🚀 go-pugleaf

In article <IISAKKIL.92Aug30164509@vipunen.hut.fi>, iisakkil@vipunen.hut.fi (Mika Iisakkila) writes:
|> jeffn@nuchat.sccsi.com (Jeff Noxon) writes:
|> 
|> >Question 1: How can I power the motherboard?  I am interested mostly in
|> >efficency.  Would 5V regulator ICs do the job as well as anything?
|> 
|> Not really. I worked for a couple of years for a company that made
   [...]
|> that could deliver the rated voltages at as low as 5.2 V of input,
|> although this requires some black magic. Low operating voltages are
|> needed to keep the power supply working properly during engine start,
|> which causes a severe drop in the battery voltage.

There are also high voltage spikes that can damages the voltage regulator
and the computer during engine starts. So you need a good filter (to filter
the high frequencies from this spikes) protect the electronic. The high 
currents during this time (from battery to the engine/generator) can also
confuse your computer, but most trouble comes over the power supply.

|> For your purposes you will probably be happy with a simple step-down
|> switcher, which is easy to implement using a dedicated IC. One of


     Jens        jet@fokus.gmd.de