Laptop won't charge on 12v

[Starcoaster]

I've had my solar (360w total) fitted for a few weeks now, and initially I was able to power my laptop perfectly happily using the 12v socket,even late into the night.

Then last week, my laptop would begin to charge/power for a minute or two when the charger was plugged in, but then stop, and start making this combination flashing of the power and battery lights that Google leads me to believe indicates a problem with the power input.

My batteries are not amazing by any means,and will be replaced as soon as funds allow- but they should not be so bad as to be unable to run my laptop.

Particularly as during the day and in bright light, the MPPT is flashing as "fully charged" and power is going directly into the batteries from the solar, and yet even then my laptop won't charge.

What is the issue here?!

 

Some more info:

I have tried three different styles of 12v charger for the laptop, all have the same effect. They are all 19v chargers (as is required)with 4 or 4.7W output, and the laptop says it needs 3.42w.

The laptop runs perfectly fine on 12v power on Reginald and Aldebaran, and also on the AC charger, so I cannot imagine the laptop is the issue.

The battery charge state doesn't seem to make a difference- when it was all working fine, the laptop would still run and charge when the display showed the batteries had 12.3v and lower powers, but now even when its showing in the high 13's, no go.

Sometimes it will be fine and charge on 12v for a couple of hours, but only now and then!

 

Thoughts?

Edited August 30, 2013 by Starcoaster

[Guest]

 

Thoughts?

 

 

Knackerd lappy battery??

[KevMc]

Stupid question but are you using the same chargers on Aldebaran & Reginald (I assume they are different boats and not names of different electrical gadgets)?

[Robbo]

Check the voltage at the socket as well as at the batteries. Got a feeling you be fairly low.

[Starcoaster]

Yep same chargers and everything else etc. in every place, other than the supply!

Its not the lappy battery, ref. being fine elsewhere!

 

Will check the socket voltage (when I suss out how) but why would it be lower than it was ten days go when it was fine, nothing else having changed or been added?

[Bones]

is it a dell?

 

Mine doesn't chage on my 12volt thing. It is something to do with having to have a specific whatsit from the thingy (techinical terminology)

 

edit

Ignore me - my eyes are squiffy. I see it USED to charge now doesn't. My reponse is no use whatsoever - but at least consistent in that respect.

Edited August 30, 2013 by Bones

[OldGoldy]

Not sure what I'm asking here but will your PC run on this charger without the battery inserted?

 

Does the condition you describe occur when using the lappy, or not in use, just having it connected to the charger?

[Robbo]

 

Will check the socket voltage (when I suss out how) but why would it be lower than it was ten days go when it was fine, nothing else having changed or been added?

 

Dodgy connection or socket comes to mind, if you can remove the socket and check the cabling?

[by'eck]

Classic case of not getting enough volts to the 12 volt adapter. Try it on the 12 volt supply from another boat to confirm or even a socket closer to the batteries.

 

Its 4.7 amps your adapter gives BTW. The wattage (power) your laptop uses would be closer to 65 watts with a current drain of 3.42 amps.

[LoneWolf]

Yep same chargers and everything else etc. in every place, other than the supply!

Its not the lappy battery, ref. being fine elsewhere!

 

Will check the socket voltage (when I suss out how) but why would it be lower than it was ten days go when it was fine, nothing else having changed or been added?

 

If it works fine on 12v in another boat but not on yours even when the sun is shining it sounds like a wiring problem.

Wires can come lose, isolator switches can break etc just through engine vibration sometimes

 

[Starcoaster]

Not sure what I'm asking here but will your PC run on this charger without the battery inserted?

 

Does the condition you describe occur when using the lappy, or not in use, just having it connected to the charger?

 

I am asking if anyone can suggest might be the cause of the problem?

 

The laptop is an Acer, but I am sure because of how it goes on 12v on other boats and on AC here that the laptop itself is not the issue.

The issue arises (when it does arise) regardless of whatever I am doing to it- actively using it, it switched on but not in use, in hibernation mode, and plugged in but turned off.

 

The socket charges other things with no problem, ie, my phone, Kindle and other stuff, so I don't think there is a wiring issue.

 

Classic case of not getting enough volts to the 12 volt adapter. Try it on the 12 volt supply from another boat to confirm or even a socket closer to the batteries.

 

 

Am I misunderstanding what you're saying here? But I have tried it on the 12v on other boats, Aldebaran and Reginald. Also, the socket is as close to the batteries as it can get!

 

Perversely, after the problem occurring every day this week when I tried to run the lappy on 12v, I have tried it again today after starting this thread and so far it is fine and not doing it at all! Nothing has changed, been added or taken away since I last tried!

[LoneWolf]

 

I am asking if anyone can suggest might be the cause of the problem?

 

The laptop is an Acer, but I am sure because of how it goes on 12v on other boats and on AC here that the laptop itself is not the issue.

The issue arises (when it does arise) regardless of whatever I am doing to it- actively using it, it switched on but not in use, in hibernation mode, and plugged in but turned off.

 

The socket charges other things with no problem, ie, my phone, Kindle and other stuff, so I don't think there is a wiring issue.

 

 

Am I misunderstanding what you're saying here? But I have tried it on the 12v on other boats, Aldebaran and Reginald. Also, the socket is as close to the batteries as it can get!

 

Perversely, after the problem occurring every day this week when I tried to run the lappy on 12v, I have tried it again today after starting this thread and so far it is fine and not doing it at all! Nothing has changed, been added or taken away since I last tried!

 

well my money's on a loose connection which fits in with the above.

 

perhaps the wire is connected enough to allow enough current (or is it voltage?) to charge the small low current/voltage phones etc but not enough for the hungrier lappy.

Perhaps now the wire has been jiggled to make a better connection.

 

go check the isolation switch and wiggle all the wires from the batteries with the lappy plugged in and see what happens*

 

 

*it will stop working

[Starcoaster]

Ok! But then I will be left with it not working and have to work out what I jigged out and how to fix it... And it's my only 12v socket!

 

I may wait til it dies again and then see if jigging stuff fixes it.

[LoneWolf]

Ok! But then I will be left with it not working and have to work out what I jigged out and how to fix it... And it's my only 12v socket!

 

I may wait til it dies again and then see if jigging stuff fixes it.

 

yeah, that's what i'd probably do - best to check in the daytime

further thoughts....are you confident that your batteries are getting a charge from the solar? do you have a multimeter to check this (tomorrow)

[David Mack]

If it works on Reg and Aldebaran's 12 volts but not on your 12 volts that suggests that theirs have more oomph than yours, which in turn suggests either that your boat batteries are on the way out or that there is a problem with the wiring or a connection.

 

It could also be a problem with the laptop battery. Take this out and run the laptop directly from the adaptor. If it works OK like that, I would suspect that the lappy battery might be aging and trying to draw more power from the boat batteries than they can provide, with the resulting volts drop causing the symptoms you have described.

[bizzard]

Try it with your engine running Star at fast tick over to boost the voltage.

[Higgs]

I would suspect the connectivity within the power socket that the adaptor power plug fits, in the laptop. I've got an Acer and now have to keep the power cord under tension to resolve the flashing light, holding the plug firmly in the socket ; should be a steady light when the adaptor is charging the battery.

 

I also have two power adaptors for the laptop, the problem is the same, which ever I use.

Edited August 30, 2013 by Higgs

[matty40s]

Try it with your engine running Star at fast tick over to boost the voltage.

make sure you have tied your tiller central first, and make sure you set your alarm for around 50 minutes so you can select reverse before you hit Braunston bottom lock.

[Starcoaster]

I would suspect the connectivity within the power socket that the adaptor power plug fits, in the laptop. I've got an Acer and now have to keep the power cord under tension to resolve the flashing light, holding the plug firmly in the socket ; should be a steady light when the adaptor is charging the battery.

 

I also have two power adaptors for the laptop, the problem is the same, which ever I use.

 

I am not sure I get your first sentence- do you mean the power socket on the boat wall, or the power socket of the laptop? I am convinced that the latter is not an issue as the very same chargers and laptop that fail to charge here are fine on the 12v on other boats, with no alteration.

 

Now after it running ok all day, it's started happening. Grrr. The voltage shown on the battery monitor hasn't changed though!

Edited August 30, 2013 by Starcoaster

[matty40s]

Samsungs and others charge fine on OldFriends, Dell do not.

[Starcoaster]

It's not a Dell. It charges everywhere but on my own boat. It used to charge on my own boat.

Edited August 30, 2013 by Starcoaster

[trackman]

I had an Acer which died in the end because the socket on it that the power adapter plugged into went wrong. This began as random problems which initially could be fixed by jiggling the plug about in the socket until a connection was made. Eventually it got so bad that I had to leave the adapter plugged in all the time, and not move anything because getting the connection back took too long to bother with. Naturally enough, the socket failed totally in the end. The laptop was too old to be worth fixing and was scrapped.

This fault did affect both mains and 12V chargers but initially it only happened once in a while and it took ages to pin down the cause to the socket in question.

[Higgs]

 

I am not sure I get your first sentence- do you mean the power socket on the boat wall, or the power socket of the laptop? I am convinced that the latter is not an issue as the very same chargers and laptop that fail to charge here are fine on the 12v on other boats, with no alteration.

 

Now after it running ok all day, it's started happening. Grrr. The voltage shown on the battery monitor hasn't changed though!

 

 

The little round power supply plug that you plug into the laptop. It may be a sloppy fit or the plug may be dirty and not connecting properly in the loptop socket.

[Starcoaster]

The problem only happens on my boat, the laptop (and chargers) are reliably fine elsewhere. The connection between the laptop charger and the laptop is sound. The laptop itself is sound. The chargers are sound.

[Higgs]

The problem only happens on my boat, the laptop (and chargers) are reliably fine elsewhere. The connection between the laptop charger and the laptop is sound. The laptop itself is sound. The chargers are sound.

 

Re-reading your first post - the 4.7 watts you mention wouldn't run much at all. Your laptop will be drawing quite alot of power and the adaptor in turn needs power on demand, to supply 19v to your laptop. It may be you have a weakness in the boat supply that can't deliver the demand. Starving the adaptor, that can't cope with less than it needs.

Edited August 30, 2013 by Higgs