time from the inverter socket. The original charger fits perfectly in the Euro socket.

 

[MattBW]

I am another one with a dedicated 12v charger for my macbook, its far more efficient than using the regular one via an inverter in my humble opinion.

 

[EddieEagle]

Just to take this off piste, I take a rechargeable mouth wash/irrigator which has a base which charges the thing up by proximity, that is just by placing said implement on charging base.
It doesn’t work through inverter. For some reason the thing needed the 240v socket on hook up to charge.
I guess there is some reason which any 6 year old electrician would be able to explain but I am confused (.com)

 

[MattBW]

Just to take this off piste, I take a rechargeable mouth wash/irrigator which has a base which charges the thing up by proximity, that is just by placing said implement on charging base.
It doesn’t work through inverter. For some reason the thing needed the 240v socket on hook up to charge.
I guess there is some reason which any 6 year old electrician would be able to explain but I am confused (.com)

I think you would need a pure sine wave inverter to use one of these. It's something to do with the waveform but I don't pretend to know why. Sine wave inverters are expensive compared to the one you get with a Cali.

 

[rpevans99]

I got a low cost Europlug for the Mac charger. Should find one on Amazon. Works a treat - notwithstanding the double conversion energy loss. Will get 12V charger at some point.

 

[mccp]

I got a low cost Europlug for the Mac charger. Should find one on Amazon. Works a treat - notwithstanding the double conversion energy loss. Will get 12V charger at some point.

View attachment 33664

We have used the same, but they tend to wobble out if you have them plugged in when driving. We have had more success with a cable like this:

You will find that the 8 end plugs in to the MacBook power adapter when the euro or UK bit is removed.

 

[Velma's Dad]

I made up a special short extension lead for the inverter socket, as the 'lozenge' 2-pin socket is

We have used the same, but they tend to wobble out if you have them plugged in when driving. We have had more success with a cable like this:

Likewise. I made up a half-metre extension cable with a 2-pin 'trapezoid' plug (as above) one end and a double trailing socket ( 2 x UK 3-pin) on the other.

 

[Travelling Togs]

We have used the same, but they tend to wobble out if you have them plugged in when driving. We have had more success with a cable like this:

You will find that the 8 end plugs in to the MacBook power adapter when the euro or UK bit is removed.

Excellent, ordered, thank you for your advise, appreciated

 

[Travelling Togs]

Many thanks for all your valuable replies, much appreciated.

 

[rpevans99]

Yes like the cable option too - will find one.

 

[BikerGran]

Which is the inverter socket? Is it the one on the end of the kitchen unit?

Two years in I'm still confused about sockets!

 

[Velma's Dad]

Which is the inverter socket? Is it the one on the end of the kitchen unit?

Two years in I'm still confused about sockets!

Not sure about a 2007 SE, but in the more recent vehicles anyway (SE/Ocean) there are two 240v sockets in that general area:

A. The one on the end of the island unit. Standard UK 3-pin. Connects to the hook-up circuit so only live when you are on EHU.

B. The 2-pin 'lozenge' socket, with a cover, lower down on the 'wall' between kitchen unit and front seat. That's the inverter one, that turns 12v leisure battery power into 240v mains (but only for small appliances, up to 150w).

 

[jts46]

Which is the inverter socket? Is it the one on the end of the kitchen unit?

Two years in I'm still confused about sockets!

No @BikerGran our vans are too old to have the inverter socket. The sockets you mention are a 12vdc cigar socket and the 240vac mains socket