Power draw for Shuttle system

**sebberry** · 10-01-2005, 08:22 PM

Hello all,

Does anyone know what the approx 110V power draw in watts would be for:

Shuttle P4 2.8 System
No optical drive
80 GB desktop HDD (Can be replaced with notebook drive)
256MB RAM
USB GPS
Possibly a WiFi card
Powering 7" Xenarc from the 12 v rail

The current 12V power outlet in my car is rated at 120watts, and my digital inverter says that my Centrino laptop pulls 65w.

I did search, but found nothing specific to this.

Thanks!

**anik321** · 10-01-2005, 08:44 PM

power outlet as in the cig. lighter port ?

you will definitely not be able to run a p4 shuttle from there.

i run a shuttle 2200+ with a 400W inverter, but the inverter runs straight from the battery with a relay switch in the middle from the ignition.

**numbers** · 10-01-2005, 09:42 PM

I can't imagine it pulling more than 120 watts, but you never know until you know. Can you not hook it up to that digital inverter of yours and see what it says? I'd bet a few bucks that it will run ok from the cig lighter, but don't forget that it would probably lose power when you turn the key off.

**sebberry** · 10-01-2005, 10:40 PM

Gotta love conflicting replies!

Thanks so far!

**numbers** · 10-01-2005, 11:18 PM

Sorry. I seem to do that a lot. I don't mean any offense to anyone by contradicting them. I just don't like misinformation on the net and like to pitch in to avoid it wherever I can.

Try searching for various threads where people have actually measured their power consumption. You'll find that only the most power crazy systems draw as much as 120 watts. And again - can't you just hook it up to the inverter that tells you what the wattage is so you can see for yourself?

**sebberry** · 10-02-2005, 12:46 AM

Originally Posted by numbers

Sorry. I seem to do that a lot. I don't mean any offense to anyone by contradicting them. I just don't like misinformation on the net and like to pitch in to avoid it wherever I can.

Try searching for various threads where people have actually measured their power consumption. You'll find that only the most power crazy systems draw as much as 120 watts. And again - can't you just hook it up to the inverter that tells you what the wattage is so you can see for yourself?

I could, but with my luck I would end up blowing a fuse somewhere...

If it is any help, it is a 220w power supply in the shuttle. Now if that is at 12v, ... not sure how to do the conversion to draw at 110v

Thanks for the help tho!

**numbers** · 10-02-2005, 12:56 AM

Watts is independent of volts.

Or, to put it more properly...

Volts x Amps = Watts

Watts / Amps = Volts

Watts / Volts = Amps

**parvo99** · 10-02-2005, 03:53 AM

I ran a P4 2.4 dell off my 400 watt inverter through my cig lighter adaptor. It had no problems. The digital readout on the inverter said it was pulling around 90 watts on average.

**sebberry** · 10-02-2005, 07:14 PM

Plugged it into the inverter, turned it on, and it pulled 140w... unplugged the inverter before I melted my car

Oh well.. must look at another option.. too bad, because I had a shuttle that I wasn't doing anything with.

Now, again with this conversion thing, if the inverter's "Power out" is 140w at 110V, does this mean I am pulling more than the car's rated system of 120w at 12V thru the cigarette lighter?

Thanks for everyone's help, I just don't trust my knowledge of electrical systems and conversion abilities to risk frying something in the car (even if it is a simple fuse)

**numbers** · 10-02-2005, 08:46 PM

Originally Posted by sebberry

Now, again with this conversion thing, if the inverter's "Power out" is 140w at 110V, does this mean I am pulling more than the car's rated system of 120w at 12V thru the cigarette lighter?

Yes, but the inverter doesn't draw 140 watts unless something is drawing 140 watts from it. There is no way in hell that your setup drew 140 watts unless there is something wrong with it. The fact that your cig lighter fuse didn't blow helps confirm this. Do you have a friend who has some experience with car electronics and whatnot? Getting this sorted out would probably be a rather trivial task if you can get someone to assist you in person. I wouldn't go looking for other options unless you just really can't find someone to help you with this.