Mix 'n' match laptop power supplies
benjus
Forumite 5.4K Posts
in Techie Stuff
My wife and I have had quite a few laptops over the years, and we've ended up with a little collection of power supplies.
In the past I've been fairly free about mixing and matching power supplies, as long as the voltage and polarity matched. It's useful to have a few power supplies positioned strategically around the place.
However I've just bought a shiny new Toshiba laptop with a nice spec which I paid quite a lot for, and obviously don't want to ruin it. It came with a power supply rated at 19V, which I've actually measured at 19.4V (without load).
I've also got an HP power supply lying around which is also rated at 19V but I've measured at 20V. I've put on the correct plug for the new laptop and tried it briefly and it seemed fine. The HP power supply is rated at a lower current than the Toshiba one, but it seemed sufficient to power the laptop and didn't overheat.
So - how much of a risk do you think it is to use this HP power supply with the Toshiba? Ideally I'd like to have one power supply permanently set up at my "desk" with the cables hidden inside the furniture, and another power supply for carrying around. But of course I don't want to damage the thing.
In the past I've been fairly free about mixing and matching power supplies, as long as the voltage and polarity matched. It's useful to have a few power supplies positioned strategically around the place.
However I've just bought a shiny new Toshiba laptop with a nice spec which I paid quite a lot for, and obviously don't want to ruin it. It came with a power supply rated at 19V, which I've actually measured at 19.4V (without load).
I've also got an HP power supply lying around which is also rated at 19V but I've measured at 20V. I've put on the correct plug for the new laptop and tried it briefly and it seemed fine. The HP power supply is rated at a lower current than the Toshiba one, but it seemed sufficient to power the laptop and didn't overheat.
So - how much of a risk do you think it is to use this HP power supply with the Toshiba? Ideally I'd like to have one power supply permanently set up at my "desk" with the cables hidden inside the furniture, and another power supply for carrying around. But of course I don't want to damage the thing.
Let's settle this like gentlemen: armed with heavy sticks
On a rotating plate, with spikes like Flash Gordon
And you're Peter Duncan; I gave you fair warning
On a rotating plate, with spikes like Flash Gordon
And you're Peter Duncan; I gave you fair warning
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Replies
The Toshiba one is 120W while the HP one is 90W. I'm not worried about how fast it charges as it will be plugged in most of the time.
On a rotating plate, with spikes like Flash Gordon
And you're Peter Duncan; I gave you fair warning