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There are numerous solutions to your problem. Go to Google and enter
"laptop 12V" and you'll find dozens of products. I use a car/airplane
adapter from Dell (can't remember the brand, but there are a bunch of them)
and plug into the boat's battery bank. It draws 3A when the computer's
batteries are fully charged, about 1.5A when the screen shuts down. With a
wind generator I can run my computer continuously, screen blanked. If I
need to see where I am or plot a waypoint I touch the mouse and I'm
instantly on-line. It's about $100, but I think it's the cleanest solution.
If your computer is really powered by 12V there should be a plug. If there
is attach your boat's 12v system to it. If the batteries in the computer
are 12V but there's no plug-in you might drill a hole somewhere and attach
a socket connected to the battery's input point which should work, but
beware of overcharging you computer battery. I still think the cleanest
approach is to buy the proper adapter and plug into your boat's battery.
If you want to add solar panels I'd add them to you boat battery bank, not
the computer.
At 06:06 PM 3/1/02 +0100, Owen H. Morgan wrote:
>Hi guyz!
>
>I suppose this is slightly off topic, but a lot more on topic than the
>ongoing "I hate WindoZe" thread. (I don't much like Micro$oft products
>myself, but don't particularly want to discuss them on the liveaboard list.)
>
>I have an early bronze age Toshiba Satellite 200 CDS (Pentium 100) which I
>would like to use as a chart plotter. I have no illusions of being able to
>power it for continuous use at sea on a sailboat, but it would be a good
>help in bad visibility.
>
>I have the CmapECS software with good vector charts (on CD) for most of
>the planet and everything is wired up and working with my GPS, though I
>haven't included the autopilot in the loop yet. I haven't left the marina
>since I got the software, but gave it a test run earlier today with the
>GPS in simulate mode backtracking my route here from Harstad last autumn,
>and everything worked fine.
>
>This computer has a built in AC adapter, and so far, the only way of
>powering it away from shore power is from the house battery using my
>inverter or from the generator. Running it via the inverter draws
>aproximately 5A. The built in NiMH battery is totally dead, but even if it
>worked, it would only give me 2 - 3 hours, so is of little use to a
>cruising boat.
>
>The internal battery is 12V, so I've been thinking of powering the
>computer direct from a 12V lead acid battery. What I was thinking of
>doing, was give the computer its own dedicated 12V battery charged from a
>small sunpanel. What I wanted was to use a sealed battery of the type used
>as backup in alarm systems etc. and mount it high in the boat to double as
>emergency power for the VHF. However, I've run across a problem. I tried
>removing the internal battery from the computer and connecting 12V direct
>to the plus and minus poles in the battery compartment, but the computer
>would not switch on.
>
>The battery connector in the computer has 5 connections where nr. 1 and 5
>are marked + and -. The others are unmared. There are also two unmarked
>connections separate from these. My guess is that those two go to a
>temperature sensor to protect against overcharge. I tried opening the
>battery pack to find out what is inside, but so far only succeeded in
>cutting the palm of my hand with a Stanley knife. Once it stops bleeding,
>I may try to cut the battery pack open with my Dremel, hopefully without
>further bloodshed. I want to open it anyway, as I would like to buy new
>cells and rebuild it.
>
>Does anyone have any suggestions how to get this computer to run off 12V
>without going via the inverter?. It seems rather wasteful to create 220V
>AC from 12V just to have it converted back to 12V inside the computer.
>
>Any suggestions are welcome. Reply off list if you don't think your reply
>will be of interest to the rest of the crowd.
>
>PS. I'm not all thumbs when it comes to electronics. This is being typed
>on my newly repaired Ericsson MC218 (Psion) palmtop. The display cable was
>broken, and changing it was a lot more fiddly than anything I've come
>across in a PC. The spare cable came with a "don't try this at home"
>disclaimer...
>
>PPS. Please don't include my entire message in your reply.
>
>Owen
>--
>* This e-mail was accelerated by EPOC and REM *
>* Then it was brought to its knees by the Internet and GSM *
>
>Owen H. Morgan, Yacht "Naomi J.", LD-9311
>@ Sjøhussenteret marina
>68°43.13'N 15°24.74'E
>Sortland in Vesterålen, Northern Norway
>
>http://home.no.net/naomij
>
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