Powering a desktop

**MasonAltima** · 09-23-2004, 10:27 PM

Sorry for the noob question, I searched and found very little, and the little I found used acronyms and lingo I was not famialr with.This is the computer I will be using in my car. What kind of inverter should I get? I dont want an opus, to complicated, to much, and my wife will kick my *** if I order another part. I need somthing that....
1.Will not hurt my computer
2.Will not hurt my car.....
3.Will be strong enough to run this setup

My 7inch lilliput is plugged into my other lighter socket, not sure if that matters. Also when they key is out of the ignition on my car "2003 3.5 altima" there is absolutely no power going to the lighter sockets, not sure if that matters either, just trying not to leave any un answered questions so I can get a good answers. Thanks a lot in advance, I know you guys will be able to help.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...e=STRK:MEWN:IT

its has a 1.6 Duron processor
256 megs of ram
MATX Motherboard
Combo CD-RW/DVD-ROM 52x32x52x16x
USB 2.0 2 x on Motherboard i/o 1 x on case front
Firewire (1394) Not available on this model, case includes front mount connector for future expansion
AGP 1 x AGP (8X/4X)
PCI 2 x 32bit PCI
Power Supply 240w
Audio AC'97 On Board (2 channel)
Chipset VIA KM400/VIA8235

**MasonAltima** · 09-23-2004, 11:04 PM

Oh come on, 12 views no answers? lol

**blackpacu** · 09-23-2004, 11:09 PM

I would say any 300+ watt inverter would be fine
When you hook this up, I would run a power line for the inverter and not use the cigerette adapter that may come with it. Any car amp wiring kit(small amp) should be fine

**TruckinMP3** · 09-23-2004, 11:11 PM

Originally Posted by MasonAltima

Oh come on, 12 views no answers? lol

Yeah but you said you do not want the best solution... /wispers OPUS.

So what would you like us to tell you? that an inverter you might not be happy with is OK? I have run on an inverter. DC to DC is better. Less waste, less noise both fan and electronic.

I am running the PS from PC power and cooling with no trouble, others have had problems with these units (maybe a bad day on the assembly line)

Happy now?
luck and everlasting glory

**MasonAltima** · 09-23-2004, 11:31 PM

lol thanks, but what are you saying trucking mp3? DC to Dc? Why shoudl I use DC to DC what are the bennifits, can i still just plug my computer into through a regular plug? I want somthing simple, I hate messing with wires, lol and I work on housed, aint that a shame lol

**ppgt94** · 09-24-2004, 12:49 AM

Originally Posted by MasonAltima

lol thanks, but what are you saying trucking mp3? DC to Dc? Why shoudl I use DC to DC what are the bennifits, can i still just plug my computer into through a regular plug? I want somthing simple, I hate messing with wires, lol and I work on housed, aint that a shame lol

To power a PC like that from an inverter you're going to have to run a dedicated line from the battery to the inveter. That's a lot more work than replacing the AC PSU to a DC-DC which is very easy. Truckin already pointed out the advantages with DC-DC.

1. It's WAY more efficient. you'll be able to run the PC w/out the engine on.
2. It will survive engine crank. Mine does at least.
3. Has built in startup/shutdown controller.
4. Variable time settings on shutdown
5. Less audiable and electrical noise.

Those are just a few off the top of my head.

**blackpacu** · 09-24-2004, 10:43 AM

your still going to have to run a seperate power line for the opus, so no matter which route he takes is still going to have to run that powerline.

DC-DC is better, the opus has way more features then the inverrter, I was however under the impression that he wanted to do this as cheaply as possible, Hooking up the opus and a inverter set up appear to be about the same amount of work

So what it basically breaks down to is do you want to get the opus or other dc-dc psu(expensive) or live with the hassels of an inverter, hassels being having to turn on/off the damn thing or hook up a relay to do it, the noise it may make while the pc is running(a nice hum)

**Sonicxtacy02** · 09-24-2004, 11:20 AM

bein in an altima myself i can tell ya its a pain in the butt having to start the car, then turn on my pc due to having an inverter. The opus is the best solution, even if it is alot more expensive. If ya dont mind waiting 30-45 seconds before turning off your car you can live without it though.

Cya on .net

**ppgt94** · 09-24-2004, 01:08 PM

Also...If you have any doubts that the Opus 150 will handle that? Don't. That'll be a cake walk for it. I personally think the Opus is under-rated.

**SnyperBob** · 09-24-2004, 01:50 PM

Here's what I do. I use desktops in my car as well because they are so much cheaper to get set up. I have I believe a 500 watt Jazz inverter in my car. I'll put a link to a pick of the set up. pretty much all of the new inverters sold have some sort of protection. I tested mine and found out that the protection sorta works.

Basically, inverters have protection against draining your battery. At a certain voltage they will kill the power to whatever is plugged into them (computer). This is good to have, because if the computer doesn't shut down correctly, rather than draining the battery, the inverter will shut off. Like I said, I tested this, and found out that it works - but a little too late. My inverter shut off just past the point where my battery had enough juice to crank the engine over. The battery still have most of it's charge though, because I was able to get my car jump started with one of those cheap *** battery pack things. Those typically won't jump start a dead battery.

Some inverters have alarms on them as well, which mine does. This basically will make a sound when your car battery gets low. This is nice in case you have your computer on when your car is off - you'll get an audible sound so you can either start the car to recharge the battery, or turn the machine off.

In terms of starting the machine before the car is on - I personally have never had a problem using the inverter. I ran a wire from my battery to my trunk (hatchback). I connected my inverter to the wire, so the inverter is running directly off my battery. I'm not sure if you were thinking about using a smaller inverter that runs off the cigarette lighter. I suggest getting one and connecting it to your battery - similar to connecting an amp.

By doing this, the inverter has the capability of always being on. This allows me to start the computer before I start the car. I never had any problems with power surges or anything like that. The computer stays running, and doesn't power off, have any hard drive problems, etc.

Here is a link to the picture: http://www.mobile-effects.com/100_1426.JPG

I never took the slack out of my cords, so I apologize for that. As you can see, I connect my machine (in this case, my Ice Cube) to the inverter. If you are interested in how I turn my machine on remotely (without having to open the hatch up every time to start the machine) just let me know, and I can give you an idea how to set that up as well.
In the picture you can also see a thick blue extension cable behind my machine. That is just extra, I ran it to the front of the car so that I can have AC power upfront for anything. It comes in handy for my laptop power cord, cell phone AC charger for emergencies, things like that.

Anymore questions you can email me at bfeigl[no spam]@gmail.com
remove the [no spam], or you can post here.