Solar Powered CarPC?

djpyro · 12-12-2006, 08:37 PM

hi i was just fiddling with a little solar panel and it popped into my head
has anyone tryed hooking up a solar panel to run the PC and electronic accesorys and have it also charge a battery so it could run at night? sorta like those "solar powered outdoor lights" you can put along a walk way or something? just a idea i thought of do yall think it would work?

Emo · 12-12-2006, 08:40 PM

would that really have sufficient power to run all that?

djpyro · 12-12-2006, 08:42 PM

i know my uncle has a solar panel about a foot and a half long to charge his 4 wheeler and golf cart batteries?
EDIT:
i found this and a few smaller ones on a website would this work?
http://www.solarcharger.com/s.nl/it....=2&category=62

DarquePervert · 12-12-2006, 09:06 PM

I couldn't see any specs, but it probably wouldn't put out enough power to run your PC.

NiSlo · 12-12-2006, 09:38 PM

^^^ As Above.

There is solar panels available that will provide a decent amount of power, such as this, but at $769.00 Aud and measuring 537 x 1204 x 44mm it's not ideal for a car pc.

Having said that, having somthing similar to some of the panels available on this page, can't hurt if you're using the carpc without the engine running, just to prolong the supply to the carpc

djpyro · 12-12-2006, 10:22 PM

no what i ment is like have a separate battery than the car and have the CarPC and etc run off the battery which stayed constantly charged by the solar panel

NiSlo · 12-12-2006, 11:00 PM

Say for example your setup uses 100 watts. You hook it upto a battery that can provide 100 watts for a decent amount of time (if there is such a thing). You then intergrate the 80 watt solar panel I mentioned above into your system.

There is still a defecit of 20 watts in there. You will _eventually_ drain the battery, albeit slower with a solar panel to suplement supply. Obviously if you turn your carpc off, while there is still sunlight, the solar panel will start to charge the battery. I'm pretty sure you'd need some sort of regulation on this too, as I believe that supplying a charge to a fully charged battery damages them?

morris_the_cat · 12-13-2006, 09:40 AM

My gps bluetooth mouse is solar powered. I am part way there already!

KaBoOoM · 12-13-2006, 05:56 PM

I would think it would be a lot easier and more realistic with a laptop. That way you already have a backup battery, and the power it needs is pretty low.

BarryWoods · 12-13-2006, 09:09 PM

You'd also need to live in an area with sufficient sunlight.

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                         December 13, 2006
	
                         Rise         Set
Actual Time 	10:46 AM AKST 	 2:41 PM AKST
Civil Twilight 	  9:23 AM AKST 	  4:04 PM AKST

iceking69 · 01-02-2007, 03:32 PM

Hey if your going to do all that, Just install a second battery in the trunk. Have the carpc run off it. Have it recharge when you drive the car with your alternator. Simple. Just ground the battery. Run wire from alternator to the second battery. Dont forget a huge diode between alternator and new battery. You dont want carpc to kill car battery. If second battery goes dead. No biggie. Second battery will charge back up when you drive. I have Mercedes with carpc. My battery is very large from the factory. I can let my carpc run all night and i still have plenty of power. My battery is probably equivalent to 2 batteries in most cars. Im not worried about killing battery. I have jump box in my trunk. Im in the car business so i always carry one of those anyway. you can get a good jump box for 45-70.00 Be sure to get at leats 450 amp or larger.