TYPE-C and USB system for office electronics

[digitalnomad]

I am trying to find the right solution to setup a remote office on a boat.

I am using a MacBook Pro 15 inch 2018 laptop which has the TYPE-C connection for power/charging.

Onto of that I have a bunch of USB and TYPE-C devices power things like mobile wifi etc.

Is there a something which can replace the need for an invertor and standard mac book 240v transformer. I have seen several devices that claim they can power a laptop but not enough to charge it.

My goal is to run an off grid solar system to allow me to work remotely at anchor over the summer months.

Anyone know of a good DC way to achive this?

[bergius]

That’s a good question, I’m also looking for a solution. Maybe a car charger plugged to a 12V cigarette lighter socket would do it?

We worked on board whole last summer, but mostly on shore power.

Here is a GitHub site exploring how to set up a working environment on a sailboat: https://floatingdevs.com/

[digitalnomad]

I was looking at the options and some solar options are available to charge your laptop so its just a matter of getting the right volts and amps... I think its 19.6 volts ... but I am still researching. I think it should be easy to find something which can be adapted.

[fredlinux]

I will try this one:

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/4000249013759.html

[stulk75]

This guy did a DIY, but it was for the older mag safe adapter. Said he had no problems. I’d be concerned about over charging. There is some logic somewhere that reduces the output to a trickle charge once the battery is full. I don’t think that would be in a UBS cable. So either the computer or the transformer.

https://www.bigmessowires.com/2020/0...gsafe-charger/

If I didn’t already have an inverter I’d get a cigarette lighter type and plug the regular laptop power supply into that. The watt output is important on the MacBooks. I have a 16” that uses a different power supply than my 15”. The watts are the difference.

[digitalnomad]

Yes, I spotted the cut and tape method for those older laptops, my wife would need that solution.

Mine is a TYPE-C and I think there are some solutions that work from a rechargable battery. So placing a rechargable battery in between the 12v 100AH battery and the laptop would provide some level of protection.

More research required.

For USB I see that Lindemann have some little transformers in their catalog.

[RickG]

This is what I use: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Cheers, RickG

[bergius]

Originally Posted by RickG

This is what I use: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

That looks pretty similar to what I had in my Amazon wish list waiting for the ice to melt and the season to start.

But 10A draw means one should use pretty thick wires between the 12V plug and the battery, right?

Edit: ok, a wire sizing calculator would give 4mm2 for our cabling lengths. Not too bad, but means the current 2.5mm2 cable would need to be swapped.

[RickG]

Originally Posted by bergius

That looks pretty similar to what I had in my Amazon wish list waiting for the ice to melt and the season to start.

But 10A draw means one should use pretty thick wires between the 12V plug and the battery, right?

I use an Apple OEM USB-C charge cable. The charger does get warm. If you try to charge two laptops on a 15 amp circuit the breaker will trip.

Cheers, RickG

[bergius]

Originally Posted by RickG

I use an Apple OEM USB-C charge cable. The charger does get warm.

I meant between the boat battery and the 12V outlet. But yes, good point also about making sure the breaker is adequate.

[pbiJim]

Some solar controllers have USB charging built-in these days

https://www.amazon.com/SUNYIMA-Contr...894CTHCY&psc=1

The one above is similar to one I bought recently. The charging performance does not seem to be up to normal MPPT standards. I will need to evaluate it more accurately before I can recommend it or bash it with confidence.

[noelex 77]

Originally Posted by bergius

But 10A draw means one should use pretty thick wires between the 12V plug and the battery, right?

The cigarette lighter socket is also a potential bottleneck. Some of these sockets are rated for 10A and a small number are rated as high as 20A, but in practice in a marine environment with a device plugged in (which is also producing heat) anything close to these numbers has the potential to overheat, sometimes dangerously.

Around 5A continuous, maybe 7A with the best sockets, is a more realistic and safe number.

[bergius]

Originally Posted by noelex 77

The cigarette lighter socket is also a potential bottleneck. Some of these sockets are rated for 10A and a small number are rated as high as 20A, but in practice in a marine environment with a device plugged in (which is also producing heat) anything close to these numbers has the potential to overheat, sometimes dangerously.

Yep, I’d much rather have USB-C sockets in the wall directly. We added some 2A USB sockets next to each bunk last summer and that was a huge quality of life improvement. But that’s obviously not nearly enough for a MacBook Pro.

So far the best I’ve found for USB-C sockets is this one at 46W:
https://www.amazon.de/-/en/GemCoo-Ch.../dp/B07NV6XT41

That’s not quite enough for a 15” MBP. It might work for one of those M1 Macs, though?

[dfelsent]

I used this all last summer.

USB-C Laptop CAR Charger Power... https://www.amazon.com/dp/B003FOOY32...p_mob_ap_share

[bergius]

Originally Posted by pbiJim

Some solar controllers have USB charging built-in these days

Looking at the pictures, those are 1A@5VDC USB ports, so 5W. Falls quite a bit short from the about 85W the MacBook chargers put out.

Our LiFePo4 battery also has some USB outlets, but I don’t see us using those either.