DC/DC converter education . . where?
OK - the vast majority of electronic equip I have are all battery-power based: laptop, cell phone, bluetooth, tablet, cat-tracker, and portable battery pack. The most power-hungry being the laptop. A...
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I agree with Oldman. While dc/ac/dc could cetainly acrue 30% loss, the amount of power lost is tiny. Much greater power draw would be a cheap "universal" charger that shorts out and fries your $2,000 laptop.
Power bricks are a major profit center for laptop mfrs, and they do all they can to ensure that aftermarket parts won't work right. The fact is that the OEM power brick is a consumable/sacrificial item that helps protect your expensive computer from power surges, spikes, MSW, zombies, etc.
The best way to save power if you're trying to get by on solar is to shut things off whenever possible, as said. I'm aware of plenty of 12V substitues for common appliances, but AFAICT they're generally underpowered, as the wiring fat enough to handle the huge amps involved is too expensive.
Power bricks are a major profit center for laptop mfrs, and they do all they can to ensure that aftermarket parts won't work right. The fact is that the OEM power brick is a consumable/sacrificial item that helps protect your expensive computer from power surges, spikes, MSW, zombies, etc.
The best way to save power if you're trying to get by on solar is to shut things off whenever possible, as said. I'm aware of plenty of 12V substitues for common appliances, but AFAICT they're generally underpowered, as the wiring fat enough to handle the huge amps involved is too expensive.
