Take a look at our
ThinkPads.com HOME PAGE
For those who might want to contribute to the blog, start here: Editors Alley Topic
Then contact Bill with a Private Message
ThinkPads.com HOME PAGE
For those who might want to contribute to the blog, start here: Editors Alley Topic
Then contact Bill with a Private Message
External DC Power
-
Old Hippie
- Posts: 1
- Joined: Sun Sep 07, 2025 11:16 am
External DC Power
I am an e-bicycle tourist who does not have access to AC often enough to keep my L390 charged. I configured a DC to DC converter to go from my 48 V e-bike battery to 20 V for the USB-C. When I power it on, it does not charge, it does nothing. Why?
-
axur-delmeria
- Senior ThinkPadder

- Posts: 4413
- Joined: Mon May 28, 2012 5:49 am
- Location: Metro Manila, Philippines
Re: External DC Power
Are you just connecting the positive and ground wires to the USB-C connector? That's not gonna work, because the USB-C power delivery protocol requires the power source and device to "talk" to each other to figure out the voltages the source can put out (+5v, 9v, 12v, 15v, 20v etc.) and which voltages the device can accept. You could get something like this slim tip to USB-C power adapter and connect your DC-DC converter's 20V output to the slim tip input.
Planned Purchase: T480s i5-8350 FHD Touch
Impulse Buy: Thinkpad not named for safety reasons
RIP: X220 4291-C91 X61 7676-A24 760XD-U9E
Impulse Buy: Thinkpad not named for safety reasons
RIP: X220 4291-C91 X61 7676-A24 760XD-U9E
-
- Similar Topics
- Replies
- Views
- Last post
-
-
WTB: 66G3696/66G5069 External Floppy Drive for Thinkpad 760
by oliviaiacovou » Mon Dec 01, 2025 5:05 pm » in Marketplace - Forum Members only - 0 Replies
- 5397 Views
-
Last post by oliviaiacovou
Mon Dec 01, 2025 5:05 pm
-
-
-
T450 Will Not Power Up
by shajoe44 » Mon Nov 10, 2025 8:23 pm » in ThinkPad T430-T495 / T530-T590 Series - 2 Replies
- 4640 Views
-
Last post by quietude38
Fri Jan 23, 2026 11:37 am
-
-
-
T480 won't boot - power button just flashes.
by kae2020 » Fri Dec 05, 2025 11:20 am » in ThinkPad T430-T495 / T530-T590 Series - 2 Replies
- 11749 Views
-
Last post by kae2020
Sun Dec 07, 2025 2:03 pm
-
-
-
X1 carbon gen 5 and 6 keyboard and power button assembly interchangeability
by dcfbf » Mon Dec 15, 2025 4:15 pm » in ThinkPad X1 / X1-Carbon / X1-Extreme and later Series - 3 Replies
- 11313 Views
-
Last post by dcfbf
Wed Jan 21, 2026 2:32 pm
-
Who is online
Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 41 guests



