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Power for Desktop PC??

Former Member

Right now our area is suffering from heavy blackouts and this got me thinking about my desktop computer now rotting away... It is just way to sad and expensive to let it go to waste. So can I power my PC computer via a 12volt car battery without the use of an power inverter?

 

Judging on most of the PC wiring it uses 5volt and 12volt also {negative} -12volt and {negative} -5volt  also there is a 3.3Volt. I included a picture I found on the net to help explain the pins there locations and designation. I hope this helps. I am looking at the ATX 24 Pin connector.  

 

Now I am a complete layman with electronics and have no idea to go about this. That said I know that most cars use onboard computers and even hard drives surely there is enough power to get a gaming computer up and going again?

 

Right now I am using a 700 Watt PSU and it is working really well. But it is no use to me when dead... and running the generator to drive my PC at midnight might be upsetting to others that want some sleep and really a power inverter feels wrong to me as the computer is build to actually use DC not AC and as we know a inverter does consume a lot to function "depending on make and model".

 

So any inexpensive MOD with easy to find parts would be a massive  help.   image

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    Well illustrated, John.  It seems you are really raising your game.  Let me put it in verbal terms:  If you have a DVM and putting the leads across a battery causes it to register, say, seven-and-a-half volts, interchanging the leads will cause it to register minus-seven-and-a half-volts.  We are keeping the mantissa and inverting the signum.

     

    This is a basic example of Gustav Kirchoff's law.

     

    We measure current through a point.  We measure potential across two points.  This causes us to arbitrarily label some node in the circuit as zero.  Spelling out the acronym, it is a Differential Volt-Meter.  Properly stated, 'voltages' or potentials are always measured at a point with respect to another point.  It's just that EEs have gotten tired of saying 'with respect to ground' all of the time.  Sometimes they abbreviate:  'WRT Gnd.'

     

    Logic guys often assign the lowest potential to zero.  Stereo guys often assign the middle potential as zero.

     

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    Few PCs use the -5, many don't use the -12, some just use the 12V and buck down for the local supplies which are often 3.3, 2.5 or 1.8 volts, nowadays.

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    Well illustrated, John.  It seems you are really raising your game.  Let me put it in verbal terms:  If you have a DVM and putting the leads across a battery causes it to register, say, seven-and-a-half volts, interchanging the leads will cause it to register minus-seven-and-a half-volts.  We are keeping the mantissa and inverting the signum.

     

    This is a basic example of Gustav Kirchoff's law.

     

    We measure current through a point.  We measure potential across two points.  This causes us to arbitrarily label some node in the circuit as zero.  Spelling out the acronym, it is a Differential Volt-Meter.  Properly stated, 'voltages' or potentials are always measured at a point with respect to another point.  It's just that EEs have gotten tired of saying 'with respect to ground' all of the time.  Sometimes they abbreviate:  'WRT Gnd.'

     

    Logic guys often assign the lowest potential to zero.  Stereo guys often assign the middle potential as zero.

     

    ----------

     

    Few PCs use the -5, many don't use the -12, some just use the 12V and buck down for the local supplies which are often 3.3, 2.5 or 1.8 volts, nowadays.

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