RISC PC Powersupply for a car - comp.sys.acorn.hardware

Message from discussion RISC PC Powersupply for a car

Jules

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More options 22 Feb 2007, 18:04

Newsgroups: comp.sys.acorn.hardware

From: Jules <julesrichardso...@remove.this.yahoo.co.uk>

Date: Thu, 22 Feb 2007 12:04:43 -0600

Local: Thurs 22 Feb 2007 18:04

Subject: Re: RISC PC Powersupply for a car

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On Thu, 22 Feb 2007 16:55:01 +0000, Michael Emerton wrote:
> <snip>
>> <ditto>

> Ah! its called a modified keyboard, (and full one) as a uni project, we
> managed to munge a keyboard, into some touch-plates which you could
> attach to the steering wheel!

Aha - interesting. I had a plan once to do this kind of thing, but
couldn't figure out the UI side of it properly - mainly because I tend to
choose my music according to mood, and even with some sort of
collection-based system I still couldn't work out a way of managing what
might be hundreds of different collections whilst on the move. Maybe
that's atypical though and most people have no real preference as to what
song / genre comes up next.

> They attempted to use Windows, but on average by the time they booted it
> up, short journeys were over!

:-)

I was hacking around with a Linux system and diskless booting - I suppose
I could have looked into a board compatible with the Linux BIOS project
to get startup times even quicker (probably in the order of what can be
done with a SARPC)

Eventually that morphed into using the guts of a laptop and a power
inverter - the laptop innards were a lot smaller and meant that the laptop
was a lot less picky about the quality of the input voltage from the
inverter (particularly as the inverter might give up completely during
the couple of seconds whilst the car's started). Not suitable for
production, but a possibility for a "one-off".

I seem to recall pondering on an RPC as an option, but I've got zero clue
as to how to program the buggers :-)

>>> but I need the a PSU for a 12 DC Source?

>> Initially a mains inverter may be an option, depending on how much
>> power you need. I know Wal-Mart in the US do (or did) a 75W one for
>> something like the equivalent of £10. Tesco etc. may offer something
>> similar. Perhaps easier than trying to get regulated 12VDC out of
>> something that might be anywhere between 11-14VDC and prone to all
>> sorts of spikes.

> Any idea of model numbers?

I suspect it may have been replaced by this:

http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=4891078

... which works out at about a tenner and gives you 100W at 110VAC. Unless
the SARPC PSU is jumper (or automatically) selectable for 110V operation
though you'll need 220VAC for a UK PSU (and I suppose a similarly-sized
inverter will give you 50W to play with rather than 100W)

Maybe the company making the above also produces equivalents for the UK
market, though.

I'm in the US right now and might be heading to WalMart this evening, so
if I get the chance I'll have a quick look on the shelves to see what
other goodies they might have.

cheers

Jules

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