Hearing music while car is off

rgarjr · 12-01-2008, 03:50 AM

Before installing my carpc, I used to like playing some tunes on my stereo when I was drying up the car, cleaning the interior, waxing, etc with the engine off. Now that I have a carpc it seems I just can't do that because it will drain my battery off really fast. I know my battery is going to need replacement cuz its been draining fast.

Anyhow, do you guy listen to your system when car is turned off, if so how long can you listen before u turn on the engine to charge up.

2k1Toaster · 12-01-2008, 05:40 AM

Quote: Originally Posted by rgarjr

Before installing my carpc, I used to like playing some tunes on my stereo when I was drying up the car, cleaning the interior, waxing, etc with the engine off. Now that I have a carpc it seems I just can't do that because it will drain my battery off really fast. I know my battery is going to need replacement cuz its been draining fast.

Anyhow, do you guy listen to your system when car is turned off, if so how long can you listen before u turn on the engine to charge up.

Usually about 2 to 2.5 hours of play time before battery really has to try hard to start the car.

I was careful what components I bought, and I have a high processing power, low power consumption PC.

You could just turn the engine on and have no problems...

FPeter · 12-01-2008, 11:30 AM

there is no general rule for this! absolutely depends on the config and the environment!!!

- the size of the battery: smaller cars uses 35-45Ah, largers are 65-80-100Ah
- the power consumption of the CarPC: this can be as low as 30-40W, but might be over 100-150W
- the power consumption of the audio system: a simple HU eats 30-50W on maximum output power, but a larger amplifier based system uses up to hundreds of watts
- environment temperature: colder battery gives less power, and a cold engine eats up to 2-3x more power while starting

so, the secure play time might be 30min to several hours, depends on the whole stuff...

Maheriano · 12-01-2008, 11:47 AM

If I leave mine on for more than an hour, the battery's dead. But I've abused my little Civic's battery pretty good over the last few years. Including leaving it in a box in 30 degree heat for 5 months.

nobb · 12-01-2008, 12:24 PM

It depends on the size of your battery and how much power your system draws. I usually just hook up a 12amp battery charger to the car when I need to work on the carpc for more than 30 mins at a time.

rgarjr · 12-01-2008, 08:05 PM

Well mine I think its only 10 or 15 minutes and boom, battery is dead. Which is why I'm gonna get another one cuz I think this one is cooked..

Maheriano · 12-02-2008, 12:17 AM

haha uh ya, it's finito.

bdknocks · 12-02-2008, 07:33 AM

I spent $130 on a deep cell battery and I spend my lunch HOUR watching South Park and Family Guy everyday and never have a starting problem. I haven't went over a hour yet but I'm sure my battery can take a lot more if I wanted to push it. Good investment.

2k1Toaster · 12-02-2008, 01:01 PM

My battery is an Optima YellowTop. But if you want duration, I think it is the RedTop that you should get.

durwood · 12-02-2008, 02:42 PM

Do a search for diehard platinum deep cycle and odyssey/hawker batteries. Optima's are so oldschool.

Deka makes a nice AGM deep cycle for cars as well.

yam125 · 12-02-2008, 03:22 PM

If you use a red Hat Linux distro are you restricted to buying a redtop?

2k1Toaster · 12-02-2008, 03:28 PM

Quote: Originally Posted by yam125

If you use a red Hat Linux distro are you restricted to buying a redtop?

Yup

bratnetwork · 12-02-2008, 06:54 PM

There are a few options here, it all depends on how involved you want to get

You could install a second battery with a continuous duty solenoid on the cable going from the main battery to the second, then just shut it off when you want to use just the carpc... this way no matter how much you pc drains the battery it won't touch your starting battery? This is something that I'm looking into doing but I'm going to use the uSDC20D start / shutdown controller to sense if the voltage at 13+ volts so it only turns on the solenoid when the engine is running.

You could add a battery protector that disconnects your battery at a certain voltage so it has enough left to start (http://www.noflatbatteries.com/), but this will cause your PC and every to just turn off immediately...

The easiest thing would be to just upgrade to a better battery like an Optima or something that has a high capacity.

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