Here is the scenerio ...
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Posts: 46,084
This is more of an electronics question but it is part of a stamp
project...
I am setting up a weather station computer at an RC Flying field that has
no electrictiy and the problem I am currently having has to do with not
understanding a few basics. Here is my plan:
1. Set up a laptop and hook it up to a 12v car battery.
2. Hook up a Car Battery Solar Charger to keep the battery topped off.
My question is this. Will this solar charger
(http://www.baproducts.com/rpgt0417.htm) put out enough juice to make the
laptop never go dead? I dont kno what kind of draw the laptop takes and I
dont really understand the mA ratings on the solar panel.
2nd issue. I need to hook the laptop up to the car battery, how do I do
that? I know its probably pretty simple. I looked at the laptop ac adapter
and the ac adapter puts out 19v == 2.6A. Does that mean I can go straight
to the car battery and run 12v or do I need to make some circuit or
something... or am I looking at this all wrong? Also, on the ac adapter
cord there is like a cylinker in-line with the cord, what is that?
Now that the scenerio is out there, can anyone help me and tell me where
my plan is flawed?
- Matt Johnson
project...
I am setting up a weather station computer at an RC Flying field that has
no electrictiy and the problem I am currently having has to do with not
understanding a few basics. Here is my plan:
1. Set up a laptop and hook it up to a 12v car battery.
2. Hook up a Car Battery Solar Charger to keep the battery topped off.
My question is this. Will this solar charger
(http://www.baproducts.com/rpgt0417.htm) put out enough juice to make the
laptop never go dead? I dont kno what kind of draw the laptop takes and I
dont really understand the mA ratings on the solar panel.
2nd issue. I need to hook the laptop up to the car battery, how do I do
that? I know its probably pretty simple. I looked at the laptop ac adapter
and the ac adapter puts out 19v == 2.6A. Does that mean I can go straight
to the car battery and run 12v or do I need to make some circuit or
something... or am I looking at this all wrong? Also, on the ac adapter
cord there is like a cylinker in-line with the cord, what is that?
Now that the scenerio is out there, can anyone help me and tell me where
my plan is flawed?
- Matt Johnson
Comments
For starters, even if the AC/DC problem didn't get you,
it would take a considerable Solar array to keep a lead/acid
battery topped up continuously.
Maybe, if you had plenty of sunshine, and only used the system
sporadically, you might get away with it, but I know that with both
of my laptops, the 110VAC to 12v transformer gets pretty warm,
indicating a serious power consumption on the part of the Laptop.
Solar arrays don't yield much in the way of charging current, but
probably can be used to "trickle charge" the battery given enough
time, but if you're taking continuous readings, the laptop must be
on continuously, and I don't think you'd like to pay for a solar
array that was up to that task.
Maybe someone else has a better idea.
regards
Russ
Original Message
From: Matt Johnson <matt@p...>
To: <basicstamps@yahoogroups.com>
Sent: Wednesday, July 11, 2001 3:29 PM
Subject: [noparse][[/noparse]basicstamps] Here is the scenerio ...
|
| This is more of an electronics question but it is part of a stamp
| project...
|
| I am setting up a weather station computer at an RC Flying field that has
| no electrictiy and the problem I am currently having has to do with not
| understanding a few basics. Here is my plan:
|
| 1. Set up a laptop and hook it up to a 12v car battery.
|
| 2. Hook up a Car Battery Solar Charger to keep the battery topped off.
snip....|
> project...
>
> I am setting up a weather station computer at an RC Flying field that
> has no electrictiy and the problem I am currently having has to do
> with not understanding a few basics. Here is my plan:
I saw something like this at an r/c field near Battle Creek,MI. I think the
county put it there. Various weather sensors, solar panel and UHF tx.
> 1. Set up a laptop and hook it up to a 12v car battery.
>
> 2. Hook up a Car Battery Solar Charger to keep the battery topped off.
>
> My question is this. Will this solar charger
> (http://www.baproducts.com/rpgt0417.htm) put out enough juice to make
> the laptop never go dead? I dont kno what kind of draw the laptop
> takes and I dont really understand the mA ratings on the solar panel.
Usually they give a maximum open circuit voltage and short circuit current.
In this case they are giving typical ratings 125mA@15V or 1.8W
From the adapter ratings you know it is around 2 Amps.
> 2nd issue. I need to hook the laptop up to the car battery, how do I
> do that? I know its probably pretty simple. I looked at the laptop ac
> adapter and the ac adapter puts out 19v == 2.6A. Does that mean I can
> go straight to the car battery and run 12v or do I need to make some
> circuit or something... or am I looking at this all wrong? Also, on
> the ac adapter cord there is like a cylinker in-line with the cord,
> what is that?
Is that 19V AC or DC? What is the internal battery voltage? If it is 12V then
it may work.
> Now that the scenerio is out there, can anyone help me and tell me
> where my plan is flawed?
>
>
> - Matt Johnson
>
>
the battery charged then? ... What would be the best way then to power a
laptop where there is no power? Is there a way to gauge the draw coming
from the laptop?
- Matt
On Wed, 11 Jul 2001, Mike DeMetz wrote:
>
> > This is more of an electronics question but it is part of a stamp
> > project...
> >
> > I am setting up a weather station computer at an RC Flying field that
> > has no electrictiy and the problem I am currently having has to do
> > with not understanding a few basics. Here is my plan:
> I saw something like this at an r/c field near Battle Creek,MI. I think the
> county put it there. Various weather sensors, solar panel and UHF tx.
> > 1. Set up a laptop and hook it up to a 12v car battery.
> >
> > 2. Hook up a Car Battery Solar Charger to keep the battery topped off.
> >
> > My question is this. Will this solar charger
> > (http://www.baproducts.com/rpgt0417.htm) put out enough juice to make
> > the laptop never go dead? I dont kno what kind of draw the laptop
> > takes and I dont really understand the mA ratings on the solar panel.
> Usually they give a maximum open circuit voltage and short circuit current.
> In this case they are giving typical ratings 125mA@15V or 1.8W
> From the adapter ratings you know it is around 2 Amps.
> > 2nd issue. I need to hook the laptop up to the car battery, how do I
> > do that? I know its probably pretty simple. I looked at the laptop ac
> > adapter and the ac adapter puts out 19v == 2.6A. Does that mean I can
> > go straight to the car battery and run 12v or do I need to make some
> > circuit or something... or am I looking at this all wrong? Also, on
> > the ac adapter cord there is like a cylinker in-line with the cord,
> > what is that?
> Is that 19V AC or DC? What is the internal battery voltage? If it is 12V then
> it may work.
> > Now that the scenerio is out there, can anyone help me and tell me
> > where my plan is flawed?
> >
> >
> > - Matt Johnson
> >
> >
>
>
>
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Original Message
From: "Russ Bassani" <RussBassani@a...>
To: <basicstamps@yahoogroups.com>
Sent: Wednesday, July 11, 2001 2:21 PM
Subject: Re: [noparse][[/noparse]basicstamps] Here is the scenerio ...
> Hi Matt,
> For starters, even if the AC/DC problem didn't get you,
> it would take a considerable Solar array to keep a lead/acid
> battery topped up continuously.
> Maybe, if you had plenty of sunshine, and only used the system
> sporadically, you might get away with it, but I know that with both
> of my laptops, the 110VAC to 12v transformer gets pretty warm,
> indicating a serious power consumption on the part of the Laptop.
> Solar arrays don't yield much in the way of charging current, but
> probably can be used to "trickle charge" the battery given enough
> time, but if you're taking continuous readings, the laptop must be
> on continuously, and I don't think you'd like to pay for a solar
> array that was up to that task.
>
> Maybe someone else has a better idea.
> regards
> Russ
>
>
Original Message
> From: Matt Johnson <matt@p...>
> To: <basicstamps@yahoogroups.com>
> Sent: Wednesday, July 11, 2001 3:29 PM
> Subject: [noparse][[/noparse]basicstamps] Here is the scenerio ...
>
>
> |
> | This is more of an electronics question but it is part of a stamp
> | project...
> |
> | I am setting up a weather station computer at an RC Flying field that
has
> | no electrictiy and the problem I am currently having has to do with not
> | understanding a few basics. Here is my plan:
> |
> | 1. Set up a laptop and hook it up to a 12v car battery.
> |
> | 2. Hook up a Car Battery Solar Charger to keep the battery topped off.
>
> snip....|
>
>
>
> To UNSUBSCRIBE, just send mail to:
> basicstamps-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com
> from the same email address that you subscribed. Text in the Subject and
Body of the message will be ignored.
>
>
> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
>
>