laptop adapters

[treena]

I am flying US airways next week and hubby is taking his laptop, it says on their website you need an adapter to use your laptop on the plane does anyone have any idea what is required for a UK user?

[wilfy]

probably a us-type power plug adapter.

[armagedon]

hi, when i travel with BA i use a small power adapter which i actually bought on board the aircraft. It takes the power from the seat thinks its 15v. Not sure whether us airways sells the adapter on board, if dont sell on board most likely get one from one of the shops at the airport. Just in case though probably best going to pc world b4 u leave.

hope it helps
mark

[Snapper]

Hi Treena,

You need a special piece of kit to adapt the power supplied by the aircraft into a form suitable for a laptop. The in-seat aircraft power points usually have a very specialised connector.

They go by different names. You might see them referred to as DC (as opposed to AC for use at home) power supplies, power-inverters or just plain old aircraft power convertors. Often they will also plug into a car power point as well.

It gets worse; that laptops tend to have differnt power fitting themselves, so what fits a HP notebook will likely not fit a Dell Lattitude, etc.

So do check that whichever power adaptor you buy has the correct fitting for your laptop.

I've been using a piece of kit made by a company called Targus for a few years now and have been really pleased with it. It has interchangeable 'tips' for the wire so if you swap your laptop it is possible to get a new tip without replacing the whole unit. Have a look on http://www.targus.com/uk/accessories_power.asp at the product called 'DC Notebook Power Adaptor'. There is also a link at the top of the page under where it says 'Which tip do I need for my device?' which will give you a feel for how the different tip things work.

Quite a few airport shops sell this kind of kit. I had a really good experience at Rolling Luggage at Manchester when I swapped my laptop a couple of years ago. My new one didn't fit the connector I had for my old one. Rolling Luggage keep loads of the tip things in a box under the counter. They swapped it for me for no charge. I think this is an iniative in some way sponsored by Targus as I have also heard similar stories from other people at other airports.

Best wishes, Steve.

[treena]

Thanks for the help, shall now tell my other half what he needs. He will be pleased as it will give him an excuse to go to PC world!:D

[Magical Dreams]

Hi Treena

You can actually buy these in Orlando Int Airport.

There is a small stand that sells electronic bits and pieces, I asked the guy how much they were when we was there last month, He stated $99 b ut work on Planes, Trains and Cars.

If it is just for in your villa, Check the Adapter itself, some are multivoltage!!
If yours is then you would only need the Plug that converts it from a British 3 pin to a US 2 pin

[Mr G]

Thanks for that Steve. I have been trying to find a power supple suitable for my Laptop. I always manage to book a seat with a Laptop power supply, however never have the correct adaptor.We are flying with Continental on the 9th August. I will try and get one by then.:D

[pieman790]

We bought one of these on our flight with US Airways in April this year. Cost US120/£70 comes in its own carry case and we also used it on American Airlines flight in May, so the power points on planes are universal. I think all US airways transatlantic flight have the sockets in between the seats. We plugged our UK to US power adapter in this adapter and then plugged our British 3 pin plug in the UK to US adapater and the laptop worked fine as well as my sons portable DVD player.

[caroline]

We tried to get one of the airline adaptors in PC World but they didn't have a clue what we were talking about[msnscared] - however Dixons at Heathrow had them, we bought ours mail order off the internet, but I'm afraid I can't remember who we got it from.[:I]

[rosie]

Maplins do one for £19.99

http://www.maplin.co.uk/

[pieman790]

<blockquote id="quote" class="ffs">quote:Originally posted by rosieuk
Maplins do one for £19.99

http://www.maplin.co.uk/
[/quote]

where about is it on there web site?

[rosie]

Pieman, do a search for Car/Air Laptop Power Adaptor/Charger. The site is in frames so couldn't post a direct link, sorry.

[Snapper]

Mr G, no probs. I've been really pleased with my adaptor, especially when the folks at Manchester swapped the tip thing for me when I changed my laptop.

All being well I'll be using it again when I fly Continental just a few days after you on August 14. I find the flight passes really quickly when you can watch a couple of DVDs on your laptop.

[floridadreamvilla.co.uk]

Does anyone else have the problem of not being able to get their laptop out in standard economy pitch seats - I find there just is not enough forward room to open it and usually end up with the keyboard on my chest and the screen sort of half lodged between the table and the seatback in front of me.

Before anyone suggests it, I'm not particularly overweight, so it's not my stomach getting the way [msnwink].

[caroline]

You know the answer to that John..fly business or first class;) - after all if you need to work on the flight it MUST be tax deductable

[Snapper]

I do John. Exactly the same problem. I think I also end up adopting exactly the same position as I know exactly what you are describing.

The other thing I've found is that sometimes (depending on the exact seat pitch) it is possible to get a laptop onto the tray with the top of the screen fitting neatly into the recess where the tray normally fits. I tend not to do this on long-haul flights though as sooner or later I just know that the folks in front are going to recline their seat, the laptop screen will jam into the tray slot and then snap as it gets wedged at the wrong angle.

[floridadreamvilla.co.uk]

I like your style Caroline [msnsmile2]<blockquote id="quote" class="ffs">quote:Originally posted by caroline
You know the answer to that John..fly business or first class;) - after all if you need to work on the flight it MUST be tax deductable
[/quote]

[floridadreamvilla.co.uk]

We had exactly that problem when flying to Florida with Roger once. I had to put my hand out quickly to stop the lady reclining her seat and snapping Roger's laptop screen. Her husband then thought we were stopping her reclining and kept saying "just put the seat back love" and egging her on. He was so intent on doing this that no manner of trying to explain he was very close to buying us a new laptop made any difference [msnmad]
<blockquote id="quote" class="ffs">quote:Originally posted by steveharrison
The other thing I've found is that sometimes (depending on the exact seat pitch) it is possible to get a laptop onto the tray with the top of the screen fitting neatly into the recess where the tray normally fits. I tend not to do this on long-haul flights though as sooner or later I just know that the folks in front are going to recline their seat, the laptop screen will jam into the tray slot and then snap as it gets wedged at the wrong angle.
[/quote]

[Mr G]

<blockquote id="quote" class="ffs">quote:Originally posted by rosieuk
Maplins do one for £19.99

http://www.maplin.co.uk/
[/quote]

Thanks Rosie,:D:D:D bought one of these today, £19.99 like you said and it works a treat...in my car anyway. I'm sure it will be ok on the plane....I bet I don't get a seat with laptop power now that I've bought the adaptor.[msnsad][msnsad]

By the way Steve I tried Targus, they didn't list my laptop so I emailed them to see if their adaptor would be OK. Still waiting for the reply.[msnsad] Went to Maplins this morning and I'm sorted now for the small sum of £19.99. Thanks anyway Steve.

[Magical Dreams]

Can you let me know what the part number is for this adapter?
The cheapest one I can find in Maplin is £24.99 on Promo (saving £20)


I've just spotted one on the Walmart website at $49 that is made by APC

Converts DC power to AC
Plugs directly into an airline's power receptacle or car's cigarette lighter to power your electronic devices
Features automatic shutdown to protect your car's battery power from fully draining
Special adapter for use on both types of airline power ports
Status indicator LEDs alert you to the unit's power status
Built-in protection from surges and spikes
75-watt power limit
Still half the price of the first one we saw in MCO