[Talespinner]

Just wondering if there has been any advancement on this. I see Apple is still only offering the airline adapter which won't work on the boat. Has any third party filled in the gap by providing one of these? It seems that running my MacBook on the inverter uses a couple of amps/hour more than my old Powerbook did plugged directly into a 12-volt receptacle via a Lind adapter. I think you lose something every time you step the power up or down.

Christine

[Terry Etapa]

Here's a solution: http://mikegyver.com/IdeasnProducts/Kens...index.html

[boatmonkey]

Also you will find a solution at www.powermymac.com but I like the Mike Guyver solution as an all in one solution

[jlebens]

After doing a lot of homework, I agree the Mikegyver solution is the most straightforward and energy efficient option. You might ask about refurbished units to save a little money. I also opted for the most basic product they have - I don't need adapters for airlines, etc.

[ActiveCaptain]

Has anyone tried this 12v MacBook/Pro charger:
http://www.hyperdrive.com/HyperMac-Pure-...bp-car.htm

It looks like it has the specs but I'd really like to know the minimum DC voltage that it will work with.

[Eric Frank]

I have used the Mikegyver solution for more than 2 years with no problems, in both ship and car. It is cheaper than the one you are mentioning.

[ActiveCaptain]

That Mikegyver site is quite hard to figure out. Did you get his "The Mikegyver Power Travel Kit" called his "Our Good selection"? That costs $165 without the exchange which isn't bad and of course, the exchange brings the price down to something very reasonable.

It's unclear to me how it works. Is it a small inverter or does it charge directly from 12v DC without going to AC at all?

[ebgb]

my macbook power supply just died, well it didn't die as such, the cable where it exits the power supply was frayed to the point of no return

brand new mac book pro power supply from ebay cost me 20 quid

also bought a universal 12v in car laptop power supply from ebay for a fiver. cut the frayed wire off the old PSU, fitted it to the 5 quid universal supply, and hey presto, a 12v charger with a magsafe plug

for 25 quid its worth buying a brand new mac book psu and cheapo adapter and doing a bit of butchery

[FF44]

You can choose this BEST on their refurbished store for $120

[dutyhog]

Does anyone know if Kensington tips also fit onto the Targus power adaptors ? I want to make up an adaptor for a MacBook with a Targus, and also one for an old iBook (24V?) to leave on the boat, and I think I can still get an N16 Kensington tip for the iBook.
Gordon

[dutyhog]

I've discovered that tips differ between manufacturers, and between models of power adaptors. I got an old iGo 70W adaptor on eBay with tips I can use for the Magsafe connector, and am waiting for a tip I found on eBay (in Texas) for the old iBook. I hope it will all work, and that 70W will be enough for my MacBook Pro (I assume I'll need to set Energy Saver to something economical, use low screen brightness and keep the battery charged well at home before going to the boat. Gordon

[davejack]

Currently available from Other World Computing:

http://eshop.macsales.com/item/Other%20W...ADPTMSC60/

I think this does the job for $30

David.

[ActiveCaptain]

I think this does the job for $30

They say it's only for the 13" MacBook Pro. I think the 15" and 17" need more power.

I've been a liveaboard now for 4+ months and I've been just using AC. It's a little more obnoxious because it requires running the system-wide inverter but it has worked pretty well. I can't complain. My general mode is to charge up the MacBook Pro whenever the generator is running and then use it on batteries as needed. If it gets low in-between generator runs, I use the inverter. We have a true sign Magnum inverter that seems to work well with the normal MacBook power adapter.

[FF44]

They also have a 85W.