Cheap USB-C Charging Laptop

lette on 13/11/2019 - 14:45

Im about to set up the solar and battery bank for longer journeys on my boat. I do worry about how much power I'll have stored. 400 watts, 280ah(can wire up to 540) and a 3000 watt inverter won't last forever.

I'm looking for a cheap USB c charging laptop I can plug into the countless power banks I have as a backup.
It doesnt need to do a lot, just play movies/music off a hard drive or have enough space to store a tonne. Cheaper the better. I've been searching all morning but prices are wildly different and not all tell you if they usb charge. Also would a cheap tablet be a better idea? I already have one but it can't store much and is kind of small(8inch).
Any advice is welcome. Feeling overwhelmed. Wiring electric circuits is actually looking simple by comparison.

Computing Computer Laptop

Comments

  • websterp on 13/11/2019 - 14:56
    +2

    It is pretty simple actually.

    Use the tablet you already have as it can do everything you have described in your post and use some of the money saved to buy one of the following:

    Get a wifi hard drive like this one or even cheaper one of these with a USB flash drive/HDD to store all your movies and music and access it via wifi from the tablet.

    Any laptop is going to suck more power than a tablet and would be overkill for your needs on the boat.

    • lette on 13/11/2019 - 15:58

      That's a brilliant idea! The second one seems to make more sense. We have a 10+tb catalogue of media spread over 1-2gb hard drives. Don't really need another. From my understanding I can plug those into this or an SD card? Also it does create its own WiFi network not uses an existing one right? We don't have WiFi on the boat unless someone's hotspotting via mobile for some reason.

      • websterp on 13/11/2019 - 16:06
        +1

        Yes you can connect your own media using the USB port or the SD Card adapter and it will create it's own wifi network(no internet of course).

        Both brands have their own apps that you will be installing on the tablet and using those(and other players) you can access the media. I have the older model of the Kingston (functionality is the same though) and I always take it with me on long flights to watch movies and catch up on TV shows on my ipad.

        Even cheaper here: https://www.wireless1.com.au/kingston-mlw221-mobilelite-wire…

        • lette on 13/11/2019 - 16:18

          Legend! Grabbed one at that price and they even had cashback. Thanks that's less than 10% of what I thought I'd be stuck paying.

  • brendanm on 13/11/2019 - 16:35

    Get a genset

    • lette on 13/11/2019 - 21:38

      I have no idea what that is. More info required

      • brendanm on 13/11/2019 - 21:40

        A Genset? It's a generator.

        • Switchblade88 on 13/11/2019 - 22:42

          On a boat? That already has battery + solar? Nah.

          USB-C laptop is ideal, definitely, but as you have seen they're not (yet) an easy find. You'll want anything that lists USB-PD which should ensure USB-C charging.

          Alternatively, I'd suggest a small 150w inverter alongside your 3000w one; that way you can use it with any laptop you like and you're only $20ish out of pocket - and not risking draining your battery in a couple of hours with the big one.

          • lette on 13/11/2019 - 23:18
            +1

            @Switchblade88: I'm not getting a generator. They're pollutive, terribly priced, not good economically and above all else. Insanely loud. We live on this boat. I like quiet. It's why I live on the boat not in one of my rentals.
            Now that's not a bad idea. I have 2 laptops already. Old school AC charger
            How would you wire both the 150 and 3000 at the same time because…fridge…beer…etc. I don't think that'd help unless I upgrade my battery bank. need to be able to have the fridge on for 6 hours a day in to keep temp.

            • lette on 13/11/2019 - 23:30

              @lette: Nevermind. Just got what you meant. Sorry long day racing and I'm the catering officer for the sailing club so doing a lot after too…

              So I'd probably be able to do the fridge on the 250 watt for the hours required and then switch over to laptop. That's not a bad idea if the price is right for a second inverter. Thanks good idea. I was already looking at a 3rd emergency inverter (I have emergency batteries,panels and controllers already. I'm anal) maybe I just buy a smaller one and use it on longer journeys. Thanks

            • brendanm on 13/11/2019 - 23:48

              @lette: Pullutive? I assume your boat has an internal combustion engine to supplement the sails? Loud? You obviously havent dealt with modern gensets in enclosures. I work on a lot of yachts, and anyone doing any expedition or liveaboard stuff has a Genset.

              • lette on 14/11/2019 - 12:03

                @brendanm: Okay. Well how large is this gender and how pricey? And how much deisel does it take? Doesn't seem like the most elegant answer to a small media problem

                • brendanm on 14/11/2019 - 12:55

                  @lette: They range wildly in size and price. I don't know what size boat you have, but I'm assuming it's a monohull. If you are actually going to be using it (not sitting in a marina) a genset is a great backup to have. It's not the small media problem, it's the problem of when you are out at sea and one your other systems fails. Also if you have a/c it's pretty much the only way to run it away from the dock.

          • brendanm on 13/11/2019 - 23:50

            @Switchblade88: Lots of boats with generator, solar and battery banks.

            You know a 3000 watt inverter is simply the capacity? It doesn't use 3000 watts constantly, that is how much it can supply. So if you have a laptop Power supply that only requires 45 watts, that's how much it draws, plus the little bit lost to inefficiency.

            • Switchblade88 on 14/11/2019 - 00:02

              @brendanm: In principle, an inverter will only draw when under load; but in actuality my 360W inverter (drawing 60w for a laptop, so 5A) managed to kill the 10A fuse in my car so there's certainly more draw than I expected.

              @lette, you'd simply wire the inverters in parallel as you would with any other typical 12v device. Then they can turn on and off independently as needed. But if you've got your big inverter running all the time then that's the cheapest and simplest way for laptop charging; just find a laptop with a long battery life irrespective of its charging method.

              Also, you COULD go the traditional route of a USB HDD of movies plugged into a wifi router, running off your inverter too - although that's probably overkill for your needs lol

              • brendanm on 14/11/2019 - 00:08

                @Switchblade88: Of course it will draw more than 5 amps, nothing is 100% efficient. However your inverter must be absolutely useless, 50% efficiency is an absolute joke. Also, my point still stands, a 250 watt inverter with a 60 watt load on it, likely has a very similar current draw to a 3000 watt inverter with a 60 watt load on it.

              • lette on 14/11/2019 - 12:02

                @Switchblade88: From what I've read there's about a 10% constant drain from the inverter. So on a 3000 that's 300 alone. We generally turn her off when we're not using her for this reason. We've just bought one of those wireless flash drives mentioned above I assume the WiFi router does similar? We've got two laptops already…semi decent battery life. Plus the small tablet.

                • brendanm on 14/11/2019 - 13:05
                  -1

                  @lette: There is no 10% constant drain. They are generally 90% efficient, so you will have 10% more power into it than coming out. So 3300 watts in, for 3000 watts out if you are using it at full power. With no load it shouldn't draw more than 1 amp or so, which on a 12v system is approx 12-14 watts.

                  • lette on 14/11/2019 - 14:33

                    @brendanm: That's really good to know. So there's really no need to buy a second or even to turn it off as often as we are. Apart from fire because as easy as it was I'm no electrician and do worry about me having done something not quite right…works well enough at the moment though haha.
                    I think with that wireless card reader someone suggested and my current devices I'll be right for now. When a laptop dies might look into a USB c one then.

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