🚀 go-pugleaf

In article <1992Aug31.103541.23022@fokus.gmd.de> jet@fokus.gmd.de (J. Tiemann) writes:
>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.

I think the original poster wanted to run it off of a car battery (removed
from the car) and not from a car's electrical system.  In this case, just
a simple regulator should do the job, though you should make sure that if
you are trickle charging the battery while in use that the charger doesn't
throw a lot of noise into the system.

Also, you might be a lot better off using a marine deep-cycle battery, which
can withstand heavier charge-discharge cycles.  However, if this is a one
time application it might not be worth the added expense.
--scott