GenVibe - Community for Pontiac Vibe Enthusiasts

I'm thinking about plugging about 2 labtops and a wireless router in. Would this be possible? And, how about other cars in general.. could I use some sort of convertor to turn the cigarette lighter outlight into a power source - and then would that also be able to support at least 2 labtops?

just to be clear, the car would be running while using the 2 labtops. And I would consider driving the car a bit (with everything unplugged) just to be safe (as not to end up losing all battery power and not being able to start the car).

ALSO, just in case this is all relevant - I'm looking at one of the chargers I would use to plug a labtop into the powerstrip (which I would initially plug into the vibe), and I'm seein' an INPUT of 100-240 V, 1.5 A and an OUTPUT of 19.5 V and 3.34 A.I guess another important detail I sort of alluded to is that I would be splitting the outlet with a powerstrip. Once again, there would be two things plugged in: 2 labtops with similar specs mentioned above, and one wireless router (the specifics of which I run and get if I get the 'vibe' (hah) that this idea will work).

The AC outlet in the Vibe/Matrix has pretty limited power. AIRC, it's only supposed to be used for up to about 100W (just under 1 Amp). So even your single power supply with an input of up to 1.5 Amps is a little over the rating (but will probably work) - two of those plus a router is really pushing things.You can buy power "inverters" that convert 12 VDC to 110 VAC from a variety of sources. Radio Shack and other electronics supply places carry them and they're also pretty readily available from auto/RV/boating supply places. But if you want to power a much higher capacity inverter (say for a few hundred Watts), you'll need to draw a higher current at 12VDC than most cigarette lighter outlets can handle. Most are limited to around 10 - 20 Amps at 12 VDC, or about 100 - 200 Watts. For bigger inverters you should run a separate 12VDC circuit directly from the battery. Be sure you include an appropriate size fuse in this wiring so you don't damage anything in the event of a short or other failure.

I know my dell's power supply is 65W, many I've seen are 90W, I suspect some may also run as high as 120W. You'll likely only be able to power one computer with the in-dash outlet. As others have said, if you have a consistent need to run 2 notebooks and a router, invest in a plug-in inverter for your outlet that will let you run additional wattage.Make sure if you do opt to purchase an inverter you total the WATTAGE needs of all devices you plan to plug in at the same time, and make sure your purchased inverter can put out the needed watts.

My Gateway "laptop" is 65w as well.+1 for a second inverter

Yes, get another inverter, they are cheaper than trying to replace the one in the dash.Going war driving are we?

Most laptops are between 45 and 70W. The router is probably another 80W. That puts you over, but don't just start plugging inverters into the 12V plugs. If this will be a frequent or permanent installation, you should consider a dedicated circuit just for these applications. Otherwise, you can damage the wiring for the other power outlets (I believe they are all on the same circuit).