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dbrownell83

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Will my car battery be enough?

Hi there experts,

I have put together a car computer.

It has a mini-ITX mobo with 7"LCD, 60 gig HD, 16x DVD & Wireless running off an OPUS 12VDC-DC PSU, and got it working by testing it on a motorcycle battery.  With this battery I can get a good 3 minutes of DVD watching before the PSU decides it's out of juice, and shuts down windoze.

I am wondering if when I put this in my car, the alternator will provide sufficient power to the battery to keep it running?  I mean, it SHOULD at least let me play mp3s, but it would be nice to also be able to watch movies (er... for the passengers... not me)

Thanks
Dan
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dbrownell83

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Thanks

So I'll only watch DVDs when driving over 65mph. hahahaha

(or i'll grind around town in 2nd gear.  )
what can i do other than turn off the LCD & DVD?  Can I hook the motorcycle battery up as an extra supply somehow?
You can hook it up in parallel, but it wouldn't provide a lot more time.  What you need is a higher capacity battery, like a marine battery, but they are heavier and more awkward to handle.  Also keep in mind that batteries have sulfuric acid and some emit hydrogen gas when charging, which mixes with oxygen to produce an explosive combination.