Hey everyone I am in a bit of a pickle at the moment as i have just bought a PC for my car and i am finding it hard to find a power source for it. I have posted in several other forums but i am not to clued up in the electronic department and all the tech talk goes straight over my head so please go easy on me . The problem is i am wanting to put my ZPC Iwill pc inside my car. I am having trouble trying to get a dc-dc convertor as the input on my ZPC is 19v. Now i know a lot of people have been using the VIA M1000 based stuff so power input to them is 12v so no worries for you there but i am stuck where to go and what to do. The pc power specs are: 90W power adapter 110V - 240V, full range AC input DC 19V (6.32A) output from power adapter So i can not connect the pc to the battery with a regulator which i have found this WPPS12019 Fully E Marked found here http://www.watt-power.co.uk/page7.html This from what i gathered will work but is £130 so not really where i want to be going. I will also need this WPPS APS (Auto Power Sequencer) from what i can make out which is another £30. and i don't think that they will connect straight to the PC without wiring? So as you can see i am confused about the whole process and if any of you can help that would be great. Cheers RealM
Your going about this the wrong way. Instead of converting the DC output of the Car to DC inpout you should use an inverter to change the DC-AC which will then go through the normal power adapter. Do a search for suitable inverters.
I don't really want to use a power invertor to be honest. I have read about them and they don't seem to be that good.
Once I have saved up the money i'm gonna be using one of these http://linitx.com/product_info.php?cPath=24_58&products_id=344 for my in car pc (epia M10000). It replaces the need for a seperate inverter (less heat) and it starts the pc and shuts it down automatically Hope that helps
Well an inverter is noisy and not very efficient i've heard. Also won't there be more of a drain on my battery if i use an invertor over dc-dc? If a reply comes back here proving me wrong then can someone explain a little about an invertor (in semi-laymens terms) are there different types? And if so which one would i need for my ZPC. Im also from the UK. Would it be possible to set up my in car pc so it would shutdown say after about 5 seconds after ignition off/key removal? This was would be really great as i wouldnt have to bother switching the pc on and off everytime i used it in the car. Also if i used an invertor how could i get it to keep the power to the pc on when say turning the ignition and cranking the engine. I've been told that if i used an inverter then the pc would loose power when i go to start the engine as the starter motor would dominate the car battery and kill the pc... So if anyone can answer these few questions for me then. 1. Are there different types of inverter? If so which one is the best and one that i need and any websites that sell them (links please)? 2. Can i set my system up so when power goes to the ignition the pc is set to automatically boot up and also shut down safely when i remove the key? What will i need to do in semi laymens terms. 3. Are inverters noisy and what is the power drain like on the battery? Cheers guys and i really appreciate the support in advance.
The inverter I have (although for different purposes) is moderately quiet... with the car on you probably will barely hear it. Yes there will be a little bit more drain from ineffeciencies but as long as you don't plan to run the PC for hours with the car off (and the altenator not going and charging the battery as a result) you will be fine. There are DC regulators that well cut off power like 45 seconds after you turn off the ignition, etc... but the easiest way to have it power off is just push the power button which should do a soft-off. I would think you would have to turn the PC on in the same way so it wouldn't be much of a hassle.
I didnt really bother reading all of the posts, but I'v done something like this. I have an inverter powering a 1u machine in my boot, its permanently scanning for wireless networks using kismet as soon as I turn the car on. Have had no complaints with the inverter am using (got it from Halfords for £20). Just my 2 pence worth.
Should be fairly simple if you want im an auto electrition and i can do it for ya. im in cheshire of your close gimme a bell on 07979 985 543
Power inverters will only make noise if you overload them. If you purchase an inverter that can handle the load of a pc, then the only thing you will have to worry about is where to put it. The larger the load needed, the larger the inverter. Plus, heat w/ an inverter is not a big issue. You can mount it under your hood if you want (mind you to make sure you make it water tight so moisture doesn't ruin it), and run a plug into the interior. If i'm not mistakin, the price for an inverter than can run a small fridge is only $80US...sorry, no link, you have to shop for the better deals...
As I said, I got mine from Halfords (UK store) for £20. Runs a little 800mhz duron in my boot very happily.
I've spent the last 10 mins searching for someone selling the EPIA platform, because i remeber getting some mailshot about one that runs purely off 12v, so all that would be required is some regulation circuit. However i can't see these for sale edit: mini-itx.com say's these were for OEM peeps only!
The car voltage can be anywhere from 7v (or lower) to 15v... To protect the PC you need a decent power supply. The best route is an ATX board and ATX 12v PSU. Such as http://www.linitx.co.uk/ sell. A system running off of 19v would also require a regulator circuit. (Just as a 12v board would). These can be built reasonably cheeply. But not too easy for a novice. The other route is a 12v board and 12v regulator circuit... But by this time you might as well have gone the ATX route.
Ok guys its been a while but ive decided on an inverter. Anyone know what power inverter i need (ie 300w/400w/800w) etc as i will be powering my 2.8 GHz P4 based system, cd/drvrw, wi-fi and a few other little bits. Here is the website of the mini pc i have: http://www.iwillusa.com/products/ProductDetail.asp?vID=179 And here is a link to my recent attempts of using dc-dc power and failing: http://www.digital-car.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?p=2028#2028 So anyone know what wattage inverter i need and i want a semi decent one. Also if i hard wire the inverter to the battery so the pc stays on after ignition off and crank on/off what happen then because its wired this way if i power the pc down? Won't the pc use up charge from the battery by being connected this way and also do some inverters have a total switch sense off if no power is being consumed? Sorry for being a newbie on all this but if someone could point me in the right direction to find out about inverters or special inverters then i would be very greatful. One last question, i have an ITPS shutdown controller that was being used to shutdown the pc and boot up the pc with the ignition which was very cool but could i use this on the inverter at all? Ive also by-passed the ITPS regulation. Thanks in advance guys i hope you can help. I will leave you with a little shot of the carputer when it was working in the car. Cheers!!
Nice work Well even though you have decided upon a solution, I figured I would put in my 2 bits so that others can have a bit more information. I too am installing a car pc. I have a regulator unit that takes the battery power in and regulates it to 12 volts, from there it goes to a small power supply (it sits almost flush with the motherboard (MII 12000). Works like a charm.
i've seen some DELL 19" cool gear going cheap on Ebay uses these 12V input EPIA boards. I think lin-itx-com sell them too.
yeh EPIA has come on a fair bit since i posted that (EPIA been the platform) www.mini-itx.com will happily sell you a 12v board (you still need regulation as mentioned above). but more, a some of them have LVDS drivers on board, which means you can hook them upto most laptop style (cheap) LCDs. neat!
