ideas on 12V computer and clean power

[farmer.leo]

Is anyone running a low power PC, like a 12Volt "car PC" on their boat? My laptop only runs for a few hours, and am toying with the idea of putting a low power PC to run GPS software at the Nav station. I don't like the idea of an inverter, then a power adapter, so I've read a little on lower power 12 Volt computers used in cars and some trucks. Anyone used one?

A related issue is trying to ensure that "clean" 12 Volts gets to the computer, as they tend to be finicky about power. I'm thinking there may be many voltage spikes on a boat, like if a bilge pump or other device turns on. Another problem is 12V on a boat is very often 13.x volts.

All suggestions appreciated.

 

[Csail]

For last 10 years we have been running 19v laptops on the maplins adaptor , no probs at all.
I think this is the one she got but there are ones for about 20 quid.
http://www.maplin.co.uk/150w-multi-voltage-laptop-power-supply-with-usb-228947

 

[farmer.leo]

That is the most versatile laptop power adapter I've seen, plus with 5V USB to charge your phone etc.

But actually I'm thinking of taking the boat's 12V and using it with a low power PC so that it could be used underway. I don't have an inverter, plus don't want the double power loss of inverter and then a power adapter. I'm hoping there is a 11 ~ 15V DC input device which delivers a clean, spike protected steady 12V output. Don't know if there is one price reasonably, but there has got to be a lot of demand for one.

One problem I've notice with the laptop, is that the low power mode only works when it is on battery. When plugged in, even when using an inverter, the laptop uses high power display brightness and the Intel "speedstep" etc. technology is shut off. That's why a car PC, or something using the Atom line seem interesting.

 

[nimbusgb]

If you are going to set up your own Car pc ( AutoPC ) then use one of the power supplies especially designed for the purpose. They are efficient and most importantly designed to be fitted to alternator charged vehicle systms with things like dirty relay circuits, load dumps and troughs from starters and other loads.

have a look here for names and other data

 

[Conachair]

Is anyone running a low power PC, like a 12Volt "car PC" on their boat? My laptop only runs for a few hours, and am toying with the idea of putting a low power PC to run GPS software at the Nav station. I don't like the idea of an inverter, then a power adapter, so I've read a little on lower power 12 Volt computers used in cars and some trucks. Anyone used one?

A related issue is trying to ensure that "clean" 12 Volts gets to the computer, as they tend to be finicky about power. I'm thinking there may be many voltage spikes on a boat, like if a bilge pump or other device turns on. Another problem is 12V on a boat is very often 13.x volts.

All suggestions appreciated.

One of these = http://www.maplin.co.uk/120w-laptop-car-adaptor-44736 might be of use in the mean time. My toshiba draws 1.5a running plugged into boat power.

 

[Csail]

So with just 2 110amp hr domestic batts and a 300w inverter how did i spend 5 days sailind cardiff to spain running laptop non stop without engine being used.Check pc settings, mine sort of goes to limp mode after a few mind but quick top and it illuminates.

 

[paddy01]

If you're set on a full PC approach, check out mp3car.com, all you'll ever need to know.

mini-itx.com can supply all your parts needs.

However, don't forget you'd then need a monitor too. 12v ones are plenty available, you could go for a Lilliput for example.

My suggestion would be a cheap Netbook. I use a Samsung N150P. You can then get a 12v charger (plugs into cigarette lighter style and takes care of voltage regulation) for £9 off Amazon and you're away.

Mine is running Xubuntu Linux and runs OpenCPN with USB GPS dongle (£16 off Amazon) just fine. If I want mobile internet I just tether it to my Android smart phone via USB or by using it as a Wifi hotspot.

Cheers

Paddy

 

[paddy01]

Forgot to mention. The other advantage of the Netbook being, you can take it home with you. Very handy for passage planning etc. without the faff of having to transfer files from home to the boat.

 

[fisherman]

I used a shuttle with mini ATX PSU, plug straight to motherboard.
http://www.mini-box.com/DC-DC
Wide voltage range input.

Now I use this
http://fit-pc.co.uk/
No problems so far, running Maxsea 2d/3d and C map, and from only £229.

 

[mph]

For last 10 years we have been running 19v laptops on the maplins adaptor , no probs at all.
I think this is the one she got but there are ones for about 20 quid.
http://www.maplin.co.uk/150w-multi-voltage-laptop-power-supply-with-usb-228947

+ 1

I use a Toshiba NB200 netbook loaded with Opencpn & Maxsea powered by one of these 12v power adapter,
I find the advantage of this type of power supply is that the current drawer from the boats batteries is very low so it doesn't kill the batteries.
I have the netbook running all the time with the chart software recording the track.

 

[BrianH]

So with just 2 110amp hr domestic batts and a 300w inverter how did i spend 5 days sailind cardiff to spain running laptop non stop without engine being used.Check pc settings, mine sort of goes to limp mode after a few mind but quick top and it illuminates.

I have an identical configuration (batteries/inverter) and the computer is always running on the navigation table while sailing, no engine - never a problem, although I have never cruised non-stop as far as you have.

Mind you, it is a netbook with a single Atom processor so power is only between 10-20W depending on idle/run usage.

 

[Searush]

Another netbook user with an Acer Inspire one from Tierone-online for £150. Came with Linux but I dumped that for WindowsXP so that I could run existing s/w packages. Again it runs on 12v so just use a cheapo car lead. Works in the car & the boat with & without the engine running. Have used for around 4-5 hours on domestic battery without an issue but might struggle for 7-8 hours without running the engine at some point.

No built in CD/DVD but I had an old drive that I bought a casing for & I can use that on the USB lead. Notebook is very robust, but the ext drive is susceptible to damage when carrying it around a lot.

 

[vyv_cox]

One of these = http://www.maplin.co.uk/120w-laptop-car-adaptor-44736 might be of use in the mean time. My toshiba draws 1.5a running plugged into boat power.

I have had one of those for some years, worked well with two previous laptops. I now have an HP ProBook that has an 8 mm OD power supply socket with a small male central pin. I cannot find an adaptor for this anywhere. Anyone come across one?

 

[maxi77]

There are a lot of automotive PCs available if you look. Many are now based on the netbook atom processors so are very low power consumption. They are avaialble in a wide range of price ranges depending on the spec you want.

Vyv, have you looked on ebay, it is amazing the range of connectors you can dig up there. If money is no object the sorts of car power supplies you can buy in airport shops usually have extra adapters to fit almost anything available at equally eye watering prices.

 

[nigelmercier]

I don't like the idea of an inverter, then a power adapter...

What is wrong with a 12V laptop power supply? Or better still one that takes 230V and 12V and switches to 230V if available.

 

[sjdtuk]

Boat PC

I have a low power PC and monitor from sttech.

It some with a power supply that accepts wide ranging DC input.

The monitor is 21 inch and is great for chart software and uses less than an amp with the brightness right down.

The PC is a dual atom I think - it is very small and slots under the chart table.

Stephen

 

[Roberto]

I now have an HP ProBook that has an 8 mm OD power supply socket with a small male central pin. I cannot find an adaptor for this anywhere. Anyone come across one?

I had the same problem with my NC10 netbook, I solved it by taking the 220v adapter lead, after the transformer, cutting it and inserting a normal male plug (like a jack), then fitting a corresponding female jack to the 12->19v voltage adaptor (which comes from the boat battery bank)

That is: the original NC10 weird plug remains plugged into the PC socket, at the other end of the cable there is a common male jack which can alternatively be connected to the female of the 220 adaptor, or to the female of the 12-->19v

 

[Amulet]

See some earlier threads related to this (newest first):
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(I mean to be helpful - not snotty!)

I have stuck my oar in on some of them - and have been proven wrong on several occasions. Read the details on the mains charger for your laptop and ensure that any adaptor you buy can give enough amps. The 120w Maplins one that I have is borderline. If the laptop battery is flat and the laptop is running it can scarcely cope with charging and running the computer at the same time. I can get round this by setting the laptop to a lean power regime - dim screen, stop disk drive etc, which is a good idea anyway to conserve boat battery.

 

[charles_reed]

Is anyone running a low power PC, like a 12Volt "car PC" on their boat? My laptop only runs for a few hours, and am toying with the idea of putting a low power PC to run GPS software at the Nav station. I don't like the idea of an inverter, then a power adapter, so I've read a little on lower power 12 Volt computers used in cars and some trucks. Anyone used one?

A related issue is trying to ensure that "clean" 12 Volts gets to the computer, as they tend to be finicky about power. I'm thinking there may be many voltage spikes on a boat, like if a bilge pump or other device turns on. Another problem is 12V on a boat is very often 13.x volts.

All suggestions appreciated.

By a solid-state adapter (Maplin or internet) which has an output in line with output voltage and wattage of your mains adapter. Most have a variety of changeable tips - however do be aware that a computer will probably be the most thirsty single item on the boat (easily outstripping the fridge compressor), though the adapters are nearly 100% efficient and produce very clean power.
For that reason eschew power-user laptops and go for CULV CPUs or even Atom-powered netbooks.

 

[westhinder]

Is anyone running a low power PC, like a 12Volt "car PC" on their boat? My laptop only runs for a few hours, and am toying with the idea of putting a low power PC to run GPS software at the Nav station. I don't like the idea of an inverter, then a power adapter, so I've read a little on lower power 12 Volt computers used in cars and some trucks. Anyone used one?

A related issue is trying to ensure that "clean" 12 Volts gets to the computer, as they tend to be finicky about power. I'm thinking there may be many voltage spikes on a boat, like if a bilge pump or other device turns on. Another problem is 12V on a boat is very often 13.x volts.

All suggestions appreciated.

I have run a 12 V mini-pc on the boat for three years now without problems. It was put together by my computerwizard-nephew, so I do not have all the technical details.
The power-supply for the pc comes straight from the battery, without issues of high or low voltage. For the 17-inch screen we have used a 12V-12V converter, to ensure a clean 12V supply, as the screen is more sensitive to power fluctuations.
As far as I can judge, the screen is the more power-hungry part, so we make it power-down after 30 seconds.
In all, I am very pleased with it. When we sail, it is permanently on, I run Sea-Pro and AIS on it, as well as e-mail and internet. I am now trying to figure out how I can make it work together with the integrated instrument system on my new boat.
If you need more details, pm me and I will try to find them.