We have laptops powered by batteries, but they are large specialized cells. Another very different thing is a battery-powered PC. How many alkaline batteries do you need to power a desktop PC? An expert modder has tried to figure it out, and the results are promising.
Las alkaline batteries They perform the same function as a cell phone or laptop battery, but they have very little charge. That is why there are no battery powered computers…Until today.
The YouTube channel ScuffedBits has set itself the challenge of start a PC with conventional AA batteries. Be careful, it is important to realize that we are talking about a desktop PCwhich consumes much more, not than a laptop.
The first battery-powered computer
We don’t know what PC he used, but from the video you can see that it is an office PC with a text-focused graphics card, an SSD drive, and a monitor. It is not very powerful, but being a desktop computer, it consumes at least 200 or 300 W.
The first advantage of using batteries is that the power supply can be dispensed with, and no need to convert from alternating current to direct current. You only need a DC-DC adapter, such as the well-known PicoATX or similar, to connect the batteries to the PC’s power input.
After a few tests, ScuffedBits discovered that it is enough to maintain a current of 10 V for the adapter to work, accepting a fairly wide input voltage range.
After using different carbon and alkaline batteries, he tried 20, 30 batteries, but they did not transmit enough energy to start the PC.
Finally he discovered that 56 AA alkaline batteries connected in parallel and series are needed to use a desktop computer.
Another interesting discovery is that This type of battery transmits energy very slowlycausing the PC to shut down after two seconds. He had to connect two 6800 µF, 40 V electrolytic capacitors connected in series to the batteries to cushion peaks in power demand. Another key improvement was using thicker wiring.
With this configuration, managed to get the PC to work… for two minuteswhich was how long the batteries lasted. Its load is very small.
This youtuber has shown that it is possible to make a battery-powered PCalthough you only get power for a few minutes. He took advantage of it to play a game of Minesweeper… It’s not very practical, but it is a very interesting experiment.