* * * * *
Pop goes the car fuse
It doesn't look like I'll be able to use the laptop for wardriving [1].
Mark [2], Kelly [3] and I decided on an impromptu war driving session tonight
(this morning? Ah, the wonders of midnight) starting from Kelly's house. I
had my laptop, Kelly had his (obviously, we were at his house); Mark didn't
have his on hand since the war driving session was pretty much last minute.
As Kelly was downloading yet another wireless monitoring package (for
Windows) to try, we discussed who would drive. We settled on Mark driving
this time, since there were only three of us, and this time I wanted to run a
laptop.
[Fuse from Toyota Camry] [4] Once Kelly finished installing the software, we
arranged ourselves in Mark's car—Mark as driver, Kelly got shotgun, myself in
the back. Mark plugged his inverter into the cigarette lighter; Kelly and I
plugged our laptops into the inverter.
Which promptly died.
The fuse in the inverted was still good. After a few minutes of discussion
about the situation, we came to the conclusion that we may have blown the
fuse on the cigarette lighter. We then abandon Mark's Toyota Camry for my
Chevy Lumina, which last time had no problem running two laptops off the
cigarette lighter. Meant I wouldn't be able to run the laptop, but life is
full of compromises.
We then arranged ourselves in my car—myself as driver, Mark got shotgun (and
my laptop) and Kelly in the back. Mark plugged the inverter in the cigarette
lighter, plugged in the laptops.
The inverter lasted maybe all of five seconds, then died.
More discussion. Since the fuse in the inverter is still good (it's rated at
30 amps) we must have blown the cigarette fuse in my car. Over to the
Wal★Mart Supercenter [5]. In the parking lot we check my car's fuse box and
yup, the cigarette fuse is blown. In the store, fuses, out the store, replace
fuse. Plug in inverter, plug in my laptop—
—and pop goes the car fuse.
Much discussion ensues. Do I want to risk replacing the 15 amp fuse with a 20
amp fuse? 30 amp fuse? We're pretty sure the battery and alternator can
handle the current (later on back at Kelly's Mark checks—yes, the battery and
alternator can handle it) but can the wiring? I decide to risk a 20 amp fuse—
[Fuse #1 From Lake Lumina] [6] [Fuse #2 From Lake Lumina] [7] [Fuse #3 From
Lake Lumina] [8]
—and pop goes the car fuse.
After that, I decide not to take any further risks, which pretty much killed
the night's war driving effort. The power brick for my laptop is just pulling
too much power. About the only thing I can think of next to to remove the
battery since the laptop can run while recharging the battery; not sure if
that will work or not.
[1]
gopher://gopher.conman.org/0Phlog:2003/02/02.1
[2]
http://www.conman.org/people/myg/
[3]
http://www.asperwood.net/
[4]
gopher://gopher.conman.org/IPhlog:2003/02/08/toyota.fuse.jpg
[5]
http://www.walmart.com/
[6]
gopher://gopher.conman.org/IPhlog:2003/02/08/lumina.fuse.1.jpg
[7]
gopher://gopher.conman.org/IPhlog:2003/02/08/lumina.fuse.2.jpg
[8]
gopher://gopher.conman.org/IPhlog:2003/02/08/lumina.fuse.3.jpg
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