Hi Gena, the inverter is a 400 watt unit. This is not a rating for a continuous load. You do not mention which fuse is blowing. This could be the fuse in the inverter or the cigarette lighter (power source) fuse. In either case, a fuse blowing could be a short circuit, something in the inverter shorted, or too much load. I am going to look at the too much load side of things. Not knowing how many laptops are being used, with the inverter if you have a 20 amp fuse in the cig lighter, this will allow you 20 amps X 12 volts = 240 watts. I would not run the inverter over 240 watts because of overheating issues. So, 240 watts will run 3 laptops. Just the laptops. Most laptops draw around 70 watts. check your power supplies on them to find their rating. If you exceed the 240 watts by combining the ratings, then you can expect trouble with your inverter. It will give 400 watts, but this is a temporary condition only. Another inverter will be needed or a larger one installed and it being connected directly to the battery (with a fuse of sufficient size installed). You could also (let us say there are 6 computers) charge and run 3, and the other 3 are running on their batteries. After an hour, switch so that the 3 running on batteries now are charging as well as running. The other 3 are now charging.
I hope this helps. If you have any other questions please provide additional information. Such as the size and location of the fuse blowing. The laptop power supply ratings.
thank you
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