macbook in the car
Ok, so I've been working on this little project but I can't seem to find the answers to my questions.
Macbook Core Due 2.0
1. Is it possible to run a macbook straight from the car battery?
-Output voltage of internal battery is 10.7v
-As I believe the higher the voltage the less amperage it would need to draw to achieve the same wattage draw (v*a=w)=(v/w=a)
2.Would I need to use some sort of conditioner (capacitor in line)
- Still have a 1 Farad cap from my car stereo youth (ok still there)
Macbook Core Due 2.0
1. Is it possible to run a macbook straight from the car battery?
-Output voltage of internal battery is 10.7v
-As I believe the higher the voltage the less amperage it would need to draw to achieve the same wattage draw (v*a=w)=(v/w=a)
2.Would I need to use some sort of conditioner (capacitor in line)
- Still have a 1 Farad cap from my car stereo youth (ok still there)
Comments
Ok, so I've been working on this little project but I can't seem to find the answers to my questions.
Macbook Core Due 2.0
1. Is it possible to run a macbook straight from the car battery?
-Output voltage of internal battery is 10.7v
-As I believe the higher the voltage the less amperage it would need to draw to achieve the same wattage draw (v*a=w)=(v/w=a)
2.Would I need to use some sort of conditioner (capacitor in line)
- Still have a 1 Farad cap from my car stereo youth (ok still there)
i can't really answer your question, but i do have to point out something. you're trying to simulate the output voltage of the battery instead of the wall outlet adapter. two VERY different things.
you'd have to run the power directly to the battery connector pins within the notebook (the way you're trying to do it), because the MagSafe power connector runs a completely different and higher voltage.
my brain tells me the extra 5v is for charging while operating.
The power systems in these computers have DC-DC converters. I don't know what the dropout voltage is for the converter on the magsafe input. It could very well be in the 12V range. You need to consider power instead of voltage and current independently.
http://caraudio.avdeals.com/powerinverters/jp30.htm
I've run computers from these before and it's very easy to hook up. You basically just attach it to the battery and plug in your normal AC power supply.
I think I got a few hours of use from a car battery running an iMac. A Mini uses about 0.5kWh so a car battery would run it for maybe 8-10 hours.
I would assume that, unless you have access to a machine shop, building a direct line into the battery compartment is a no-go. Of course, you could try looking for "broken" macbook batteries on ebay and gutting the thing.