How hot?

[bag 'o' bones]

Can you get at the back of the socket with a multimeter to read what voltage is actually going into the thing?

 

Tony

 

My next job - problem is the boat is an hours drive away so will have to wait a while.

 

Also i'm going to try powering the TV off the car accessory socket and see if it creates the same heating effect in the brick.

Edited May 23, 2011 by bag 'o' bones

[WotEver]

Also i'm going to try powering the TV off the car accessory socket and see if it creates the same heating effect in the brick.

Good test

 

Tony

[Nickhlx]

Is the TV REALLY drawing what it claims to be ? Or perhaps more and overloading it ?

 

Nick

 

 

[OldGoldy]

so one would expect the unit to run as least as cool as a lap-top mains power brick?

 

???? some of these run very hot.

[Chalky]

Hot for power electronics and hot by touch can be very different. A regulator may be designed to run at 60deg+ all day and be reliable and happy doing it. It would be hot to the touch, but be ok. Alternatively it may fail at not much hotter than room temperature.

 

Ensure all of its air vents are clear and that air can circulate round it - it may be that it's not able to ventelate properly. Managing heat is key to electronics reliability and also their power handling capability.

[bag 'o' bones]

???? some of these run very hot.

 

The mains lap top bricks I use don't get anywhere near the temperature of the 12 volt regulator. Thing you would have thought converting 230 ac into 19 volt would produce more heat. I could understand the heating effects if the 12 volt brick was having to convert very diffrent voltages. Dunno i'm not that savvy when it comes to electrickery.

 

Hot for power electronics and hot by touch can be very different. A regulator may be designed to run at 60deg+ all day and be reliable and happy doing it. It would be hot to the touch, but be ok. Alternatively it may fail at not much hotter than room temperature.

 

Ensure all of its air vents are clear and that air can circulate round it - it may be that it's not able to ventelate properly. Managing heat is key to electronics reliability and also their power handling capability.

 

Its a sealed plastic brick. Fair comment though.

[Pretty Funked Up]

In a faglighter socket. Crap connectors them, get hot.

 

It certainly sounds like a bad connection somewhere. I'd start by eliminating the above.

Try swapping it for a chunky chocolate box style connector as a test.

[bag 'o' bones]

Been back to the boat to day to take some voltage readings:

 

At the distribution board:

 

12.4 volts batteries part discharged

14.4 with engine running on tick over

12.9 volts half an hour later after charging and engine off.

 

At the socket:

 

12.44 part discharged.

12.90 after charging

In other exactly what you would expect from a basic 12 volt system.

 

Tried the tv off the car 12 volt socket and it was just as hot.

 

My conclusion is the voltage drop is negiable and that the brick is a bit cheap and probabaly not a particularly efficient switch mode if at all. Maybe its a linear converter masquerading as a switch mode. No way of checking without destroying the case.

[Justme]

You need to test the voltage whilst it is in use.

[WotEver]

My conclusion is <snip> the brick is a bit cheap...

Agreed.

 

Either that or faulty.

 

Tony

Edited May 27, 2011 by WotEver