Lee, I'm going to use the same wxworx setup you have diagramed. (BTW thanks for posting that handy diagram). For a power supply I plan to use the Valence N-charge VNC 130:

http://www.valence.com

An optional low output (12 volt, 24watt) cigarette lighter outlet is available for it. I plan to connect both the T-pad interface box and the WxWorx receiver to this outlet. I believe both devices should draw less than 20 watts combined.  I will connect the high output lead from the VNC 130 to the laptop charging jack. A fully charged VNC 130 should be able to run the entire wxworx setup, laptop and T-Pad for about 3 to 5 hours and it only weighs 3 pounds. This setup will allow me to fire up wxworx and check weather before engine start up and provide backup in the event of a power failure. I also bought an APC Travel Power Case TPC1300B:

http://www.apcc.com/products/family/index.cfm?id=224

I think I can hide all the hardware, cords and battery inside the case and charge the VNC 130 battery with the included APC multicharger. Powering the multicharger by plugging it into the ships 12 volt cigarette lighter should keep the battery charged. The case should fit nicely behind the pilots seat. If it works as planned, moving it from car to plane should only require placing the gps/wxworx antenna on the glare shield, plugging the APC multicharger into the cig lighter and pulling out the T-pad 800. The plan sounds practical enough. Now, if they would just ship the T-pad while I'm still young enough to pass a physical I could test the plan.


Ron Laughlin
Legacy 156

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