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Vaio P-Series Power Usage
Overview
This page presents some results on measuring the power consumption of the Sony Vaio P-Series PCG-1R1W for various types of usage. The purpose is to understand how to make better use of existing battery capacity and to build an appropriate minimal portable solar recharging system.
Method
A 2.7mm power socket and power plug are connected together with a tap point for a digital multimeter. The multimeter is used to measure power consumption by measuring both the voltage and current. Power is calculated according to
$$P=IV$$
Voltage from the standard power supply is fairly consistent, but under higher loads it drops a little bit.
Results
| Operation | Voltage (V) | Current (A) | Power (W) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unplugged | 10.63 | 0 | 0 | Just power supply |
| Charging from flat | 10.41 | 1.25 | 13.0 | Initially draws 0.24A for several seconds then jumps up to 1.25A |
| Running Linux and charging from flat with wireless on at 2GHz CPU | 10.35 | 1.56 | 16.2 | |
| Running Linux and charging from flat with wireless off at 2GHz CPU | 10.35 | 1.46 | 15.2 | |
| Running Linux and charging from flat with wireless on at 800MHz CPU | 10.35 | 1.56 | 16.2 | |
| Running Linux and charging from flat with wireless off at 800MHz CPU | 10.35 | 1.46 | 15.2 | |
| Running Windows 7 and charging from flat with wireless on | 10.35 | 1.62 | 16.8 | Some periodic drops |
| Running Windows 7 and charging from flat with wireless off | 10.35 | 1.56 | 16.1 | Some periodic drops |
| Running Linux with no battery with wireless on, display dimmed, 800MHz | 10.48 | 0.72 | 7.5 | |
| Running Linux with no battery with wireless on, display undimmed, 800MHz | 10.48 | 0.85 | 8.9 | |
| Running Linux with no battery with wireless off, display dimmed, 800MHz | 10.48 | 0.65 | 6.8 | |
| Running Linux with no battery with wireless off, display undimmed, 800MHz | 10.46 | 0.75 | 7.9 | |
| Suspend with no battery | 10.61 | 0.05 | 0.5 |
about 1 year ago
Impressive testing; and would be interested to hear more about a Solar charger for this.
I heard elsewhere that the Vaio P used 68 watts. Is my knowledge of electrics insufficient or do your results show a much lower wattage?
about 1 year ago
Yes, you’re right. My results are much lower than 68W. I haven’t seen those figures you mention before, and they’re certainly not consistent with what I’ve measured.