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Difference between a X41 56W adapter and 72W?

X20/X21, X30/X31, X40/X41 Series
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nowstime
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Difference between a X41 56W adapter and 72W?

#1 Post by nowstime » Mon Jan 23, 2006 12:53 pm

Hi~

I'm about to get an extra adapter for home and take the portable adpater (56W) on the go...

But what's the difference between a 56W and a 72W...I know the wattage is differrent but does it mean I will get more stable power with the 72W?

Just curious, is it better to have both 56W or 72W rather than mixing it? My guess is consistent power usage...

I'm about to get one from eBay and just wondering what the differences are...

Best wishes
Thinkpad X60 (60GB, 2GB), X6 Ultrabase combo, iPod Video 60GB, Timbuk2 Laptop Sleeve, Logitech V270 BT, in a TUMI Small Expandable Brief...

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#2 Post by jdhurst » Mon Jan 23, 2006 1:14 pm

The power rating has nothing to do with stable power. Both work. The trick is this: You need to use the adapter specified for your laptop. If a 72 watt adapter is specified, a 56 watt adapter does not supply all the power and can overheat. Just use the correctly specified adapter and you will be fine. JD Hurst

DavidNZ
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#3 Post by DavidNZ » Mon Jan 23, 2006 1:15 pm

I use both with my X40 and no problems.
X40 (2371-6EM) w/ 768 RAM
XPP SP2
DLINK DI-614+

alant
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#4 Post by alant » Mon Jan 23, 2006 3:33 pm

I also use both with my X41 and have had no problems.

Regards - Alan.
---

Alan.T

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#5 Post by Grey Area » Mon Jan 23, 2006 4:30 pm

The tabooks have been listing the AC/DC-adapters (slim and regular) as an accessory for the X4*-line, and those have 72W. So I suppose it´s fine as long as the adapter provides at least as much wattage as the originally supplied one.

EDIT:
Oh, and one difference is the size. The 72W-models can be pretty big compared to the 56W.

defiant
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#6 Post by defiant » Mon Jan 23, 2006 8:32 pm

I use both too for my X41T. The 72W stays at home while the smaller 56W goes in my backpack.

mrdeucie
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#7 Post by mrdeucie » Mon Jan 23, 2006 10:29 pm

Stupid question.

Does the 72w power adapter charge quicker than the 56w?
X41 (2525-6HU), 1.5GB RAM, X4 Ultrabase with DVD/CD Burner Combo
Waterfield Sleevecase Vertical Size 4

DavidNZ
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#8 Post by DavidNZ » Mon Jan 23, 2006 11:00 pm

Actually, that's a very good question!

Not sure myself as I'm rarely off of AC power. Sad for a ultraportable, when ya think about it... :)
X40 (2371-6EM) w/ 768 RAM
XPP SP2
DLINK DI-614+

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#9 Post by jdhurst » Mon Jan 23, 2006 11:04 pm

If the laptop is rated for the 56 Watt adapter, then the 72 Watt adapter will not charge quicker. They are both the same voltage and they are different amperages. But as we have noted before in here (Ohm's Law), you *cannot* push power. You can only *draw* it. And a 56 Watt laptop will not draw more power from a 72 Watt adapter than a 56 Watt adapter. And if the laptop is rated at 72 Watts, you can *possibly* overdraw a 56 Watt adapter and cause it to heat and maybe overheat.
... JD Hurst

mrdeucie
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#10 Post by mrdeucie » Mon Jan 23, 2006 11:25 pm

Thanks for the answer JD.
X41 (2525-6HU), 1.5GB RAM, X4 Ultrabase with DVD/CD Burner Combo
Waterfield Sleevecase Vertical Size 4

shinjiplus
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#11 Post by shinjiplus » Thu Mar 09, 2006 10:33 pm

i have a couple other power adaptors from my brother's T42 and my old X20... as long as the power rating on the adaptor is > 56W then they will work just fine with the X41?

zinkpad
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#12 Post by zinkpad » Sun Mar 12, 2006 6:33 pm

I cannot say for the X20 charger but the charger for the T42 can be used with your X41.
shinjiplus wrote:i have a couple other power adaptors from my brother's T42 and my old X20... as long as the power rating on the adaptor is > 56W then they will work just fine with the X41?

Philippe Laurichesse
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Re: Difference between a X41 56W adapter and 72W?

#13 Post by Philippe Laurichesse » Thu Jul 21, 2011 9:03 pm

Searching for my question led me to this thread.

I am at a loss because the 72W and 56W mentioned mean nothing to me. I have several Thinkpad adaptors and want to use one for a newly acquired X41T. But I can't find any mention of W or wattage on any of my adaptors (all IBM/Lenovo OEM). Here's what they say :

Input : 100-240V~ 1.6A-0.8A
50-60Hz
Output : 16V --- 4.5A

Input : 100-240V; 1.5A 50-60Hz
Output : 16V --- 3.5A LPS

The second listing might belong to a X41 non-tablet. Would any adaptor for an X41 or X40 work for a X41T ? Would the first listing also be OK for a X41T ?

Again, I don't know how to know what the watt is for either as there is no mention of it anywhere on the adaptor itself.

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Re: Difference between a X41 56W adapter and 72W?

#14 Post by rkawakami » Thu Jul 21, 2011 10:58 pm

Basic electronics... Watts can be calculated by the following formula: Volt X Current (amps)

For the 16V 4.5A power supply that's 72 watts (16 x 4.5)
For the 16V 3.5A power supply that's 56 watts (16 x 3.5)

Sometimes people refer to this as a 54 watt supply since some of the early adapters were rated for 3.35A (53.6, rounded up to 54).
Ray Kawakami
X22 X24 X31 X41 X41T X60 X60s X61 X61s X200 X200s X300 X301 Z60m Z61t Z61p 560 560Z 600 600E 600X T21 T22 T23 T41 T60p T410 T420 T520 W500 W520 R50 A21p A22p A31 A31p
NOTE: All links to PC-Doctor software hosted by me are dead. Files removed 8/28/12 by manufacturer's demand.

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Re: Difference between a X41 56W adapter and 72W?

#15 Post by Philippe Laurichesse » Fri Jul 22, 2011 2:48 am

I appreciate the detailed reply. I guess I could have looked it up myself. As what it's never as hard as it looks.

So this means that either adaptor I have will work, according to the testimonies in this thread.

However, one last thing I'd like to know, is a flat-on answer to my question of : what is the wattage of the adaptor that originally comes packaged with the X41T ? (I'm going to assume that wattage is the only thing that matters when choosing the right OEM adaptor.)

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Re: Difference between a X41 56W adapter and 72W?

#16 Post by rkawakami » Fri Jul 22, 2011 3:22 am

According to the ltwbook (a document describing system configurations), the original AC adapter that shipped with the X41t was a 56 watt unit. As far as the wattage is concerned, actually you will probably be better off if you look for the current specs, both on the AC adapter and the Thinkpad itself. On the large IBM/Lenovo label on the back of the laptop, there should be both the voltage and current values printed, usually next to the TYPE number. As long as the adapter's current spec is greater than the laptop spec, you should be okay. In other words, if the AC adapter is 4.5A and the laptop has 3.35A, you will not be overexerting the power supply. And it should go without saying that the voltages needs to be the same values :) .

ref: http://www.lenovo.com/psref/pdf/ltwbook.pdf
Ray Kawakami
X22 X24 X31 X41 X41T X60 X60s X61 X61s X200 X200s X300 X301 Z60m Z61t Z61p 560 560Z 600 600E 600X T21 T22 T23 T41 T60p T410 T420 T520 W500 W520 R50 A21p A22p A31 A31p
NOTE: All links to PC-Doctor software hosted by me are dead. Files removed 8/28/12 by manufacturer's demand.

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Re: Difference between a X41 56W adapter and 72W?

#17 Post by Philippe Laurichesse » Sun Jul 24, 2011 11:40 pm

Thanks for your help. I came here seeking advice and answers, and I found them. I will never again be unsure of which adaptor to use. I take off my hat to you.

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