A380 and 90W Laptop

[GoldCoastGuy]

Now that a few of you have flown the A380, how does it cope with 90W laptops? Will it work, or will the power fuse trip and have to be reset on the ground (as per the warning here Fly - Onboard - Communication )


Evan :->

 

[Evan]

Wow, a power hog !
Some notebooks do come with 90w for fast chargeing but will also run fun and approved my there manufatures on 60w supply. Maybe you have one of them and can get a 60w supply ?

Sorry no experience with 90w and the A380, my most power hungry notebook is 60w.

E

 

[Dave Noble]

If it is a heavy power user, then you can help by reducing it consumption by changing to a low power mode.

When on CX, my laptop can trip the power but have found that if I drop the brightness a bit, that can help. You could also try removing the laptop battery if this doesnt work

Having a 90W supply doesn't mean that it will always need 90W

Dave

 

[pblackm]

My last laptop was an IBM Lenovo T42 with a 90W power supply and it regularly took out the power on Qantas 747s. If I took the battery out, it was fine. To charge the battery, turn the laptop off - during meals or before a snooze.

 

[GoldCoastGuy]

Yeah it's a bit of a power hog. It's a Dell Inspiron 9400 with 17" widescreen screen... basically a desktop replacement.

I know how to lower the screen brightness, so as long as I remember to do it before boarding and leave the battery out it seems as though I should be fine.


Thanks heaps!


Evan :->

 

[maxs]

related topic: what size netbook

I am interested in views about what size netbook to get to work in economy. I have been doing 3-4 trips os each year for 1 week meeting (US chicago mainly but occasionally europe) where I want to have a PC. I also like to do some work on the plane. I travel down the back becaus etrips are for a professional association and I only work part time these days.

Over the years I have experimented with size of computers and have compromised 3 years ago wit a 13.3 inch viao. The weight was ok but screen gets pushed back when teh seats go back.

The introduction of netbooks has been a god send. I acquired a 9inch acer with a battery early last year that will give me 6 hours last year and it worked well. Anough power for word and presentations, plenty of room when using on the plane and lighte weight. Unfortunately the keyboard was a little too small when i am trying to write up reports. I probably have 6 trips this year so have decided to get a bigger one, either a 10.2 inch (several options available) or the 11.6 inch samsing n510 which with 2 gig looks good.

I am pretty sure a 10.2 inch will workwell on a tray table but uncertin about a 11.6 inch. I am interested in other opinions/ experience.

regards

 

[file51]

Also, make sure you power on (turn on laptop) unplugged.

That is the easiest way to trip the power as some laptops can be very power hungry at startup.

Once the machine is running, plug it in and as per previous suggestions try reducing the brightness or set it to power saver mode in the control panel

 

[Mal]

Re: related topic: what size netbook

Unfortunately the keyboard was a little too small when i am trying to write up reports. I probably have 6 trips this year so have decided to get a bigger one, either a 10.2 inch (several options available) or the 11.6 inch samsing n510 which with 2 gig looks good.

I can only comment on the HP Business line - my 2140 (before I smashed the screen) was great. Good size, sturdy and a 95% sized keyboard. It's 10.1". They've replaced that with the 5101, and very shortly the 5102, which appear to still be great machines. Also it gets great reviews from people and media alike. Price wise it's at the upper end of Netbooks though - you're looking around $500-$1000 depending on options.

The netbook market keeps getting better and better as Intel releases better CPU's, battery technology advances, LCD technology improves and other advances in technology occur - it was only ~1 year ago that netbooks were generally limited to 1024 x 576 or even less screen resolution, now they are up to 1366x768 and possibly even higher.

 

[simongr]

Don't forget the impending mac tablet as well

 

[Dave Noble]

Don't forget the impending mac tablet as well

I try my best to forget about all things mac

 

[maxs]

Mal

Did you use your 10.1 while sitting at the back of the plane and on on your experience with that do you think a 11.6 might be useful to do some work without the seat in front of you pushing it back.

The HP are well regarded but the samsumgs, although at the higher end of the netbook market are getting good reviews.


Max

 

[Mal]

Did you use your 10.1 while sitting at the back of the plane and on on your experience with that do you think a 11.6 might be useful to do some work without the seat in front of you pushing it back.

In Economy, 10.1" is reasonable, but can still get cramped (esp. if someone reclines). I only used it sporadically on flights - not all the time so can't comment on what it would be like after 5 hours.

Screen size isn't everything though, you need to also consider the depth of the laptop and the height as that is what is causes the issue when using in Economy, not the actual screen size (although of course there is definite overlap between those figures normally!)

 

[maxs]

Laptop Size

Mel

Thanks. The screen size provide the best base for discussion, although I have seen a netbook with a lower hight because of how teh screen and key board sections were positioned (I can remember which one). There are other factors involved as well including the ability to upgrade to 2 gig of memory so i can run the full windows 7

I will probably go to the 10 inch, although I am tempted to the 11.6 samsung because it comes with 2 gig memory. My next trip are not until april (but I then have 5 over a 2 month period) so it will give me time to look at all the options.

regards

Max

 

[markis10]

In Economy, 10.1" is reasonable, but can still get cramped (esp. if someone reclines). I only used it sporadically on flights - not all the time so can't comment on what it would be like after 5 hours.

Screen size isn't everything though, you need to also consider the depth of the laptop and the height as that is what is causes the issue when using in Economy, not the actual screen size (although of course there is definite overlap between those figures normally!)

I have an Lenovo X200 that gives me 9 hours battery on the plane and is usable as it passes the 737 recline test, I also use the Lenovo PSU which recharges my phone and IPOD as well, I find relying on the USB charging is not always good.

 

[maxs]

Markis

Thank you. I just check and I understand the x200 is 12.1 so a 11.6 should be ok as well. I just noticed that the x200 is on sale at $1600 on the lenavo site which makes it a fairly attractive package.

I have had thinkpads in the past and they have been excellent.

regards

 

[markis10]

Markis

Thank you. I just check and I understand the x200 is 12.1 so a 11.6 should be ok as well. I just noticed that the x200 is on sale at $1600 on the lenavo site which makes it a fairly attractive package.

I have had thinkpads in the past and they have been excellent.

regards

They have a 11.6 now as well X100e, $764 if you use the Velocity Shop and Earn link (which also gets you 3 points per $1 spent). You can get the X200 as low as $1300 odd if you use an affinity site, such as the one for "3" customers : Lenovo Australia - 3 Mobile

I would imagine the X100e would also pass the 737 recline test!

 

[equus]

Toshiba Portege R600 here. I imagine the size should be fine, as it is slightly smaller (in all dimensions) than the X200. Weight is what you pay for with this one - only weighs slightly over half as much as the X00

Have found screen size and battery life excellent, and the keyboard no trouble to use for a full day in remote offices. 3Gb ram is also good. Have never had a problem with Toshibas.

Have used in Y on a 737, and ironically compared notes with the gentleman seated next to me, using exactly the same model! (He thought the speed was a bit limited due to the low voltage CPU, but I don't find it an issue as I don't expect an ultraportable to be the bees knees in performance, or use it for anything greatly more complicated than basic office functionality, email and a bit of photoshop).

The price is the drawback - way over the others mentioned here.

 

[markis10]

Toshiba Portege R600 here. I imagine the size should be fine, as it is slightly smaller (in all dimensions) than the X200. Weight is what you pay for with this one - only weighs slightly over half as much as the X00

Have found screen size and battery life excellent, and the keyboard no trouble to use for a full day in remote offices. 3Gb ram is also good. Have never had a problem with Toshibas.

Have used in Y on a 737, and ironically compared notes with the gentleman seated next to me, using exactly the same model! (He thought the speed was a bit limited due to the low voltage CPU, but I don't find it an issue as I don't expect an ultraportable to be the bees knees in performance, or use it for anything greatly more complicated than basic office functionality, email and a bit of photoshop).

The price is the drawback - way over the others mentioned here.

My X200 replaced a Protege R500, I loved the Protege series until I got the R500 (has a R200 stolen from Mel QP) which had some series design issues and poor build quality. I am very happy with the X200, especially since it has built in 3G, and I replaced the HDD with an Intel SSD. It also resumes lighting fast which is ideal for a quick suck in of emails when doing a tight transit!

 

[jb747]

I carry a Macbook Pro 15", ipad, and iphone. The Macbook and iphone are almost mandatory inclusions in the A380 pilots' bag, which is sort of weird as the Airbus software is Windows based. None of this gear causes any issues in the available power slots.

 

[MatF]

Heh, we were looking at some laptops for work the other day - one possibility is the Dell Precision M6600 17" laptop, which comes with a 240W power supply :shock:.

It must be nearly as big as the laptop!