Running PCs on 12v

From: Cini, Richard <RCini_at_congressfinancial.com>
Date: Fri May 16 11:40:43 2003

Hello, all:

        This is a bit OT (because of the PC being used) but I believe that
the application of the solution is timeless :-)

        Anyway, I want to run a "book" PC on 12v while I'm outside using the
telescope (the PC will run the CCD camera setup). I gave some thought to
simply using an AC inverter, but converting 12v to 120v AC and then back to
PC power supply voltages seemed horribly inefficient.

        The power supply is rated 12v/5.5a and 5v/1a. It's an NLX-type
motherboard, so the 12v is converted to 5v for various peripherals at the
point of need. The 5v from the power supply is to support system standby
mode only.

        I went hunting for DC-input PC-form-factor supplies but they're
upwards of $200. I thought about directly connecting the battery to the PC
and using a small DC-DC converter for the 5v, but the battery voltage isn't
really 12v (it's more like 13.8v) so a regulator would be necessary.

        Any thoughts as to a simple, low-cost yet efficient solution?

Rich
Received on Fri May 16 2003 - 11:40:43 BST