[SOLVED] Directly powering a PC with a 12v battery. Skipping the PSU

[Thwwack]

Hello folks.

I am hoping for some advice.

I'm about to embark on a long vanlife adventure, and want to take my beloved desktop PC with me.

From what I understand, PC PSUs output 12v. I'm thinking I'll just directly power the PC with my house battery in the van, skipping the PSU.

Does anyone know of any problems I may encounter doing this? The only problem I can imagine would occur when the battery voltage starts to drop, but surely there is some software I can install to make the PC recognize this, and shut components down (like in a laptop).

The supply power will be fused.

Any problem identifications and software recommendations are greatly appreciated.

Cheers
Emile

 

[USAFRet]

Funny how passionate people got about this topic. Speaks to our love for our components.

The thing is...we're not just writing this for you, but also the kid who is currently 12, and will come across this thread in 4 or 5 years.

Someone says "Oh yeah, you can do that!"
And said future kid blows up the PC, his first car, and himself.

 

[GorillaMonsoon]

Search Tom Greens van life vids, he is totally off grid and has a laptop and a recording studio in his van. He's got heavy duty batteries and solar panels to keep them charged. I'm not saying you couldn't power a desktop, but makes way more sense to power something with way less draw. Get a better lappy if you hate yours so much.

If you have to have the desktop, and are still going to be on the grid then get a good extension cord. Otherwise perhaps a generator and plenty of jerry cans for gas.

But trying to connect your computer directly to a battery is a total pipe dream and makes me think you don't really have experience with van life or camping.

 

[Thwwack]

Liking the UPS idea @Mr.Spock, thanks. Has potential. Thanks for the input @GorillaMonsoon.

--

Everybody, just cool your shoes already...

This can be done, and I'm betting it can be done cheaply with the right know-how. The only question is, how complicated the system has to be. It's just about finding a creative and practical way of doing it. I'm not saying anybody should, but that point has been covered thoughtfully on this topic already.

I came here seeking input, not an argument.

Some people like myself, like to think an idea through, find the problems, and then see if there are solutions to each problem before deciding it's not viable.

In case it wasn't clear, I am not seeking to gaslight or upset anybody, and again, I am not advocating anybody do anything risky to their PC components.

--

To the toxic people on this topic: Frankly, I resent being treated like an idiot simply because I did not provide more context to the situation. Some of you seem to have powerful imaginations intent on jumping to unfounded conclusions.

These are my components on the line, not yours. and I don't know why people are so offended by the idea that someone is going to destroy or abuse their own PC components. I get that some of you are trying to protect other readers on the forum, but there is no need to belittle or ridicule someone asking an honest question.

I would only push the go button on this project if I was informed enough to see and address the potential problems, and surely most people have the same common sense.

 

[Darkbreeze]

This is not a new idea, it's an old one. There are a great many HIGHLY experienced and very knowledgeable people, both participating in this thread AND in the world at large, that have made thoughtful efforts towards this exact dilemma many times in the past and the fact remains that if there was ANY kind of reasonably simple, and sound, idea, it would have been not only proprosed but implemented many times over, likely by way of mass marketing, by now. Because there are literally thousands of people out there worldwide that would like for this to be something that could be done "cheaply, with the right know-how".

The fact is, there isn't. And there probably won't ever be. Because there are too many other options that are more sensible and realistic, and safer, than anything that could be done to make this legitimately attainable. It's kind of like trying to figure out a way to haul furniture using a bicycle when there's already a U-haul truck sitting in the driveway.

I assure you, if there was a cheap and easy way to do this, somebody would already have a patent and would be manufacturing and marketing the crap out of it, but there isn't. And there isn't, for all the reasons why it's a bad idea that have already been outlined by the five or six highly knowledgeable people with an accumulated approximately 150 years professional experience in this field who are actively participating in this thread including Mr. Jon Gerow who happens to be the head of practically everything electronic for Corsair. Well, including him, better make that more like 200 years experience.

You can certainly wish for and seek out a simple solution to this issue, but don't dare to hope that you'll find one because if it existed we'd already know about it and if it was simple or easily done, it would already exist and be available through some kind of channel or other because it's a popular idea that's been brought up periodically, again and again, across a number of different tech, computer, electronics and automotive forums, and the answers are pretty much always almost the exact same with very little variance.

There is absolutely nothing wrong with asking a question. That's how we find answers. It's when you've found the answer, and it's the same answer from a widely varied bunch of respondents, and you can't accept it, that there begins to be problems or hurt feelings.

 

[Thwwack]

This is not a new idea, it's an old one. There are a great many HIGHLY experienced and very knowledgeable people, both participating in this thread AND in the world at large, that have made thoughtful efforts towards this exact dilemma many times in the past and the fact remains that if there was ANY kind of reasonably simple, and sound, idea, it would have been not only proprosed but implemented many times over, likely by way of mass marketing, by now. Because there are literally thousands of people out there worldwide that would like for this to be something that could be done "cheaply, with the right know-how".

The fact is, there isn't. And there probably won't ever be. Because there are too many other options that are more sensible and realistic, and safer, than anything that could be done to make this legitimately attainable. It's kind of like trying to figure out a way to haul furniture using a bicycle when there's already a U-haul truck sitting in the driveway.

I assure you, if there was a cheap and easy way to do this, somebody would already have a patent and would be manufacturing and marketing the crap out of it, but there isn't. And there isn't, for all the reasons why it's a bad idea that have already been outlined by the five or six highly knowledgeable people with an accumulated approximately 150 years professional experience in this field who are actively participating in this thread including Mr. Jon Gerow who happens to be the head of practically everything electronic for Corsair. Well, including him, better make that more like 200 years experience.

You can certainly wish for and seek out a simple solution to this issue, but don't dare to hope that you'll find one because if it existed we'd already know about it and if it was simple or easily done, it would already exist and be available through some kind of channel or other because it's a popular idea that's been brought up periodically, again and again, across a number of different tech, computer, electronics and automotive forums, and the answers are pretty much always almost the exact same with very little variance.

There is absolutely nothing wrong with asking a question. That's how we find answers. It's when you've found the answer, and it's the same answer from a widely varied bunch of respondents, and you can't accept it, that there begins to be problems or hurt feelings.

I have no problem with being told not to do something, or being advised against a course of action, but to simply be told you cannot do something with the only reason being that it isn't commonly done, or there is no youTube video covering the topic, that's just frustrating.

The people who appeared angry and were reacting to my enquiry were not ones offering useful information, they were simply dismissing the idea.

I am not looking to produce a marketable product here. I was simply looking to identify the issues that were beyond my knowledge base specifically. Yes, I probably could have researched these myself more thoroughly before presenting the idea on the forum, but that would have voided the reason for being here.

 

[USAFRet]

Its not that you can't run a desktop PC in a vehicle. That is relatively easily done. Many solutions have been presented here.
Its that you're trying to bypass the necessary functionality of the power supply.

It does far more than just supply 12v to the motherboard.

 

[Darkbreeze]

Its that you're trying to bypass the necessary functionality of the power supply.

This, and this:

I'm betting it can be done cheaply

Are the problem. It could be done, but it would neither be cheap, nor easy, nor safe. Protections in modern power supplies exist for a reason and the fact that you'd be using it with a less stable and less reliable power source than you would be if it was plugged directly into the actual local grid, makes them even more important. I'm not against you trying to do anything you want to do, I just want for you to not be closing your eyes to the reality of the situation.

The point being, there's a reason why people respond with "get a laptop" as the standard answer to these kinds of questions and that reason is because this topic HAS been beaten to death like the proverbial horse over and over again and no magical options or solutions have ever been discovered as a result of those brainstorms. That's all I'm saying. Surely, everything under the sun is "possible". But being possible, and being either cheap OR easily done, are often worlds apart.

 

[OrlyP]

I propose that the OP go full circle and reconsider the inverter solution again. It's a mature technology and it does not remove the safeguards that is already built into a quality ATX power supply. Yes, you do this at a cost of losing a bit of efficiency. But you should put things into perspective; You're running just one (1) inverter for one (1) PC.... not a dozen of them. The parasitic loss will not get any more compounded than that.

All things considered, that is a fine price to pay to run a full PC... from a 12V vehicle... without re-engineering the hell out of it.

 

[Darkbreeze]

All things considered, that is a fine price to pay to run a full PC... from a 12V vehicle... without re-engineering the hell out of it.

Agreed.

 

[jonnyguru]

I propose that the OP go full circle and reconsider the inverter solution again.

Yep. Just get an inverter. Not efficient, but cheap and easy.

I've got an Everstart 1000W one and it's fantastic. Wouldn't dare push it to 1000W, but no issues with running it at 3/4 that.

DO NOT try to run off of straight battery/alternator power. Doesn't work.

 

[Nemesia]

I have a microscope and some lab equipment I guess I will just create my own Covid Vaccine ;p

 

[Darkbreeze]

LOL.

 

[mdd1963]

I'm sensing a tone of caution coming from the board... Can I ask, what exactly do you expect to be the problem? Do the voltages need to be strictly regulated for Motherboards? Any idea of what sort of variance can be allowed?

You need more than just '+12VDC'...which has already been addressed.

Look at the connector coming from your PSU in to your mainboard....a little more than just a 12V line and a ground.

 

[InvalidError]

Another approach would be to use four separate DC-DC converters to accommodate all of the usual supply rails. The main problem would be finding a 40-50A 12V buck-boost converter that can accommodate the 9-16V range of a car's 12V electrical system.

A likely much simpler and safer hack would be to use 12V to 170V DC-DC step-up converters and feed that to a conventional PSU the normal way, then your PC components should be about as safe as they would be on regular AC. Some universal-input PC PSUs will operate on less than 100VDC. At this point though, you have already incurred most of the losses that a high-efficiency inverter would have since the lossiest part of the process is stepping up 12V to 170V for the output bridge.