Laptop replacment charger, diff. voltage

Banzai_Joe · 15 Jan 2010 at 11:02

Hi folks,

I have a FS Amilo Pro V2030 that has a 19v 3.42a power adaptor. However its knacked. I have an official FS 20v 3.24a (note the difference in ampage as well as voltage) adaptor going spare.
Do you think its ok to use? I tried it last night and it certainly powers the laptop. I just told the user that if it starts to overheat or 'act funny' then to shut it down and let me know.

I would have thought it was ok, but can anyone confirm.
Buying a new one is an option, but its an old laptop now and doesn't warrant spenditure if it can be avoided.

Thanks

beermonster · 15 Jan 2010 at 12:15

yes it should be fine, but might charge the battery a little slower but i doubt you'd notice.

Banzai_Joe · 15 Jan 2010 at 12:16

battery is fubar anyway, lol. Thanks for the reply.

DUB<^>STEP · 15 Jan 2010 at 12:43

I can say that I reckon you'll be fine with that charger.. 25v than i start worrying.

bees · 21 Jan 2010 at 22:22

it would be better if you use original charger and voltage. you could use a bigger amps than standard but not a different voltage and smaller amps.

beermonster · 21 Jan 2010 at 22:30

Difference between 19v and 20v is negligible we regularly substute them with no problems whatsever.

JonJ678 · 21 Jan 2010 at 23:30

I vote for no. It'll kill it. Not immediately however, it'll work fine when you first try it. Probably work for 4 or 6 months, but less than a year. Then it'll refuse to turn on, and it'll be later diagnosed as a dead motherboard.

In the lab, sure. It's very unlikely to kill a laptop within a day or so. But for continual use, don't do it if you value the laptop.

beermonster · 21 Jan 2010 at 23:38

JonJ678 said:
I vote for no. It'll kill it. Not immediately however, it'll work fine when you first try it. Probably work for 4 or 6 months, but less than a year. Then it'll refuse to turn on, and it'll be later diagnosed as a dead motherboard.

In the lab, sure. It's very unlikely to kill a laptop within a day or so. But for continual use, don't do it if you value the laptop.

The hundreds of psu's we supply a week would suggest otherwise.

Rroff · 21 Jan 2010 at 23:55

Most electronic devices are designed to run within a +/- 5 or 10% tolerance anyhow so it probably wouldn't be a problem - but the lower amperage might result in a knackered power supply down the line if it was cutting it close.

Banzai_Joe · 22 Jan 2010 at 08:02

Thanks for the replies guys. Is the diff between 3.42A and 3.24A really a potential problem? The diff is 0.18A, which is approx. 6.25% of 3.24A (i think)
But the extra 1v which = approx 5% is fine then.

Rroff · 22 Jan 2010 at 15:38

see post below

Rroff · 22 Jan 2010 at 15:41

Amperage shouldn't be a problem - they are both designed for ~65watt anyhow... so all that would happen is the voltage would drop slightly - which wouldn't be a problem

19v * 3.42a = 64.98 watt
20v * 3.24a = 64.8 watt