demoniac Posted November 23, 2006 Share Posted November 23, 2006 my brother is wanting to add a full pc system in to his camper van but we are not sure the way to link it up to the batery does anyone know a easy way to do this or a site that could help? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mr chris Posted November 23, 2006 Share Posted November 23, 2006 Well, if it helps, PCs run on 12v power supply, as do most cars.... and that's the extent of my electrical knowledge, I'm afraid! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eric_Collins Posted November 23, 2006 Share Posted November 23, 2006 mmmm. i'd get a lappy for this kinda thing, just would a PC be ok bouncing about in the back ? Also if you going away you can hide the lappy somewhere, where as a PC would be in full view and an easy stealing target. ________ Chrysler Air Raid Siren History Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scarby Posted November 23, 2006 Share Posted November 23, 2006 Try this: Karputer!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
demoniac Posted November 23, 2006 Author Share Posted November 23, 2006 mmmm. i'd get a lappy for this kinda thing, just would a PC be ok bouncing about in the back ? Also if you going away you can hide the lappy somewhere, where as a PC would be in full view and an easy stealing target. yah i told him to get a lappy but he wants a pc in it Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
demoniac Posted November 23, 2006 Author Share Posted November 23, 2006 Try this: Karputer!!! thanks that may come in handy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoeP Posted November 23, 2006 Share Posted November 23, 2006 If he's fixed on a PC then at least get one with a flat screen display. A desktop PC will have a mains power requirement, which in principle could be met by using a 12V to 240V inverter of a suitable power rating. You're probably best looking at a 600W inverter - that should give you more than enough capacity. Make sure that it's got a 'clean' output that's reasonably well regulated. Now...when you run an inverter from the battery, the inverter will carry on producing a mains output typically until the battery voltage goes down to 10V or so on most units. Whether the camper van will start up with a battery like that is another matter, so be careful of using the PC too much. He might want to consider a separate battery charged from the engine, but isolated from the ignition system to power the PC inverter. I've flattened car batteries before using amateur radio gear, and you also need to bear in mind the fact that a car battery is designed to source a high current for a short time, rather than a moderate current for a long period of time. It will work, but the life expectancy of a battery used in this way will be shorter tha expected. You could of course run the engine to provide power whilst using the PC, but it would be wasteful of fuel. Hope this helps. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
demoniac Posted November 24, 2006 Author Share Posted November 24, 2006 If he's fixed on a PC then at least get one with a flat screen display. A desktop PC will have a mains power requirement, which in principle could be met by using a 12V to 240V inverter of a suitable power rating. You're probably best looking at a 600W inverter - that should give you more than enough capacity. Make sure that it's got a 'clean' output that's reasonably well regulated. Now...when you run an inverter from the battery, the inverter will carry on producing a mains output typically until the battery voltage goes down to 10V or so on most units. Whether the camper van will start up with a battery like that is another matter, so be careful of using the PC too much. He might want to consider a separate battery charged from the engine, but isolated from the ignition system to power the PC inverter. I've flattened car batteries before using amateur radio gear, and you also need to bear in mind the fact that a car battery is designed to source a high current for a short time, rather than a moderate current for a long period of time. It will work, but the life expectancy of a battery used in this way will be shorter tha expected. You could of course run the engine to provide power whilst using the PC, but it would be wasteful of fuel. Hope this helps. thanks joeP i'll be sure to tell him Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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