[XCSSA] Sine of the times?

[X-otic Computer Systems of San Antonio]

>I've got one of the $29 inverters in my car to power my phone charger
>and HP tablet.  Despite being rated at 300 Watts, it cannot run my
>Dell laptop with an 80W power brick.  I can plug in the brick and the
>laptop will charge, but as soon as I turn on the laptop the inverter
>squeals and powers down.
>
>--anton


Wild guess here, but could noise suppression in the device being powered
be acting as a (partial) short circuit to the inverter? The fast rise
times and higher harmonic content of the square wave output might be
drawing large currents through simple filters that are expecting mostly
sine waves and a few low-energy spikes.  --Don

-- 
I have seen things you people wouldn't believe. Tourist tongues on 
fire over tacos at Mi Tierra. I watched HS bands glitter in the dark 
near the Hemisfair Gate. All these moments will be lost in time, 
like beer at NIOSA. Time to party.