Computer Guide Center - I wish to connect my laptop to a battery. How can I do this? What is the capacity of the battery?

I wish to connect my laptop to a battery. How can I do this? What is the capacity of the battery?

I am a travelling salesman. I sell VCDs and CDROMs from my van (mobile unit). I wish to connect my Dell Sempron laptop to an external battery in order to display the CDs to my customers at fairs and exhibitions. Will a regular car battery be able to power my laptop for a few hours each day? Will this supplement the battery that is already in the laptop? Can I connect the external battery to the van so that it recharges when the vehicle is running?

Public Comments

Your best option would be to buy a Power inverter. What this does is plugs into your Cigarette lighter and converts the power from there into a standard power outlet. From there, you can just plug your normal power adapter into that inverter and avoid messing with extra batteries and such.
Yes you can do that. But first you need to check the power pack on the laptop. The bit you plug into the wall outlet. Check the output voltage. I have a ACER and it does not run on 12 Volts it runs on 19Volts DC. You will need to purchase a DC-TO-DC CONVERTER, Switchmode power supply. Input 12-16Volts DC output is selectable by a switch and it comes with a variety of plugs, one of which will fit your laptop. Avail at: Radio Shack, Tandy, Dick Smith, Fry's Electronics. Depending on what country you live in - any electronics store.