Power adapter numbers PA10 and PA12...

on the bottom of my x1210 it says its spec'd for the PA12, but Dell gave me a PA10. I dont have any problems and it seems to be charging just fine, but I know some laptops will give you a warning dialog box when you plug in a charger thats over the W of what is spec'd.

 

ok, dell says the 90w PA10 is fine, maybe charge faster, and as long as the W isnt lower, they are fine. I was a bit paranoid, esp after seeing the blown up older dells They said I can keep the 90w, which is fine, because ill buy a 65w for work. FYI for others...

 

get a slim kensington power brick - real slick looking & light

 

interesting, looks cool, any issues using those on dells?

 

Considering Dells are one of the most popular brands, there shouldn't be a problem. I noticed that amazon.com's merchants have the brick for 30$, while it sells on ebay or from kensington for 80$.

Looks like something you have to comparison shop for.

 

OK, I ran down to Circuit City and bought one of the Kensington 120w AC/DC (Home/Auto/Air) and one 120w DC-only (Auto/Air) charger.

First, I have to say I am impressed by these little (and I mean little) gems. The DC-only one is so small, I can't believe it!

With the N19 tip (available at Circuit City along with dozens of others), it seems to work flawlessly with my Latitude D620. It does charge the battery, not just power the notebook.

Next, I am going to try it on my M1710 (even though the M1710 is rated for a 130W, I'm going to see what happens, as this adapter is close enough to 130W, it should work).

If it does, I'm going to buy the ones from the pricegrabber storefronts for $36 and $32 each (AC/DC and DC-only, respectively), and take back the originals to Circuit City.

They also come with a tip for my iPod and I bought a tip for my Treo 650.

Did I say I was impressed?

 

I tested the Kensington 120W AC/DC on the M1710. There is good and bad news.

First, the bad news--the M1710 won't boot with the charger attached, because it says it isn't 130W.

But, the good news is, once the M1710 is booted, if you connect the charger, it does power and charge the system. BUT, the M1710 also runs at a slower clock speed (1Ghz in my case). I suppose, for a very light and portable charger, it would do the trick when traveling and you need to pack light!

I'm happy with these results! (Not to mention, the same tip works for most of the current Dell models, so I should be good-to-go!)

 

Which specific model did you get?

 

If you are directing this to me, I got them at Circuit City. The 120W AC/DC unit (home/air/auto) is model 38010 and the DC-only (auto/air) is 38007.

Now, you will not find these model numbers on kensington.com, instead they are 33197 and 33196, respectively. I determined the difference is the CC models are the same, but do NOT include ANY tips, whereas the 33197 and 33196 include about 7 tips (including an iPod tip). The CC models are about $10 less. PLUS, CC has a $10 rebate if you buy a tip, basically making the tip FREE.

Your other option is to look on pricegrabber.com. There is a storefront selling refurbs for $40. Direct-shipped from Kensington, with 1 year warranty.

Trust me, these chargers are great!

 

I should say, too, that you shouldn't have any peculiarites with these chargers and your M1210. Since it needs less than 120W, the chargers will work normally with your computer.

The issues I had with my M1710 was because it is rated for a 130W adapter.

 

due to my lack of knowledge in power adapters, Im slightly worried about using non oem chargers...but if it powers the comp and there are no errors, then does that mean its "safe"? Id like to go with this kensington to port around, but just want to make sure there are no side affects. Its one of those paranoid feelings that, if 120w power adapter can be made in this size, why is the dell 90w so huge ? Ill probably give it a shot!

 

Remember Dell adapters are mass produced in China, and the Kensington obviously uses new technology that is their own.

I have seen references to the Kensington adapter being sold by Dell bundled with the correct Dell tips, but all I could find was this one at the Dell UK site:
http://accessories.euro.dell.com/sna/productdetail.aspx?c=uk&l=en&s=dhs&cs=ukdhs1&sku=450-11303
Maybe this will put your mind at ease!

I did confirm (on my D620) that when the Kensington is plugged in, the BIOS screen does show the charger is attached and properly charging the battery.

If I were you, I'd get the refurb ones at the pricegrabber storefront (search for 33196 and/or 33197). They are complete with same warranty, and included tips, for only $40!

 

thx again for the info, that does ease the mind I think ill go with the refurb

 

lancorp: can you tell me what tups are included with the retail charger? Im wondering if I should buy the motorola power tips package now, or wait and see whats in the package...thanks

 

The one from Circuit City has NO tips in it.

The (seemingly) identical retail one with P/N 33197 comes with N1, N2, N3, N4, N5, N9, N15, and J3 (iPod Tip).

I think all the "N" tips are for notebooks. Mobile phone tips start with "M".

 

I ordered the refurb today for my E1705. Thanks for the tip, I had been looking for a spare brick.

-pickles

 

The PA10 PA12 adapter family are interchangeable with some limitations. A computer that is specked for 90W should not be using a 65W adapter as this is a fire hazard, but you can use a 90W adapter for a computer specked for 65W. The key is that the computer itself determines how many watts are used by it's internal resistance. The lower the resistance the more watts that are absorbed, the in voltage is the same for both adapters.

 

Seeing as though this thread is alive again, has anyone tried using the Kensington Chargers with the XPS range?

I'd imagine that it powers, but doesn't charge... Any ideas?

 

The straight 90W PA10 / PA12 adapters do cover some of the XPS range (there is a compatibility table at the link). I am not sure which XPS model you have so... The Kensington model as I understand it will put out up to 120W so it should be no problem from a power standpoint. Their could be a "recognition chip" problem, ie Sony sticks a info lithium chip in their camera batteries to try to prevent generic copies, a battery without the chip does not work. I have not heard of anybody doing this with Adapters though.

 

will the Kensington adapter will be okay for my xps m1330? i got the 90w PA10adapter and i hate it! looking to buy something much smaller, any suggestions??

 

what is the difference between the Kensington 33197 and the 33196?

Thanks
Ktzemail

 

The 33196 is DC only (only works in CAR or AIRPLANE) and is a very small unit, whereas the 33197 is AC/DC and is a larger unit (but still very thin and light).