Unfortunately this sort of thing IS going to be expensive for THREE reasons.
The first is the sheer amount of current, 3.51A is not that much, but it is
on the high side for using anything cheap. The second, and perhaps more
important element is the fact that it requires a voltage HIGHER than that
being asupplied to the adapter. This immediately rules out the "easier"
methods of voltage conversion. And third, since it is feeding a computer
conceivably the supply must provide a very clean current, again not easy to
do. You might be lucky and find one for a cheaper price, but unfortunately I
believe that the $80 solution might be the only one available to you, IF you
want to do this directly, there is an alternative. Do you have an AC adapter
for the laptop? If so then you can get away with buying an inverter, it
doesn't need to be very high in wattage, 100W would be enough, you should be
able to find one of those for a reasonable price, plus it has many other
uses! :) TTYL

> -----Original Message-----
> From: PCBUILD - Personal Computer Hardware discussion List
> [mailto:[log in to unmask]]On Behalf Of Mark Rode
> Sent: Monday, August 20, 2001 15:53
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Subject: [PCBUILD] 12 volt adaptor for Dell laptop
>
>
> I own a Dell Latitude CP.  The specification sheet shows my existing AC
> adaptor outputting 20 volts and 3.51 A (continuous).
> I am looking for an inexpensive adaptor that will allow me to
> directly plug
> my laptop into my trucks power station. Dell sells very expensive adaptors
> so I am looking for a third party solution. I have found one at Dalco but
> it is in the 80 dollar range and works on both planes and cars which is
> beyond my requirements and a lot more then I want to spend.
>
> Has anybody found a auto adaptor for a Dell Latitude that works well at a
> reasonable price?
> thanks
>
> Mark Rode
>
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