Running a mini PC from a power bank

[webcraft]

Neither my desktop nor my laptop PCs are compatible with Windows 11, and support for Win10 ends in a year's time with no further security updates. So I need a new system for the boat and the home office.

I am already bored with lugging the laptop back and forward to Portugal, so I am considering replacing both systems with a single mini-PC (Geekcom or similar). These systems are more than powerful enough and pocketable. (Obviously I would have a monitor, keyboard etc left on board the boat permanently)

The only downside I can find so far is powering the mini-PC on the boat. I need to be able to run it from either the boat's 12V supply or a power bank, preferably the latter.

Is anyone else doing this, and if so what hardware are you using?

 

[B27]

Not on a boat, but we've used Intel NUC's from 12V to 19V boost converters.
I think these we about 70W, but I expect things have moved on, maybe for the better, maybe not....

A Ras Pi 4 is an option?

Tidiest answer might be a smaller laptop?

 

[wonkywinch]

For low demand 240v equipment, eg laptop adaptors etc, then something like this would be perfect:

Soft Start Compact Inverter 12v dc to 230v ac - 300w | Skytronic (652.002UK)

 

[GHA]

Go on - get a Pi for the boat

Though means Linux, depends what you want to do with it onboard.

 

[webcraft]

The Geekcom PC I am looking at uses a 19V, 6.32A adaptor

How about running it from this? How long would it last on a full charge?

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07WV2WB9T

 

[webcraft]

Go on - get a Pi for the boat

Though means Linux, depends what you want to do with it onboard.

I need to run a business for a start. I think there are reasons most businesses do not use Linux.

 

[wonkywinch]

The Geekcom PC I am looking at uses a 19V, 6.32A adaptor

How about running it from this? How long would it last on a full charge?

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07WV2WB9T

If your adaptor draws the full rated 6.32A then that's 114 watts, in excess of this Amazon device. Look at the reviews for the recharge method/time.

Big Clive often reveals the claims on battery capacity on Chinese devices is "optimistic" to say the least.

 

[GHA]

I need to run a business for a start. I think there are reasons most businesses do not use Linux.

Marketing, habit & monsters from the ID

Back to the thread, don't anyone else start...

 

[webcraft]

Thanks wonkywinch, for pointing that out. I am not very good with power consumption calculations.

This Renogy 200W job for £130 has pure sine wave output up to 200W (allegedly). Renogy gear has a good reputation.
Renogy Portable Power Station 200

 

[Graham376]

I use an ASUS Notebook PC on the boat. Small format, not much larger than a tablet and very frugal on power consumption. Will last around 6 hours on a charge from 12v car charger or via inverter. Any files I want to take home are downloaded to pen drive and using Thunderbird, emails are automatically linked to home mini.

 

[Minerva]

Go on - get a Pi for the boat

Though means Linux, depends what you want to do with it onboard.

This season I’ve set up a Pi4 8gb Ram as ships computer with Open plotter. It’s very good indeed - but only at doing one thing at a time.

I think you’d get frustrated very quickly indeed trying to run multiple applications at any given time as you would as a matter of course on a normal laptop.

 

[Refueler]

I actually have a 12V Desktop PC .... which I planned to install on my boat but never did. It now sits on the bench waiting a job ..

What I ended up doing instead was just powering a normal 14" notebook (ACER) from the 12V ..... no adaptor ... just straight 12V .... the battery was left in but tape over the contacts so that it didn't charge ....battery was near dead anyway ...

The notebook ran fine as long as I didn;t try to run additional CD DVD drives etc.

OK - The matter is that the 16 .. 18 ... 21V that adaptors supply to notebooks includes charge of battery ... the actual notebook itself runs happily on 12V is no charging reqd.

For anyone to test this ... get an old notebook PC you don't mind trashing and try ... you'll be surprised .....

There are a few 'brands' that will not like this - probably to force us to buy their battery packs when they go 'south'.

I also have an Acer One 10" that I use quite often .... that has an extended capacity battery - so I use an inverter with that.

 

[Hoolie]

The Geekcom PC I am looking at uses a 19V, 6.32A adaptor

Wow, that's a lot of power! I have a couple of Beelink W10 mini PCs (8gb ram +256gb SSD) that run off the 12v house batteries and peak at 2amp, normally <1amp. They are acceptably fast and each has HDMI outputs for two UHD 4k screens.
They are recent enough to be updated to W11 using online methods that bypass the MS eligibility tests, though I haven't done so yet.
The more recent Beelink models are of course W11 compliant and come with it pre-installed.

 

[crewman]

A friend used to power his laptop when away from mains with an 18volt battery from a power drill. He already had the drill so no cost.

 

[Neeves]

iPad Pro Air?

iPad Air M2 review: cheaper iPad Pro for rest of us gets bigger


Jonathan

 

[Gustywinds]

Using

iPad Pro Air?

iPad Air M2 review: cheaper iPad Pro for rest of us gets bigger


Jonathan

I’m guessing he needs to run Windows software for his business. Having said that, my Mac Mini with M2 Pro runs all my Windows programs under virtual easily and only draws 180w

 

[noelex]

We have a Beelink PC running via a cheap 24v buck converter. It is small enough to attach behind our monitor.

Our unit is now likely to be completely out of date, but runs all software without an issue while consuming little DC power. A modern equivalent would be good choice.

 

[noelex]

For reference, I have just checked our power consumption.

Our 27 inch HD monitor on full brightness plus PC, and conventional hard drive consume a total of 0.85A @ 25v or 21w.

 

[ylop]

The Geekcom PC I am looking at uses a 19V, 6.32A adaptor

That is a lot of power - if it actually uses that then it will be drawing 10A from your batteries (assuming that you must be recharging any power bank from the house batteries?) and that is not including the monitor! I suspect the PSU may be rated for that but unless you plug in loads of peripherals etc your power draw will be nowhere close to max. But

How about running it from this? How long would it last on a full charge?

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07WV2WB9T

Beware any capacity claims from unknown brands. This seems to be 31A at 5V - so at max demand (even if the inventor could supply 120W - would last less than 1.5hr! In reality you won’t be at max demand and so you will get longer but unlike a laptop battery about to run out you will get little warning and probably no polite save/shutdown.

I need to run a business for a start. I think there are reasons most businesses do not use Linux.

Most businesses do use Linux - they just don’t let their ordinary staff use it because their staff are usually not smart enough!

The more recent Beelink models are of course W11 compliant and come with it pre-installed.

There are various single board computers that will run Win11 - but you need to consider what you are actually doing. Reading email, surfing web most will be fine. Viewing complex spreadsheets many will be ok, some will be noticably slow. Dialing in to video calls - mostly affected by your connection but things like background blurring are processor intensive. Actual graphics/cad/video work - you probably want a serious machine.

 

[webcraft]

That is a lot of power - if it actually uses that then it will be drawing 10A from your batteries (assuming that you must be recharging any power bank from the house batteries?) and that is not including the monitor! I suspect the PSU may be rated for that but unless you plug in loads of peripherals etc your power draw will be nowhere close to max. But

Beware any capacity claims from unknown brands. This seems to be 31A at 5V - so at max demand (even if the inventor could supply 120W - would last less than 1.5hr! In reality you won’t be at max demand and so you will get longer but unlike a laptop battery about to run out you will get little warning and probably no polite save/shutdown.

Most businesses do use Linux - they just don’t let their ordinary staff use it because their staff are usually not smart enough!

There are various single board computers that will run Win11 - but you need to consider what you are actually doing. Reading email, surfing web most will be fine. Viewing complex spreadsheets many will be ok, some will be noticably slow. Dialing in to video calls - mostly affected by your connection but things like background blurring are processor intensive. Actual graphics/cad/video work - you probably want a serious machine.

The Geekcom machines are very serious machines. They will do a lot more than my current desktop, which is more than capable.

The AMD version says power consumption is 45W

I have messaged Geekcom as follows and will post any reply I get here.

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I work between my home office and a boat in Portugal. The boat is small with limited electrical capacity. I need to replace both desktop and laptop with something that will run Win11

I am looking to get a single Geekcom mini PC to replace both my laptop and my desktop and carry it between the two locations. On the boat I am planning to run the PC from this portable power station Renogy Portable Power Station 200

It has a capacity of 222Wh and I will be recharging it as required from a 100W solar panel.

Assuming normal use how long would run time on this power station be for a) an IT12and b) an A8 ?

Thanks in advance for this info, looking forward to getting into the new world of mini PCs
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