Targus PAPWR200U Universal Car/Airplane Notebook Power Adapter

by Targus

Product Details

• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces
• Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S.
• ASIN: B0000AKA8T
• Item model number: PAPWR200U
• Average Customer Review: 2.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (74 customer reviews)
• Date first available at Amazon.com: July 8, 2003

Product Description

Style Name: DC Only - PAPWR200U

From the Manufacturer

Using a revolutionary technology called ChargeSource, the Targus universal auto/air notebook power adapter provides up to 120 watts of power and allows you to power and/or charge a variety of electronic devices including high-power notebook computers. With purchase of additional tips (sold separately) it also powers mobile phones, PDA/handhelds, digital cameras, portable CD players, and portable DVD players. Simply connect the PAPWR200U to the DC outlet in a car, RV, boat, or airplane and you have instant power source for your electronic device.

The Targus universal power charger uses patented technology to power multiple devices with just one charger. The product is packaged with tips designed to work with Compaq, HP, Sony, Toshiba, IBM, Dell, Gateway, and others (see technical details for a complete listing).

Product Description

Targus PAPWR200U Universal Auto/Air Notebook Power Adapter

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

44 of 44 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Make sure it works with your notebook before you buy, November 22, 2004

By 

M. Groves (Layton, UT) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Targus PAPWR300U Ac/dc Notebook Power Adapter (Personal Computers)

This adapter uses interchangable "smart" tips to configure itself for various notebooks. When one of the 5 supplied tips is attached, it will fix the adapter's voltage to a pre-set level. Using a meter, I found the voltages range from 15 to 19.9 depending on the tip used. Here's my point. Just because a tip may "fit" your notebook's DC jack, doesn't mean it's putting out the correct voltage required by your notebook. Make SURE your notebook is on the list this thing directly supports, or DON'T BUY IT. You could damage the adapter, or worse, possibly your notebook. A list of of compatible notebooks is available from the Targus website.

It is much lighter and smaller than my stock AC adapter and gets quite warm after an extended use. This worries me a little, but so far it's still working fine after several months of intermittant use. I'm keeping my fingers crossed I don't have to report a failure problem like others here have.

25 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Don't ever buy it!!!, February 10, 2005

By 

opinions (Boston, MA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: TARGUS APA01US Universal Notebook AC Power Adapter (Personal Computers)

I bought this item for my hp pavilion laptop. On the original package it's writen that it's compatible. However after using it only a couple of months, it suddenly stopped working. I called the company and they told me that it was written wrong on the package. They accepted their mistake but they would not do anything about it! They are still selling this product in the market although the information on the package is wrong! The customer support of this company is useless...Do not trust and buy this item! it's just waste of money!

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Does what it says, and at a good price, May 15, 2007

By 

M. Shapiro "MDSinLA" (Los Angeles, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Targus APM10US Mobile 70 Universal AC/DC Adapter (Personal Computers)

There are a lot of reviews about this product that I think give the wrong idea about this product, particularly ones about compatibility issues. I own an Averatec C3500 tablet PC, and the Averatec website led me to this product as being the only one compatible with my laptop, and this was verified on the Targus website, and I knew well ahead of time that this would be the appropriate AC/DC adapter I would need for my laptop. (of the many tips included, mine uses tip #3)

The thing I like about this device is that it powers my laptop from either an AC outlet (internationally, and by the way--I brought it with me to Thailand, where the voltage was much higher than the US, and it saves you from buying a power converter if your existing power adapter isn't able to accept varying input voltages). It also will let you power your laptop using a car/cigarette DC power source (which comes with it), and with a quick removal of the cigarette lighter extension is the power plug that inserts into the EmPower outlets used by several airlines, especially US carriers. Those adapters usually cost $70 or more, and this has the adapter plus the AC/DC options too. So it's good for travel because of its versatility. While many of the modern aircraft, particularly on international routes (e.g. Singapore Airlines and Thai Air both featured this on their new planes) are upgrading their in-flight power supplies so that you can plug a standard AC plug into the seat instead of the EmPower, at least with this Targus device, you'll be equipped to handle both types of power sources. Plus, on the Targus website, they publish a list of airlines and their aircraft that use the airline power plug that's included with the device, so you can get a rough idea of if you would find this useful.

Yes, this product has its quirks, and mine in fact shorted out on vacation, which I'll admit was disappointing. But as soon as I got home, I contacted Targus, got through to someone very quickly and explained the problem, they gave me an RMA number, I sent it back, and they immediately replaced it for no charge with a brand new, in box, model that works just fine, and there was no hassle or long waits involved. No replacement with a refurbished item or anything--a brand new replacement is what I got, which is more than I can say for some other companies when you need your product replaced.

I would give it five stars but it loses one star for the same reason that a fellow reviewer mentioned...the power cord that goes into the outlet is indeed too short. While it's simply a design flaw, it's an annoying flaw, as the weight of the main power supply (with the blue light--a feature i actually like) is heavy enough that it will yank the plug right out of the wall if you try to extend it, so if you're looking for length in addition to your power supply, you ought to buy an extension cord to go along with this model, as the unit won't give you much range to move it around, as I learned the hard way in some hotel rooms where the nearest plugs were a few feet too far from where I wanted to work on my laptop.

As for the option to power multiple devices (e.g. PDA, cell phone, etc) in addition to your laptop, you CAN with this device, but you need to purchase additional hardware that is not included with this device. I knew this before I bought this because the description of this item on the Targus website makes this pretty clear....there's an outlet where you can plug in another Targus device which will allow you to charge additional electronic items, so look for it online and buy it if this is important for you.

Bottom line: I've seen this being sold at Staples and other stores for over $100, and you can get it here and elsewhere on the internet for around $30, which is a bargain. It's great for travel, it's portable and comes with its own little bag, and if you want a second backup device for whatever reason, this is a great option. If you want to avoid any disappointments, just look on the Targus website and make sure your device is compatible--it's pretty clear what is and what isn't--otherwise, you'll have no one to blame but yourself if you've purchased this item and find that you can't use it. If it's listed as compatible but still doesn't work, contact Targus and they'll send you a replacement, as your item probably doesn't work for some reason. Give it a shot...I did, and I don't regret it.

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