Laptop power supply for $4 ???? wt

[TheElectricChicken]

I remember buying not too long ago one replacement power supply after another for my laptops, and they were usually about $70 at jaycar. The last one was a lot smaller than the rest, but still expensive.

But I can't believe this, there are power supplies suitable to put ends on and run the laptop from 12v or a car for $4 !!

http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/New-150W-Boost-Converter-DC-DC-10-32V-to-12-35V-Step-Up-Module-Voltage-Charger-/391203833868

I thought people who are in a similar situation might like to know.

[mmagin]

Well, there's no enclosure, no isolation (may be fine in this application).
And at that price, I would certainly expect the electrolytic capacitors not to be as good as anything name-brand, and I would expect build quality issues (solder joints, thermal coupling between transistors and heatsink, etc.)

Aside from that (and the unimpressive specs), I see nothing wrong with it

[TheElectricChicken]

Well, there's no enclosure, no isolation (may be fine in this application).
And at that price, I would certainly expect the electrolytic capacitors not to be as good as anything name-brand, and I would expect build quality issues (solder joints, thermal coupling between transistors and heatsink, etc.)

Aside from that (and the unimpressive specs), I see nothing wrong with it

Hmm, old one cost $70, new one costs $4 should I buy 12 backups or 15 just in case. Oh yeah, and STILL save money compared to Jaycar.

As for Quality, considering how many FAILED JAYCAR ones I went through, China has NO competition.

[Psi]

i bought one of those to have a play. Haven't had time to test it out yet.

[ez24]

I have bought several and so far no problems.  I run them to the point the heat sinks are too hot to touch.  I am driving mine from a laptop ps at 19v in. 

[tooki]

I remember buying not too long ago one replacement power supply after another for my laptops, and they were usually about $70 at jaycar. The last one was a lot smaller than the rest, but still expensive.

But I can't believe this, there are power supplies suitable to put ends on and run the laptop from 12v or a car for $4 !!

http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/New-150W-Boost-Converter-DC-DC-10-32V-to-12-35V-Step-Up-Module-Voltage-Charger-/391203833868

I thought people who are in a similar situation might like to know.

Maybe I'm missing something, but I don't see what part of that makes it a "laptop power supply" (a term normally understood to mean the brick that goes between mains and the laptop).

As for chinese power supplies in general, I'd be leery of them on any device that uses a touchscreen or touchpad/trackpad. Those devices use capacitive sensing, and are extraordinarily sensitive to dirty power. Bad power makes the touch sensors misbehave.

[TheElectricChicken]

As for chinese power supplies in general, I'd be leery of them on any device that uses a touchscreen or touchpad/trackpad. Those devices use capacitive sensing, and are extraordinarily sensitive to dirty power. Bad power makes the touch sensors misbehave.

That's WHY I'd buy a Chinese one, because they are the best. Did you even read my message about how many $70 supposed top quality ones died in the ass ? I can go collect some of the dead ones I really wish I'd kept them all now, put them in a pile. Take a picture and post it. I could have bought quite a few new laptops for what those expensive name brand power supplies cost. Give me cheap chinese crap, just because some rich moron owns the tv channel and agrees with the other rich morons who own channels that they'll all badmouth the chinese, what ? do I care what rich assholes think ? they can shove their TV channel ..... Ah, I should slow down. PUT it this way. $4 and I'll put the rest of the money towards a new better laptop and profit. Chinese ? Oh gawd yes. Give it to me every day of the week. Chinese food, is there any better ? no. There is everything to be said for Chinese, I don't give a flying fart what some rich bloke's TV channel says. Leave it to the parrots to parrot it and be brainwashed

and as for

I'd be leery of them on any device that uses a touchscreen or touchpad/trackpad. Those devices use capacitive sensing, and are extraordinarily sensitive to dirty power. Bad power makes the touch sensors misbehave.

That is NOT a review. That is NOT a lab test, that is NOT even a link to anything that looks anything like any of those. That's by the dictionary prejudice which I suspect has been caused by too much TV!! Less TV more real world scientific testing please !

Maybe I'm missing something, but I don't see what part of that makes it a "laptop power supply" (a term normally understood to mean the brick that goes between mains and the laptop).

Yeah, the part where I visit dead laptop power supply mountain and return from my trek with the leads that go between laptop and 12v cigarette lighter socket.

[Tac Eht Xilef]

Did you even read my message about how many $70 supposed top quality ones died in the ass ?

(emphasis mine)

Hang on, didn't you say you bought them at Jaycar? The guts of the $70 supply are probably cheaper & nastier than your $4 ebay special. Gotta keep Gary in ... anyone know what he's flying / driving these days?

(Don't get me wrong - I give Jaycar props as one of the few remaining B&M electronics hobby retail stores, and Gary can do whatever he likes with his money. But let's face it - much of their stuff is dx/alibaba quality or lower, and at least an order of magnitude more expensive. That's just a fact of the fecked-up retail environment in Australia.)

[TheElectricChicken]

hmm, I said..

[tooki]

As for chinese power supplies in general, I'd be leery of them on any device that uses a touchscreen or touchpad/trackpad. Those devices use capacitive sensing, and are extraordinarily sensitive to dirty power. Bad power makes the touch sensors misbehave.

That's WHY I'd buy a Chinese one, because they are the best. Did you even read my message about how many $70 supposed top quality ones died in the ass ? I can go collect some of the dead ones I really wish I'd kept them all now, put them in a pile. Take a picture and post it. I could have bought quite a few new laptops for what those expensive name brand power supplies cost. Give me cheap chinese crap, just because some rich moron owns the tv channel and agrees with the other rich morons who own channels that they'll all badmouth the chinese, what ? do I care what rich assholes think ? they can shove their TV channel ..... Ah, I should slow down. PUT it this way. $4 and I'll put the rest of the money towards a new better laptop and profit. Chinese ? Oh gawd yes. Give it to me every day of the week. Chinese food, is there any better ? no. There is everything to be said for Chinese, I don't give a flying fart what some rich bloke's TV channel says. Leave it to the parrots to parrot it and be brainwashed

I seem to have caught you on a day where all your crazy came spilling out. I will agree with you about Chinese food being awesome, though!

and as for

I'd be leery of them on any device that uses a touchscreen or touchpad/trackpad. Those devices use capacitive sensing, and are extraordinarily sensitive to dirty power. Bad power makes the touch sensors misbehave.

That is NOT a review. That is NOT a lab test, that is NOT even a link to anything that looks anything like any of those. That's by the dictionary prejudice which I suspect has been caused by too much TV!! Less TV more real world scientific testing please !

Not prejudice. It's documented fact. (The fact that I've anecdotally seen those problems with clients is secondary; plenty of scientists have actually tested and quantified this, and the fact that good quality manufacturers design their PSUs to avoid this shows that it's a known, measurable thing, not just "prejudice".)

http://www.epanorama.net/newepa/2013/03/12/touch-screens-and-charger-noise/
http://www.edn.com/design/sensors/4411529/Aggressively-combat-noise-in-capacitive-touch-applications
https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT203171
https://www.westfloridacomponents.com/blog/noise-affects-touch-screens/
http://www.silabs.com/Support%20Documents/TechnicalDocs/Minimizing-Touchscreen-EMI.pdf

Oh, did I mention that I seem to have caught you on a day where all your crazy came spilling out?

Maybe I'm missing something, but I don't see what part of that makes it a "laptop power supply" (a term normally understood to mean the brick that goes between mains and the laptop).

Yeah, the part where I visit dead laptop power supply mountain and return from my trek with the leads that go between laptop and 12v cigarette lighter socket.

So you're using a DC converter with a laptop. Whooptie-shit. That doesn't make it a "laptop power supply" any more than using a rusty nail to poke a hole through one's lip makes that a "body piercing needle".

Also, did I mention that I seem to have caught you on a day where all your crazy came spilling out?

[TheElectricChicken]

Also, did I mention that I seem to have caught you on a day where all your crazy came spilling out?

That would be every day of the week for me, which day is it for you ?

So you're using a DC converter with a laptop. [...]. That doesn't make it a "laptop power supply" [...]

Apparently that day is today.

[mikerj]

I seem to have caught you on a day where all your crazy came spilling out. I will agree with you about Chinese food being awesome, though!

Western "Chinese" food is lovely but nothing like real Chinese food.  I wonder how many people have actually eaten at a restaurant in e.g. Shenzhen?  They appear to take a chicken, remove all the tasty looking meat and then serve the carcass.  If you are really lucky the tougher bits of gristle will be deep fried and look quite appetising until you break your teeth trying to eat them.  You also get the complete chickens head served up as a delicacy.

I had a crunchy frog stew whilst I was there, literally whole frogs that were like little leathery bags of skin with small crunchy bones inside.  Fortunately it was so heavily laced with chilli peppers that I couldn't actually taste anything else.

To be fair some Chinese food such as dumplings and most of the vegetable dishes are delicious, but there are a lot of dishes that the average westerner would probably spit out if they tried it.

Top tip: don't go to McDonalds in Shenzhen unless you believe burgers are supposed to be a light grey colour.  By far the worst meal I experienced over there, and it went into the bin after the first bite.

[TheElectricChicken]

Top tip: don't go to McDonalds in Shenzhen [...] By far the worst meal I experienced over there, and it went into the bin after the first bite.

Ah, same here in Australia.

[neslekkim]

McDonalds isn't food..
But rumors has us to believe that Taiwan is the place to test McDonalds:
http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/world-news/mcdonalds-goddess-becomes-viral-hit-6252164

[mazurov]

In my experience, good laptop supplies start at US$10. I actually opened a couple to see how good they are and found them adequate for the task of providing 50-100W of power for long periods of time. They are also good for driving random homemade LED fixtures.

[TheElectricChicken]

McDonalds isn't food..

agreed. If people think of McDonalds as a place to eat, they obviously haven't thought hard enough. I interrogated someone about their choice once, they claimed there wasn't anywhere else close, yet had to drive past fish and chips, Thai, Indian, and others to get there.

But rumors has us to believe that Taiwan is the place to test McDonalds:
http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/world-news/mcdonalds-goddess-becomes-viral-hit-6252164

The smaller bottom of her face and big eyes make her seem very youthful. She'd be very very popular in Japanese media, they really go for the lolita look (or lolitas) and the anime look. She'd be a big hit there. Gotta wonder why she'd waste time at McDonalds.