4 Visits, 115Volt outlet will not power Lenovo laptop, Agent says not compatible.

[TEWERT]

I recently bought a 2020 limited 1500, 4 visits to the dealer and Ramcare trying to find a issue, they concluded that my lenovo thinkpad is not compatible.
My laptop only draws 189 watts, 110volts, and 1.5 amps. Dealer found only 93 volts when computer is plugged in. supposed to be 110? isnt that an issue. I can plug into our 2018 2500 Ram and it charges fine.
They say they changed the software between the 2 years and now my laptop is not compatible. I just have to deal with it, cause it works on other stuff, other laptops and phone chargers, so they say its not a lemon cause it works on other devices. I asked them if they had a list on non compatible devices and they said they only have a list on non compatible cellphones. Do i have any options to get them to buy this back or fix the software issue?

 

[Neurobit]

Yep. Dealer is blowing smoke. It should be 110v.
I'd escalate with @RamCares.

Cheers,

 

[dandar]

Sounds like a defective power inverter. It's supposed to put out 110 not 93. In the meantime, try an aftermarket power brick for the Lenovo. It might be more forgiving then your current one.

 

[mikeru82]

Pretty sure Neurobit is right about them blowing smoke, but I'd have a talk with an electrical engineer (since I work with several) before going back in to the dealership. Your laptop charger should work, given the specs you provided. The outlets are rated at 400 watts, so at 110v, it should be able to source 3.6 amps. But AC power isn't as straight forward as DC, your laptop charger is an inductive load, not a straight resistive load. AC power is weird.

 

[Rick J]

The owners manual says:

Power Inverter — If Equipped
If equipped, a 115 Volt (400 Watts Maximum) inverter may
be located inside the center console towards the right hand
side, just under the Wireless Charging Pad (if equipped).
This inverter can power cellular phones, electronics and
other low power devices requiring power up to 400 Watts.
Certain high-end video game consoles exceed this power
limit, as will most power tools.

Center Console Power Inverter Outlet
There is also a second 115 Volt (400 Watts Maximum) power
inverter located on the rear of the center console. This
inverter can power cellular phones, electronics and other low
power devices requiring power up to 400 Watts. Certain
high-end video game consoles exceed this power limit, as
will most power tools.

I'd tell the dealer to make the truck perform to the owners manual specs. Maybe need to escalate. Maybe @RamCares can help.

 

[nburd]

I will try my Lenovo power adapter on my way home. Do some Xmas shopping while going down the road.

 

[TEWERT]

I will try my Lenovo power adapter on my way home. Do some Xmas shopping while going down the road.

Cool. let me know., other 2020 1500s did not work either.

 

[Aseras]

I've run 6 different laptops off my 2020 Longhorns' inverters. Never had a problem.

Your dealer is full of it.

 

[bill-e]

While their rationale isn' totally sound, it could be that your specific power adapter is faulty and drawing too much current and overloading the outlet. Before I went back at them I'd order another adapter from Amazon and try that. If you order a returnable adapter for the test and it works, you keep the adapter, if not you return it.

 

[Malodave]

If you draw too much current , the Voltage will drop as you are seeing with your power Brick.
It could also be the difference from a modified Sine Wave and a Pure Sine Wave output makes
the combo incompatable. I have equipment that needs Pure Sine Wave power to work.

Malodave

 

[nburd]

I tried it with my 66 Watt Lenovo PS for my notebook. I got power for a few seconds and nothing. No charge, no power. My guess is the Lenovo PS does not like inverter power and shuts down. It’s truly an incompatibility. I will try my Dell tomorrow.

 

[nburd]

I guess it’s a known issue. Try an Amazon non lenovo charger. https://forums.lenovo.com/t5/T400-T...-laptop-not-charging-on-inverter/td-p/1787319

 

[TEWERT]

If you draw too much current , the Voltage will drop as you are seeing with your power Brick.
It could also be the difference from a modified Sine Wave and a Pure Sine Wave output makes
the combo incompatable. I have equipment that needs Pure Sine Wave power to work.

Malodave

how woud i tell if its modified or pure?

 

[TEWERT]

While their rationale isn' totally sound, it could be that your specific power adapter is faulty and drawing too much current and overloading the outlet. Before I went back at them I'd order another adapter from Amazon and try that. If you order a returnable adapter for the test and it works, you keep the adapter, if not you return it.

Just ordered a new Power supply cord, from Amazon, Comes in Monday, Not Lenovo but same specs. Fingers crossed.

 

[bill-e]

how woud i tell if its modified or pure?

Usually one would look at the power output with an oscilloscope. Pure would be a nice smooth sine wave and modified would look more like a square wave or a very dirty sine wave.

 

[Aseras]

Laptops use a transformer to take the AC back to DC so pure sine vs modified shouldn't matter nearly as much if there's appropriate capacitance. It would run hotter. Maybe it's tripping thermal protection. I would assume most modern laptops have Active Power Factor Correction, or PFC. but since China bought up IBM thinkpads and rebranded them as lenovo, who knows.

 

[TEWERT]

Just ordered a new Power supply cord, from Amazon, Comes in Monday, Not Lenovo but same specs. Fingers crossed.

IT WORKED, a new power cord, not lenovo brand. Same power requirements but the brand was Superer. Ill just keep that cord in the truck and the lenovo cord in the house. what a pain in the butt.

 

[Aseras]

glad you found something that works for you.

 

[Jtr]

FWIW, my Lenovo runs fine off the front center console. I use a Lenovo 65W Standard AC Adapter (USB Type-C).

 

[Wildlash]

FWIW, my Lenovo runs fine off the front center console. I use a Lenovo 65W Standard AC Adapter (USB Type-C).

Same. The best solution to solve the problem.
Plug the PC in the power first. If that does not work, wait 5 to 10 minutes in case the battery needs to charge to a certain level. Check the power, adapter, and cables:
Verify that the AC power adapter is correct for the system.
Plug the AC adapter into the computer and a power outlet.
If the computer has a power indicator light, check if the light comes on.
Do not use a power bar. Make sure the cable is securely plugged in.
Try a different cable. Try a different outlet.
Does the PC make a sound (for example, fan noise).
If so, check light settings and increase the brightness level. When I bought my laptop here https://thecursedcrusade.com/best-gaming-laptop-under-600/, the people there explained such details to me.