Car Computer - AppleTv, Wireless, Laptop

ChocolateStarfishRammer · 12 Mar 2012 at 21:52

So, as the title says.. I'm currently looking into a new project and putting a computer in the car.

I do IT and what not so all the IT technical bits for the machine, LCD, wireless and apple tv i can figure out.

But what I need help with is all the power for it.

How will I power it all??

The computer itself I'm just going to be using a small netbook.

Ideally, I would like all the equipment to plug into some sort of separate battery with a coupe hours charge,then that into the cars battery/power system. Is this realistic? And doable??

I'd also want all this stuf to fire up when I turn over the car and turn off again, perhaps on a 10min delay after I turn it off. I know this is doable with a normal desktop pc as I've found bit of kit that wire straight into its psu but nothing for the laptops.

Any help you can give me guys would be great and I'd love to start getting this done asap!

bloodiedathame · 12 Mar 2012 at 22:05

Nuclear reactor obviously.

Django x2 · 12 Mar 2012 at 22:06

Leisure battery, 240v 12v converter, job done.

ChocolateStarfishRammer · 12 Mar 2012 at 22:16

Lucero said:
Leisure battery, 240v 12v converter, job done.

Any suggestions or links Lucero?

TBirdUK · 12 Mar 2012 at 22:41

Pico psu does that for the pc

ChocolateStarfishRammer · 12 Mar 2012 at 22:52

TBirdUK said:
Pico psu does that for the pc

Unless I just can't see them then these are all just for the proper desktop pc's and motherboards as apose to the laptop option I'm looking at doing.

Django x2 · 12 Mar 2012 at 23:43

I can proably dig up some stuff for you, but away from home at the mo and internet is shocking. Will have a look when I get back.

Subliminal Aura · 12 Mar 2012 at 23:51

Variable voltage PSU to cope with the spikes.

Google wide input PSU

dpbadger · 13 Mar 2012 at 00:04

I use cold fission on mine.

Magic_x_uk · 13 Mar 2012 at 07:56

just use something similar to what car audio enthusiasts use, a split charging system so you have 2 car batteries. Then you have plenty of power on a separate battery for your in car IT system?

jas72 · 13 Mar 2012 at 08:05

You need a flux capacitor...

SKILL · 13 Mar 2012 at 08:29

You can use an inverter to convert from 12v dc to 240v ac, but it's horribly inefficient really so I wouldn't want one as a long term plan.

There must be some option similar to a pico-psu for a 5v or whatever output is needed for your laptop, might be just easier to buy a pico/nano-itx style system in a case though and use the pico-psu...

Split charging + leisure battery for the extra power, but one thing, is it really needed, unless you're going to be sat there playing with it for a fairly long time without the engine running then a good healthy battery would be fine. But if you do go that route make sure it's a leisure battery, they're designed for 'deep cycles' (eg being fully discharged) rather than car batteries that don't particularly like that...

Semple · 13 Mar 2012 at 08:39

If you wait for the raspberry pi this would be perfect for the sort of thing you're after. Also charged from USB so you could use a converter to plug into the cigarette lighter.

paradigm · 13 Mar 2012 at 08:40

RichMawdsley said:
I do IT and what not

You "do" IT? You accidentally the whole of IT?

Narj · 13 Mar 2012 at 08:41

valve90210 · 13 Mar 2012 at 09:13

There are specific power supplies designed for use in cars. They have features like a delayed power off so you can turn off the ignition and the power supply will keep powering the pc to allow enough tiome to shut down etc.

Sadly my brain be addled by the tiredness of having a young baby I can't think what they are called/what make they are.

A google for carputers/ mp3car should find the right things though.

ChocolateStarfishRammer · 13 Mar 2012 at 10:27

Magic_x_uk said:
just use something similar to what car audio enthusiasts use, a split charging system so you have 2 car batteries. Then you have plenty of power on a separate battery for your in car IT system?

Yeah.. think this will have to be the way to go.. didnt really want to have to have another big battery but if have to then oh well!.. how to wire it up tho???

SKILL said:
There must be some option similar to a pico-psu for a 5v or whatever output is needed for your laptop, might be just easier to buy a pico/nano-itx style system in a case though and use the pico-psu...

I cant find them if there are!

And I've already got a little netbook that just sits around doing sweet f.a so would be ideal to put in the car as apose to buying a whole another system.

SKILL said:
Split charging + leisure battery for the extra power, but one thing, is it really needed, unless you're going to be sat there playing with it for a fairly long time without the engine running then a good healthy battery would be fine. But if you do go that route make sure it's a leisure battery, they're designed for 'deep cycles' (eg being fully discharged) rather than car batteries that don't particularly like that...

Yup agreed... I would quite like it to be able to be powered up by its own accord for say an hour or so without engine running with no issues.

Semple said:
If you wait for the raspberry pi this would be perfect for the sort of thing you're after. Also charged from USB so you could use a converter to plug into the cigarette lighter.

I thought about this but I cant help but think its not going to do everything I want it to due to hardware specs being relatively low. Hence why I'd have both the apple tv and a laptop in there.

the_r_sole · 13 Mar 2012 at 10:39

why do you want it to charge off a different battery?
does the net book not have it's own battery that you could charge off the car system once it starts to get low?
I had a car charger attachment for a three pin plug which would charge my netbook via the standard charger when i needed it for work - not sure how it performs as a long term solution tho

ChocolateStarfishRammer · 13 Mar 2012 at 10:57

the_r_sole said:
why do you want it to charge off a different battery?

not sure how it performs as a long term solution tho

Exactly this, It will be permanently in there.

I want to get in the car and everything turn on when I start the engine.

Not have to start the engine, check battery levels on things, plug/unplug loads of things.

Just want it to work.

the_r_sole · 13 Mar 2012 at 11:16

just have it constantly wired up then? no need to worry about the battery levels and a netbook won't have a massive drain on your car battery with the engine running, and will use it's own battery when its not...
the other problem you will have is the boot times unless you use a stripped out version of the os or some in car specific software