now my lorry only has 2 outlets and both are 24 v, so would i be able to use a 24v to 12 v dropper then plug a 12v inverter in to charge up my laptop. 
here is what im thinking…
with one of these…
the laptop draws 5 amp current so im thinking i should be ok 
but… when i look at this it kinda puts me off.
what do you think.
go to your nearest maplin store and buy one of these then run it through your dropper.
maplin.co.uk/Module.aspx?ModuleNo=223723
do not however try and use it without going through a dropper
I would agree with 2449910.
I used to run my laptop through an 8A dropper (same as the CDC one) and a 120 watt 12 volt laptop charger from Maplin.
The dropper used to occasionally whine a little which suggested it was struggling. My solution was to remove the laptop battery while connected so it wasnt trying to run and charge at the same time.
You would be far better though with a 10A dropper and that 150 watt laptop charger.
I would go for a 24v 300 watt inverter. 1) the more connections you put into an electrical line the greater the chances of heating, connections in sockets are only a point contact and are liable to overheat and 2) The 150 watt inverter I use trips out before it has put a full charge into the laptop, I have a Toshiba satellit pro. and am moving up to a 300 watt inverter.soon
the problem with using an inverter is the amount of power it draws from the battery and also the unpredictable power surges.
I’ve got a 24v 300w inverter that I don’t need now that I have come off the road.
JD, pm me if you’re interested.
i cant hard wire a 24 volt onto the batteries as freightliner arent allowed to add anything extra to the lorries everything has to stay as standard thats why im looking for a plug in.
In my R series Scania I use inverter from Maplins into 12v socket and everything works fine with my laptop… 
ive got 24volt inverter @300amp in my motor dad, it plugs into the ■■■ lighter, never had a problem with it. It runs laptop no problem and runs that 19inch telly/dvd you saw the other day.
i use a standard 24 volt input power supply that you can set to whatever voltage the laptop uses.
in other words straight from 24 volt socket into laptop ,no other droper/inverter required.
got it of ebay for around £25
cgi.ebay.co.uk/Universal-Laptop- … 1|240:1318
might be like what your after
thanks for all you help. today i bought one of these…
seems quite good. me being my impaitent self paid a little bit more than the one shown 
but im up and running now and it will powerful enough for other things aswell.
now im stuck with one of these that i bought of ebay when i was a little bit tipsey 
, i should go ebay when i ■■■■■■ ive told myself that countless times…
thanks 
jessicas dad:
thanks for all you help. today i bought one of these…seems quite good. me being my impaitent self paid a little bit more than the one shown
now im stuck with one of these that i bought of ebay when i was a little bit tipsey
thanks
thats the 24v inverter i got to run my laptop.cost me £45 a year ago and works a treat
kindle530:
ive got 24volt inverter @300amp in my motor dad, it plugs into the ■■■ lighter, never had a problem with it. It runs laptop no problem and runs that 19inch telly/dvd you saw the other day.
Blimey thats 7.2 kW 
sure you dont mean 300W ?
Seriously though your natural dc voltage on a lorry is 24V so it is more efficient to use 24V accessories, to go from 24 V dc to 12V dc to 230V ac will cause more drain on the battery than 24 V dc straight to 230 V ac this is due to the losses inherant in any change of Voltage.
i bought a 300w inverter and it wouldn’t quite power my 15v 5amp laptop, it flicked on and off. so i bought a adapter the same as the maplin one except it was about 50 notes!!! and run it through the 12v socket. or if there wasn’t a working one i had a length of wire rigged up with crocodile clips at one end and a cig lighter socket at the other - never stuck!
stevie
jessicas dad:
thanks for all you help. today i bought one of these…seems quite good. me being my impaitent self paid a little bit more than the one shown
I use a 24 volt, 150 watt version of that make to run my laptop and it works a treat. Doesn’t seem to knock much out of the batteries either as I fell asleep with it, and the laptop, on the other night which means it was on for about 11 hours in total and truck started no problem.
of anyones looking for a cheap inverter it might be worth going to Exeter services
the CB hut has signs all over it saying 50% off everything
Coffeeholic:
jessicas dad:
thanks for all you help. today i bought one of these…seems quite good. me being my impaitent self paid a little bit more than the one shown
I use a 24 volt, 150 watt version of that make to run my laptop and it works a treat. Doesn’t seem to knock much out of the batteries either as I fell asleep with it, and the laptop, on the other night which means it was on for about 11 hours in total and truck started no problem.
i did that a few weeks back, makes for a very worrying time from realization to start up
stevie
Coffeeholic:
I use a 24 volt, 150 watt version of that make to run my laptop and it works a treat. Doesn’t seem to knock much out of the batteries either as I fell asleep with it, and the laptop, on the other night which means it was on for about 11 hours in total and truck started no problem.
have you not set your laptop to shut down after a few hours of inactivity? if you do this it wont take anymore charge from the battery after a few hours as your laptop will charge and then stop drawing power. or set it to go to sleep after an hour, a swipe of the mouse pad and its up and running again with nothing lost!
JD - have you used the tomtom yet? is it all ok for you?
Giblsa:
JD - have you used the tomtom yet? is it all ok for you?
is it ok
its beauty loads better than my garmin nuvi250 more info on it plus ive down loaded a couple of voices mike strutter but i wont repeat what he says on here plus a jamican yardie which makes me laugh everytime i come to a roundabout.
yes its spot on battery life is a bit poor but ive just set up charger lead so i can just plug it in.