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I have a Dell Latitude E5450. On the original power supply it says output: 19.5V - 3.34A

Can I use a battery pack that provides 19V - 3A?

Hopefully somebody can explain this to me and what I need to be careful for. Is it OK to be below the numbers? Is it OK to be over? What is the range?

Sander
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  • I would advise against using mixed voltages. It's ok if the amps are different because the laptop will only draw as much as it needs. – MonkeyZeus Apr 20 '17 at 14:54
  • @MonkeyZeus - the OP is asking about a battery, not a charger – Stese Apr 20 '17 at 15:08
  • Battery pack specifications is irrelevant to the charger specifications. The voltage on the battery pack must match the battery pack that you already have. However, current can be different. On my Dell Latitude E5570, battery voltage is 11.4V despite charger voltage being 19.5V. – Jerry Hundric Apr 20 '17 at 15:09
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    Please better describe what you mean by "battery pack"... – Ƭᴇcʜιᴇ007 Apr 20 '17 at 15:34
  • @StevenDavison OP seems to be mixing terminologies or simply has a really weird situation so I can see why you would be confused. Regardless, **ALL THREE VOLTAGES NEED TO MATCH** unless you have some sort of super special set-up like Samsung did with their [Adaptive Fast Charging](http://www.samsung.com/ie/support/skp/faq/1074414) technology. It will negotiate voltage to provide a faster charge. Last I knew, traditional-ish laptops do not employ this technology; I can't speak for stuff like the Surface Pro due to my inexperience. – MonkeyZeus Apr 20 '17 at 15:38
  • I'm not sure which 3 voltages need to match @MonkeyZeus.... the only ones that need to match are the laptops expected battery voltage and it's battery, and the laptops expected PSU voltage, and the voltage provided by the PSU... in essence a pair of matches. :) – Stese Apr 20 '17 at 15:41
  • @MonkeyZeus My Toshiba Satellite M100 has a battery voltage of 10.8V and a charger voltage of 15V based on the original charger and battery. The Toshiba Satellite M100 is around 10 years old. – Jerry Hundric Apr 20 '17 at 15:55
  • This question is actually slightly different than the one it's closed as a dupe of. The other asks about over-voltage, this one asks about under-voltage. This also asks about a lower current rating. Obviously, matching the specs is the safest practice. The question is how far off can you be and what could potentially happen. Voltage within a few percent either way is probably safe. With over-voltage, the concern is exceeding the rated voltage of the components. (cont'd) – fixer1234 Apr 22 '17 at 02:41
  • A substantial under-voltage can cause some circuits to compensate with higher current, which can exceed ratings. That probably isn't an issue for such a minor under-voltage. The other potential issue relates to charging. A voltage too low will charge the battery slower and it might not reach a full charge (but no damage). This amount of under-voltage probably isn't an issue. Lower current capacity may not provide adequate current, or it may cause the charger to overheat or be damaged. (cont'd) – fixer1234 Apr 22 '17 at 02:42
  • The original charger might be an over-rated generic, so a minor lack of capacity might not be a problem. This is low by 10%, so I would be cautious. If you charge the battery while the laptop is powered down, that is unlikely to be an issue since the original charger was sized to power the laptop and charge concurrently. – fixer1234 Apr 22 '17 at 02:42

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In relation to the voltage, you need to match the existing battery, like for like. In relation to the current (amps), then as long as the battery matches or exceeds the existing battery's rated current it will be OK.

As the power supply charges the battery through a regulation circuit, there is no direct relation between charger voltage and battery voltage.

Stese
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  • On my Dell Latitude E5570, charger voltage is 19.5V and battery voltage is 11.4V. Battery voltage needs to match the previous battery voltage, not the charger voltage. – Jerry Hundric Apr 20 '17 at 15:12