Targus Mobile 70 Universal AC/DC Adapter

I have recently purchased a Targus Mobile 70 Universal AC/DC Adapter.

I have discovered that if one tries to use the adapter with an IBM T42, the adapter will not charge or power the notebook unless the power is already on.
If you try to use it with the PC off to charge the unit, the pc BATT LED just flashes. If you disconnect the battery, you cannot power on the PC.

If you insert the tip while the pc is on and running on batt power, the adapter seems to function normally. I did some searches on another forum, and found the same issue listed with the IGO Juice when used with a Toshiba Tecra PC.

I think the IGO, Targus, and Kensington AC/DC adapters are actually the same OEM unit.

Do any other users have any experience with this?


IBM T42
2378-DUU

 

Hi jsmit86,
I have the kensington and it charges as expected, the notebook does not need to be powered on. You said the battery LED flashes, if it is flashing green that means it is charging the battery, if it flashes orange, then it means that charging is needed.

Jack

The color of justice in america is green.
http://pbase.com/joneill

 

is your this one ?

http://www.kensington.com/html/3722.html

model 33069?

It is similar to the Targus
http://www.targus.com/us/product_details.asp?sku=APM10US


I get a rapid yellow flash, but no charging unless my T42 is powered on prior to plugging the unit in.

What Thinkpad model are you using?

IBM T42
2378-DUU

 

I have the 33051 model
http://www.kensington.com/html/1961.html

I use a thinkpad R40 (2897GAU), and have loaned it to a friend with a T42p(2373-HTU)and another with a Dell 600m and it has wrok well for everyone. I do have a problem when using it in my car, I have to position the plug that goes into the lighter just right or it works intermittantly; in my minivan it works fine so I think the lighter hole in the car may be a little too large or something.

Jack

The color of justice in america is green.
http://pbase.com/joneill

 

Your model is DC only.

The unit I have is for AC use, and also for Air or Auto DC use.

I wonder if anyone else has used the AC/DC models?

IBM T42
2378-DUU

 

I used one from iGo a while back. It wasn't enough juice to fully power my Dell i8200, so the notebook had to throttle down when on that adaptor. I wonder if your IBM needs a little more juice and is protecting itself from having too little. What's the IBM power adaptor pulling?

Editor in Chief http://www.bargainPDA.com and http://www.SPOTstop.com

 

The IBM OEM AC unit is 72 watts. The Targus is 70 watts, but I doubt that the 2 watts has anything to do with the issue. Remember that the OEM unit has to be able to run the PC plus charge 2 batteries at once, and I am not doing that, so I do not think I am pulling anywher near 70 watts. I have even used an IBM 56 watt unit, and it powers and charges my T42 OK.

Again, the Targus unit will work as long as my T42 is on when I connect the Targus adapter. In fact, I tried it while my T42 was in suspend mode, and it worked fine. The only issue is that the Targus unit will not work if my notebook is off, or hibernating. If I disconnect the battery, the Targus cannot power the T42 up from a totally dead start.

This may be some kind of design issue, and may have to do with the way the Targus interacts with the power tips to deliver the correct voltage. A Toshiba Tecra user reported the same behavior with an Igo Juice adapter and a Tecra PC. I think the Targus/Kensington/IGO Juice units share the same basic components.

I have emailed Targus user support, and I hope to hear from them.

IBM T42
2378-DUU

 

I have the same problem with my Igo Juice and my Toshiba Libretto L5. If the laptop is off and you plug in the Juice, the laptop constantly cycles on and off. Once the laptop is turned on, it powers and charges as normal. Similarly, when my IPaq is plugged in and fully charged, the Juice will also start to cycle that on and off after a while. Frustrating, but so far I haven't noticed any damage. I have read that the Kensington model is better although I've had a hard time tracking it down and have learned to live with the quirks of the Igo Juice.

 

Hi jsmit86,
The kensington model I have is like you said, it does not run on AC. To do that I just plug the adapter/charger that came with my thinkpad into the wall outlet. The one I have is to charge the battery from the cig lighter of a car or the power outlet of an airliner. I'm confused as to why an AC adapter is needed if you have the original charger?
Anyhow I hope you figure out whatever is not working right.

Jack

The color of justice in america is green.
http://pbase.com/joneill

 

Hi Bootleg!

The reason to have both AC/DC in one unit is to only have to carry one "brick" around the world when I travel. This issue with the Targus is this: If my battery totally goes out for any reason, I cannot power up my t42 with the Targus adapter. [ !]

I got an update today from Targus. Their customer service emailed me and said that they did not have an approved tip for the T42. This is despite the fact that the website lists IBM T series as compatible with tip #4A. [?]

While I was in the office today, I tried the Targus with and IBM T23 and it worked fine!

I would like to know if any other T40 41, or 42 users have had any success with these universal adapters.

IBM T42
2378-DUU

 

Looking back in the thread, I don't think the two watts should cause a problem either. The Igo is rated at 70 and I believe the v505s are 72 or 74 watts. I haven't experienced any problems...yet <knocking on wood>.

The universal adapters are great!! You can carry one 'brick' for multiple machines and/or multiple uses. I can use my IGO to power all of my laptops (except one really old thinkpad), and I use it to charge my cell phone and PDA. The other great thing is that some of these universal adpaters come with the cables/plugs to use power on planes and vehicles. And if you want to impress your boss, keep the tips that match their laptops handy for when they forget their power block. Nothing like asking for a raise while you're saving someones arse.[ ]

 

I am going to try one of the new Kensingtons (AC/DC unit)

I'll post on the results after I get the new unit.

IBM T42
2378-DUU

 

Good luck jsmit86 I'm very happy with mine. If you have time watch for them to go on sale, the one I have lists for like $80 and I picked it up at compusa on sale for about $35 after rebates.

Jack

The color of justice in america is green.
http://pbase.com/joneill

 

Bootleg -

I am getting a unit sent to me directly from Kensington. I know someone there, and I explained the issue I had with the Targus Mobile 70 and my T42, so they are interested in me doing an eval on their unit. I really suspect that I may seem the same issue with all of the Targus/IGO/Kensington units, because they seem to share the same OEM heritage.

What I found interesting is that the Targus worked fine with an older T23, but not with my T42.

I wish I could find out if any users of these AC/DC units are having good results with a T40/T41/T42. My guess is that IBM has made some change to how the T42 manages power. Any data I could gather I can pass along to Kensington.

Again - if any others can report success or failure with the AC/DC units, it would be helpful. [ ]
Make sure to post which PC Model you have.

IBM T42
2378-DUU

 

I recently received the Kensington Model number: 33173 AC/DC Adapter.
While it seems to be almost identical to the Targus unit, It works fine.

All of the Tips, cords etc are interchangable between the 2.
I tested it various ways, and the problem component appears to be the Targus "Brick" unit.

So in summary, the Kensington unit works fine.



IBM T42
2378-DUU

 

Having trouble with the unit when connecting to my new Toshiba Satellite R15 S822. The unit does not seem to be charging, and I cannot figure out what is the meaning of the flashing blue light on the adapter.

When I disconnect it from the laptop, the blue light is steady.
When I connect the laptop, the blue light flashes.
When I disconnect the tip from the cord, the light flahses lightly.

When I connect the adapter to the laptop, the green AC power light flashes, and the orange battery light flashes. They both stop when I disconnect the adapter.
The laptop is basically stuck in sleep mode because of a weak battery.....

Does anyone know what is going on??
I've checked the useless Targus FAQs, which only got me to ensure I have the proper tip (n. 6).

Thanks in advance