How to charge a computer without the charger? Effective methods to be applied
How to charge a laptop without a charger?
Your laptop battery shows 15% charging. You’ve left a laptop charger, or it has been broken. Don’t worry! There are some methods to keep your laptop charged, even if you don’t have a laptop charger.
The process of charging a laptop without a charger is a quite difficult, but doable task. In this article, we will tell you about possible ways to charge your laptop, if there is no native and, importantly, a serviceable power adapter.
A list of effective ways to charge your laptop without a charger
Have you ever been in a situation with your laptop battery is about to die, and a laptop charger was left? It’s not the end of the world if you know how to charge your laptop.
There are many ways to be used instead of a laptop charger, such as using a power bank, having an extra piece of laptop battery, a car battery, and others.
- Using a power bank
Most people prefer this method because it is the most convenient way to charge a laptop without a charger. A power bank is essentially a portable power source for most laptops. All you have to do is to plug your laptop without a charger into the portable power bank using USB-A or USB-C port and charge the laptop.
But power banks have to be charged too.
When a power bank runs out of power, you will no longer be able to use it to charge your laptop.
Therefore, you must be sure that your power bank is always kept charged, and you can take it whenever you need.
And it is equally important that a power bank is suitable to charge your laptop. Most power banks haveonly a 5V USB output, whereas a laptop requires a higher voltage of about 16V-20V.
When choosing the right power bank to charge your laptop, you must consider 3 things: the power output, the capacity of a battery, and the ports.
- Using your smartphone
New mobile phones are being developed to serve as power banks on laptops. They are only good at giving your laptop without a charger a full 30 minutes of use. It’s also best when there is no power source nearby. Connect your phone to the USB Type-C connector and start to charge your laptop and tablet.
Typically, this method is employed in emergencies as the first option. Generally, mobile phones work as battery backups that supply power for laptops.
Your phone won’t power a laptop for long for an obvious reason. A dead phone battery essentially becomes more catastrophic if you don’t have your phone charger or a power bank with you.
- Using or buying a universal adapter
This can be a perfect alternative if you have a laptop without a charger. Universal adapters include multiple interchangeable charging tips that can accommodate numerous brands.
A universal power adapter is not similar to a power adapter that supplies your laptop. The most noticeable difference is that after-sale adapters include a variety of tips. Each tip has a unique fitting to accommodate as many devices as possible. Manufacturers use a range of voltages, and varied sizes help prevent connectivity between incompatible components.
Hence, you can use it to charge your laptop. A universal adapter functions just like a laptop charger, allowing you to use your laptop while it charges. With that in mind, remember to monitor voltage and amperage to avoid overheating your system or batteries.
- Using externally charged laptop batteries
Using external batteries is another clever idea of how to charge your laptop without a charger. If your laptop is unable to use its power source, it’s a good choice for a battery saver. If your laptop has a battery, you can use it with an external battery charger. These external laptop batteries have light indicators that can detect battery levels.
External batteries are connected to the wall, and this allows you to place a laptop battery in an external battery charger. It allows charging your laptop with spare batteries simultaneously. Some laptop manufacturers even made charging cables specifically for their brands.
Before buying, make sure that the battery is equipped with the AC adapter port. You can recharge the backup battery externally while using the old battery running out of power without affecting your important tasks.
- Charging your laptop with a Type-C USB port
All laptops have a USB port, and most laptop USB ports cannot be used for charging. It is only designed to turn off the power, used to charge other small devices such as phones, etc., as well as to transfer data between two devices. Most laptops have Type-A ports, but as you know, the latter have Type-B and Type-C USB ports that allow you to charge a laptop via a USB cable.
The USB ports have a modern design with an unusual appearance. Type-C USB port contains USB-C connectors of similar size to micro-USB connectors. The USB Type-C port has an oval shape. Type-C ports support USB technology and allow data transfer at speeds exceeding 200 gigabits per second.
Type-C USB ports have many features of other USB types as well. However, a crucial component of the USB Type-C port is providing power output as well. This function allows you to charge laptops without using any specific manufacturer charger.
This charging technique requires a power bank and a USB-type C connector. The laptop can be connected using the Type-C USB plug in the power bank. Most laptops run on eight to 12-volt power, while USB ports only provide 5 volts.
- Using a car battery
If you travel a lot, it can be useful for you to charge your laptop without a wall outlet. All cars nowadays allow you to charge compact devices like cameras, phones, tablets, and so on. Some cars even boast wireless charging plates to charge high-end smartphones.
The first method is using a cigarette lighter charging adapter.
It allows you to charge a laptop without a charger in the car from the cigarette lighter or ensure its operation from the onboard network. It can convert the voltage of 12 V from a car cigarette lighter to an alternating one, and then re-convert (that is, increase) it to those values of constant voltage at which it is possible to work or replenish the energy of a portable PC.
The second method to charge your laptop in a car is using a 12-220 V power inverter.
An inverter is a DC—to-AC converter, and the value of the voltage varies. Compact 12-220 V inverters are used to connect to the vehicle’s on-board network, which not only charges portable PCs directly from the “native” charger (there is a 220 V socket on the body of such an inverter) but also makes it possible to connect various low-power household appliances.
You can try charging your laptop from a car battery. Yes, it sounds pretty crazy, but sometimes you have to go to extreme measures!
Thanks to an inverter, you can power anything that requires a voltage of up to 300 watts, which will be more than enough to charge a laptop!
This method from a car battery has a drawback since the inverter is a fairly large device.
Technical features of charging a laptop from a cigarette lighter
The features of chargers are determined by the voltage parameters in the laptop and car. A passenger car gives a voltage of 10-12 volts. Laptop parameters depend on the specific model and manufacturer.
The output voltage of the laptop is in the range of 15-25 Volts, with a current of 5-8 amperes.
For it to be enough to charge, you will need a device that increases the voltage to the required values. It is according to these principles that we will look for an adapter. It is advisable to choose a device designed for a specific company.
The device for charging from the car’s cigarette lighter socket should solve three tasks:
- converting DC voltage to AC,
- increasing voltage,
- connecting a laptop through a cigarette lighter socket.
In trucks, the voltage is higher and is 25 Volts. They require other adapters.
Can I charge my laptop from a USB?
If the computer comes with a built-in USB-C cable, the charger must be plugged into the USB port. You can easily charge a laptop without a charger from a USB. Many notebooks use USB-C cables for charging.
Laptops can also be charged using HDMI. In this case, in combination with the USB-C type. The AC adapter is connected to an HDMI cable and a USB-C cable to do this.
Can I charge my laptop with my phone charger?
I think so. Also, having a charger on hand for your phone is an excellent choice. Just connect the adapter to your smartphone or laptop, and you’ll charge a laptop without its charger. Neither one nor the other gadget will break from this. In the worst case, charging simply will not go due to insufficient power or incompatibility of the standards they support.
Can I charge my laptop with USB-C?
Can you charge a laptop with USB-C? Absolutely! Not every laptop, but for those that feature a USB-C connection, there’s a good chance you can use that port to charge your laptop with and all you need is the right cable for the job.
Almost universal USB-C allows plugging almost all USB cables directly into the USB port, and it provides (in theory) power.
What can I use instead of a computer charger?
Using portable batteries, a car cigarette lighter, or universal adapters, you can charge a laptop without an original charger. Other options are replenishing the battery via USB 3.1 and Thunderbolt ports. Charging a laptop via a standard USB-C connector, as well as a plug from another model, will not work. If you don’t have a charger for a laptop, you can use a direct connection.
To implement this method, you need to prepare several wires in advance, the internal elements of which will be made of soft copper. You will also need a power supply of good power.
It should provide the voltage that a standard adapter provides. If the current strength is lower, the battery will also fill up, but slower and worse.
Before you start charging, you need to disconnect the power adapter from the electricity and turn off the gadget. Remove the battery from the laptop until you can organize a stable supply of energy to the device.
After that, we connect the wires to the contacts of the gadget at the output. They all have the same polarity: in the center – “+”, at the edges – “-“. To make the connection tight, wrap the plus connection. Also fix the negative contact, at the same time, the contact is installed only with the side metal frame. The contacts should not overlap.
After connecting the wires, we proceed to the block with which we perform the following actions:
If the adapter is serviceable, and you will use it for its intended purpose in the future, then we perform the same actions with the plug as with the wires.
In our case, we take into account the round shape adapter because there will be difficulties with others. We connect the plus wire to the middle of the plug. The negative contact must intersect with the external frame of the power supply.
How can I charge without a charger?
There are safer alternatives to charge your laptop.
You can restore the charge using an adapter from a car cigarette lighter, a Power Bank, as well as a solar-powered battery.
You just need to prepare in advance for such a situation and purchase a second charger, and a USB-C cable in advance and leave it at work. Put a power bank, an externally chargeable battery, a dynamo, or a solar-powered charger in a suitcase for trips. Purchase a charger from a cigarette lighter in the car.
Conclusion
Some people would argue that using a laptop charger that’s not from the official manufacturer will be unsafe and may cause faults for a computer, though the methods on our list are great to charge your laptop when you’re in a pickle.
Especially when you’re planning a long business trip or traveling to inconvenient places, consider charging your laptop with any of these methods if you don’t have a charger or power source available.
