Slimming Down - my cords need to go on a diet like their owner!

[markis10]

I have decided this year I need to lose weight in the power adaptor/cord department (and elsewhere ), is anyone using one of these which apparently even do the iPAD? For the money it seems a neat solution.

Kensington Wall & Air Compact Notebook Power Adapter at $89.00 in PC Power & Monitor Cables

 

[AVC]

mmm, I think my wires weigh more than my devices!

For charging purposes though, the iPad adaptor is pretty slim, and I can use my phone comms cable as a charging lead using the iPad's wall plug secion (with the USB). I also have another USB lead for the Kobo. It's 3 coiled up leads and one plug, which isn't too bad. I don't carry any wall chargers for the other devices, just the USB leads (which I would normally charge via the laptop).

As far as my laptop goes, there's no real solution. You have to carry that damn brick around. And a lot of those generic units as you've pictured may not supply enough juice either. That would be the thing to make sure. But if it had sufficient output it may save a bit of cabling.

Hey, if I could plug that into my shaver it would save another lead though!

 

[Happy Trails]

Probably Freudian but my first thought on seeing the thread title was of mud wrestling.:shock:

 

[AVC]

Probably Freudian but my first thought on seeing the thread title was of mud wrestling.:shock:

FF to 1 min 40.

[video=youtube;j2nYqyfDMnQ]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j2nYqyfDMnQ&feature=results_video&playnext =1&list=PL49AA582EFCC65D61[/video]

 

[nlagalle]

I only carry 2 chargers, My Macbook air and iPad/iphone.

However I have just ordered a new charger that can apparently charge both an iPad and iPhone at the same time.

 

[missafternoondelight]

If this can also be used as a hair straightener then I'm in!!

 

[simongr]

I used to use one of those - great - also worked with empower on certAAin airlines. The biggest issue was getting the right adapter for certain devices - certainly worth checking.

Now I take with me two apple wall plugs and two apple chargers - not too bulky (but I also do take the RCA cable and a 3M usb extension.

 

[nlagalle]

I used to use one of those - great - also worked with empower on certAAin airlines. The biggest issue was getting the right adapter for certain devices - certainly worth checking.

Now I take with me two apple wall plugs and two apple chargers - not too bulky (but I also do take the RCA cable and a 3M usb extension.

I'm trying to avoid travel with 2 chargers, hence trying this new one.

Also I have a 3 and 4 metre iPod cable. So good!!

 

[Travel Guru]

Also I have a 3 and 4 metre iPod cable. So good!!

Ive got one too, absolutely brilliant, perfect for when the hotel powerpoints are nowhere near the bed.

TG

 

[turtlemichael]

Ive got one too, absolutely brilliant, perfect for when the hotel powerpoints are nowhere near the bed.

TG

That looks suspiciously like tmi.

 

[SeatBackForward]

I only carry the power pack for the Laptop, and I try to purchase products that can be recharged from a USB port. The laptop I have has a powered USB port, that means even with the computer turned off, the power still feeds through the USB port so I can recharge my phone/tablet overnight etc.

I also have one of these, that provides the power point and ALSO a USB port in case I can't be bothered getting the laptop out.:

Universal Travel Power AC Adapter + USB AU/UK/US/EU 002

 

[straitman]

Probably Freudian but my first thought on seeing the thread title was of mud wrestling.:shock:

My first though when reading this was (I read the title wrong) that my cards need to go on a diet. That's a problem also.

 

[samiam]

My first though when reading this was (I read the title wrong) that my cards need to go on a diet. That's a problem also.

I had an image of brown corduroy trousers... funny how the mind works!

 

[DeKa]

This is all I travel with in my cabin bag (plus a multi country adapter).

Cutting the 240v cable saved about 200g on its own.

 

[AVC]

Probably Freudian but my first thought on seeing the thread title was of mud wrestling.:shock:

FF to 1 min 40.

I had an image of brown corduroy trousers... funny how the mind works!

In case anyone was wondering, the title formerly read "sliming down"


Shortening the lead may be good (my laptop brick has a fairly short lead), but what if the outlet is off the floor a distance?

 

[Paul_PER]

When I travel domestically I only take the above USB adaptor which is approx 2cm x 2cm x 2cm (excluding the power prongs) (about $2 on eBay), one USB cable for the phone, and one USB cable for the iPad & iPod. The iPad has to be left overnight to slow charge.

I have a slightly larger multi-plug / multi-voltage equivalent for international travel.

For the rare occassions I travel with a netbook I use a power supply like that pictured below. It's small and you only take the plugs you need (& they come off for easier packing). Found it on eBay for about $20.

From the experience of having my luggage lost twice in the last few years I now always travel with these in my cabin luggage - nothing more useless than a flat telephone.

If you need a "full size" laptop power supply I know you can get plugs that go straight into the power point from the power supply (with no cable). This reduces the number of power points you can easily use, but it saves the weight and bulk of the cable. Couldn't find the exact photo but you can see a IEC C5 to US equivalent below.

 

[SeatBackForward]

For the rare occassions I travel with a netbook I use a power supply like that pictured below. It's small and you only take the plugs you need (& they come off for easier packing). Found it on eBay for about $20.

From the experience of having my luggage lost twice in the last few years I now always travel with these in my cabin luggage - nothing more useless than a flat telephone.



[IMG]http://t2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRrsG7Ux6ayIimrMOMu4zb8JqNfwTB028VTryB7owfKRbO87oCc


If you need a "full size" laptop power supply I know you can get plugs that go straight into the power point from the power supply (with no cable). This reduces the number of power points you can easily use, but it saves the weight and bulk of the cable. Couldn't find the exact photo but you can see a IEC C5 to US equivalent below.

Thats two interesting items i've not seen before. Does the Laptop power supply (that you got from ebay) provide enough power? and how does it work with different laptop manufacturers?

 

[Paul_PER]

Hi SeatBackForward,

I found the netbook power supply on eBay by simply searching the computer's brand name & model and adding a generic term like "power supply". I am pretty sure it's only good for about 40 watts. Netbooks run in the 30w-40w range. Most full-size laptops use supplies in the range of 65w, 75w, 90w, or 120w.

We do however have in the office an early 19 inch laptop with a high end graphics card that chews up a massive 230 watts. It's power "brick" is literally that - it's weights almost 2 kilos. No-one in the office has ever taken it for more than one trip overseas before coming back and asking for something a touch lighter ....

By way of contrast - the iPad charger is 10 watts!!

As a very general rule you can use an under-powered charger to slow charge something. You can risk using an over-powered charger to fast charge something. In both cases you risk damaging the battery (a very real risk in the later case). In the later case you also risk changing your iPod to an exPlode (so definitely not recommended).

 

[SeatBackForward]

How do you determine the Wattage requirements for a particular device? All the powerpacks I have only display the Input/Putput Voltage and Current..

 

[serfty]

How do you determine the Wattage requirements for a particular device? All the powerpacks I have only display the Input/Putput Voltage and Current..

Simplistically, Watts = Volts x Amperes ...