Sharing adapters between different Macbook families.

Hello,

Recently we were asked about sharing a single adapter across MacBooks, ie. using the same adapter for both the Macbook Pro and Macbook Air.

Officially:  Two separate adapter such as our compact adapters or a universal adapter that can output two different voltages.
If you are using our universal adapter that can output multiple voltages, then all you need is two magsafe cables.  One for the MBA and one for the Macbook Pro.

Unofficially:  Just one adapter will work.  Choose the one for the Macbook.
Why?  The MBA max input voltage is 14.5v, the MBP is 18.5v.  The MBA can take 16.5v, and the MBP operates at 16.5v most of the time.  So 16.5v is a happy median between the two.  The only time you'll have issues is if your MBP is running full speed, then you'll need the 18.5v (85w) adapter.

The 85w apple adapter runs at 16.5 volts most of the time, it is only when you are running full speed, then it'll automatically step up to 18.5v.  If you have the MBA plug into the 85w, it'll only go up to 16.5v.

Now having said that, you still need to have separate cables if you are using the new MBA that has the new slim "T" style.  The new Magsafe2 are not compatible with the old style Magsafe cables.

Please see our Blog here about the different magsafe cables.

Mikegyver.com