How to get leisure battery to work

[WITCHY]

Hello all.. no ehu..want to use laptop..battery hopeless in that so want to use leisure battery...problem...electric sockets not working...hence no laptop...do I need to do something to the leisure battery...as you can see...from pics of panel..there seems to be enough charge...

is there a switch somewhere that I'm suppose to switch on ..any help gratefully appreciated...

 

[rb62]

Unless you have an inverter fitted the 240v sockets won't work.

 

[Cush]

Do you mean the 240v 3 pin plugs? They will only run off ehu unless you fit an inverter

Edit rb62 got there first. Do you have a 12 supply for the laptop?

 

[AdrianChen]

We used a Lavolta 12v charger for our ancient laptop, but without one of those types, you will need an inverter to run a 240v 3pin charger from the batteries.

The 12v types may be a little more efficient, but a small inverter would power other stuff as well....

 

[pappajohn]

An inverter connects to your battery and changes the battery voltage to 230v mains voltage to the 3 pin sockets.
The small 12v sockets will always be 12v sockets whether on hookup or not.

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[PlacidoD]

Plug one of these into your cab cigarette lighter socket and recharge the Notebook PC via the USB C socket on your PC.

Amazon.co.uk

No need for you mains 3 pin PSU.

That would charge your PC off the starter battery. That will almost certainly require you to turn on the ignition and you may be advised to run the engine a bit (Not ideal)

Assuming you have a 12V cigarette lighter socket you can do the same from that socket thus taking power off the leisure battery rather than the starter battery.

I don't know your van but if it has USB A sockets in the hab area it will not be possible to charge direct from them given their limited output.

 

[autorouter]

no ehu..want to use laptop..battery hopeless in that so want to use leisure battery.

Does your laptop require a USB-C type of input, or is it one of those that has a mains-powered charger that supplies 19V or 20V?

For a USB-C type, the adapter in PlacidoD's link above should be OK. For the other type, you can get a Car Adapter that plugs into a cigarette-lighter socket, and has a number of interchangeable tips to suit the laptop power input socket. It boosts the 12V battery supply to 19V or 20V so it is suitable for the laptop.

If you look at the label on the laptop mains charger, it will tell you the power required - usually about 65W, but some are a bit more. If you buy a car adapter that is the same or higher power, it will be OK. Something like this:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Zolt-Universal-Charger-Adapter-Toshiba/dp/B0CJJHJJ29/?tag=mhf04-21

Do you have any 12V sockets running from the leisure battery? Motorhomes sometimes have the smaller-sized Hella (DIN) sockets already installed. You can get adapters to power something that requires a cigarette-lighter socket.

If you haven't got any 12V sockets running off the leisure battery, it's usually fairly simple to install some, with an inline fuse. Useful for all kinds of things, including USB adapters for charging phones etc.

 

[pat100]

If your van has a 12v socket, plug in a USB converter and charge from that as above. One with a USB “C” outlet would probably be best. If you have “ordinary” USB “A” sockets they probably won’t provide sufficient current. (Though even “C” might not be sufficient)
Note that most 12V cigarette lighter sockets in the cab usually don’t work with the ignition turned off. The best long term solution is to fit an inverter. Which also means that you can have “proper” toast!

 

[the1andonly]

What is manufacturer of Laptop? Is this relevant yes if its a HP that has a 3 pin connector on the 240V adaptor (+19V, 0V ,sence) It checks for HP manufactured products. One old HP required HP 240V my Fujitsu worked off a maplin 12V brick. My new HP has a USB C port but will not charge even with expensive 100W adaptors (2 tried) and rope like cables (beefy enough to anchor ships). HP doccumentation is not clear as to which models can and cannot charge via usb c. I was forced to get a new Sine wave inverter MSW wasnt up to the job either.

 

[WITCHY]

Does your laptop require a USB-C type of input, or is it one of those that has a mains-powered charger that supplies 19V or 20V?

For a USB-C type, the adapter in PlacidoD's link above should be OK. For the other type, you can get a Car Adapter that plugs into a cigarette-lighter socket, and has a number of interchangeable tips to suit the laptop power input socket. It boosts the 12V battery supply to 19V or 20V so it is suitable for the laptop.

If you look at the label on the laptop mains charger, it will tell you the power required - usually about 65W, but some are a bit more. If you buy a car adapter that is the same or higher power, it will be OK. Something like this:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Zolt-Universal-Charger-Adapter-Toshiba/dp/B0CJJHJJ29/?tag=mhf04-21

Do you have any 12V sockets running from the leisure battery? Motorhomes sometimes have the smaller-sized Hella (DIN) sockets already installed. You can get adapters to power something that requires a cigarette-lighter socket.

If you haven't got any 12V sockets running off the leisure battery, it's usually fairly simple to install some, with an inline fuse. Useful for all kinds of things, including USB adapters for charging phones etc.

This is my laptop..as you can see..lead..

but only have this 1 for leisure battery..confused..when engine off. And no hook up..I tried putting the fridge on L/ battery and nothing...as can see from the panel pics there seems to be plenty of charge in battery..so am I missing a switch somewhere..also where or how would a inverter work so that maybe could get laptop with 3 pin to use in normal socket..sorry ic this all sounds complicated..

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[Cush]

I would bet that your fridge only works off 12v when driving. Normally need ehu or gas when parked. Do you have a pic? A fridge would empty a 12v battery quickly. Ask as many questions as you need. You are not the first to think that all plugs should run off the battery.

Looks like you laptop transformer steps 240v down to 20v. This would be too much for a direct connection to the 12v system. Others more knowledgeable will input on this.

 

[Cush]

An inverter will connect to the leisure batter and turn the direct current in to alternating current to a voltage similar to what you get from a wall socket at home. You would probably need a pure sine wave inverter to run sensitive electronics like a laptop. If this is something you are interested in, and good charging upgrades there will be lots of advice available. Also some good professional fitters on the forum. You will have plenty of charge in the battery as you are probably not using much.

What is your set up? Battery type? Capacity? Solar?

 

[headlight]

View attachment 973192
This is my laptop..as you can see..lead..View attachment 973193but only have this 1 for leisure battery..confused..when engine off. And no hook up..I tried putting the fridge on L/ battery and nothing...as can see from the panel pics there seems to be plenty of charge in battery..so am I missing a switch somewhere..also where or how would a inverter work so that maybe could get laptop with 3 pin to use in normal socket..sorry ic this all sounds complicated..

More than likely that your fridge will only run on 12v with the engine running so if you are not on EHU you need to run it on gas.
That 12v outlet is designed to take a clipsil plug and is normally a 12v supply for a TV. Probably rated at 4or 5 amps max.
This is a clipsil plug.
I am using it to power a double USB outlet to charge phones/tablets.

 

[ChrisL]

One of these should run your laptop.

Laptop Car Charger 90W 20V 4.5A Power Adapter for Lenovo Thinkpad Notebook BE | eBay

Square Plug ( for Lenovo Thinkpad). -Power: 90W. Sound insulation,high-frequency converter of 100% vacuum impregnation;. 2,new style:unique appearance,Elegant materials.

www.ebay.co.uk

 

[autorouter]

There are two possible ways to run your laptop from the 12V leisure battery. That 2-pin socket is 12V from the leisure battery, and is called a Clipsal socket. You will need an adapterto convert it to the more standard 12V socket found in most vehicles, ie a cigar socket. Something like this:

Amazon.co.uk

Once you have that adapter, you can get a 12V car laptop adapter that will power your laptop. Such as the one linked in my post #7, or the one in ChrisL's post above.

An alternative is to get a small inverter, say 150W. An inverter is a device that converts 12V DC battery power to standard mains 240V AC power. You can get them in different sizes, from about 100W up to 3000W or more. Anything bigger than about 150W needs to be wired directly to the leisure battery, via a big fuse. but a 150W inverter will probably run OK from that 12V Clipsal socket, via the adapter. It should run your laptop OK, but probably wouldn't run anything that took the whole 150W power of the inverter - probably the fuse would blow in the Clipsal socket circuit.

Those 12V car laptop adapters are fine, I always use one for my old laptop when I am in the motorhome. It's a bit more efficient than an inverter, so on the whole I prefer them to an inverter.

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[WITCHY]

An inverter connects to your battery and changes the battery voltage to 230v mains voltage to the 3 pin sockets.
The small 12v sockets will always be 12v sockets whether on hookup or not.

Recommendation on inverter please...and hope it comes with instructions ...and where to put the inverter...my battery is under passenger seat..

 

[WITCHY]

There are two possible ways to run your laptop from the 12V leisure battery. That 2-pin socket is 12V from the leisure battery, and is called a Clipsal socket. You will need an adapterto convert it to the more standard 12V socket found in most vehicles, ie a cigar socket. Something like this:

Amazon.co.uk

Once you have that adapter, you can get a 12V car laptop adapter that will power your laptop. Such as the one linked in my post #7, or the one in ChrisL's post above.

An alternative is to get a small inverter, say 150W. An inverter is a device that converts 12V DC battery power to standard mains 240V AC power. You can get them in different sizes, from about 100W up to 3000W or more. Anything bigger than about 150W needs to be wired directly to the leisure battery, via a big fuse. but a 150W inverter will probably run OK from that 12V Clipsal socket, via the adapter. It should run your laptop OK, but probably wouldn't run anything that took the whole 150W power of the inverter - probably the fuse would blow in the Clipsal socket circuit.

Those 12V car laptop adapters are fine, I always use one for my old laptop when I am in the motorhome. It's a bit more efficient than an inverter, so on the whole I prefer them to an inverter.

Thankyou for all your help and links to what to get and where to buy..you have been so helpful.

 

[autorouter]

I tried putting the fridge on L/ battery and nothing...as can see from the panel pics there seems to be plenty of charge in battery..so am I missing a switch somewhere..

As others have said, the fridge doesn't normally run off the leisure battery, it usually only runs off 12V while the engine is running, powered by the alternator. A fridge will flatten a battery in a few hours. Usually here is an arrangement that automatically enables the fridge when the engine starts, and disconnects it when the engine stops. When stopped, with no EHU, it normally runs off gas. When EHU is available it will run off EHU mains, of course.

 

[Just smiffy]

A battery bank may work out easier for you

 

[hja]

A battery bank may work out easier for you

Yes we have got a Ecoflow River 2 which has enough power to charge OH’s lap top which usually charges via 240 and also the batteries to our small mobility scooters. It was small enough both physically and weight wise.

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