solar powerd PC in a briefcase,

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Hi all,

I have just finished the maths and finding relevant components to build a PC with HD gaming capacity that can be solar powerd... and it all fits into a briefcase...

the PC I will be running is via tomshardware.co.uk kicking out only 25W needed when under full load

I have found this case to mount my PC into and the size of the monitor could be impressive but to keep the power down I am going to opt for nothing bigger than 15"

http://www.hofbauer.co.uk/citybag

the solar cell is small enough to be mounted onto the top of the case with room to spare and powering the entire PC using a picopsu makes wiring them in easier, i also have the option of using a laptop charger to power it

though even off the solar cell I have power enough to spare for adding the monitor and USB keyboard/mouse, I plan to use a monitor that charges/powers by USB and yet has a HDMI input and will simply plug the charger and HDMI cables into the PC to create a nice loop effect.

here is the solar cell I am looking to use, if anyone can see anything hicky with my maths please let me know

http://www.ebay.com/itm/NEW-25-WATT...NOCRYSTALLINE-MONO-MODULE-CELLS-/221190615377

this sure should be exciting :cool:
 
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You need more power generation.
The only time you will get 25W from that is when it is in constant bright sunshine and pointing directly at the sun.
If a cloud goes over or someone walks past, it may crash the PC.
A 15" LCD will need 20W+ as well.

Rechargable batteries are pretty heavy, your power consumption is pretty high and ability to recharge them with that solar cell is very low.
Better off to use a laptop unless you dont mind short periods of use and being cut off.

Unless its cold outside, its going to heat up the PC pretty quick being in the sun.
Your case needs to be reflective on the outside and able to conduct the PCs and LCDs heat away.
Sunshine or high ambient temps are bad for electronics that need to be kept cool.

You need to generate all the voltages that the PC requires. Voltage regulators need cooling as they waste a bit of power.

Last but not least, when in bright sunshine, you wont be able to see the screen very well.

Why re-invent the wheel with a PC that uses more power than a laptop or palmtop, is less practical and less portable?
 
Agreed.

It makes much more sense to run a laptop, and then maybe have the option to recharge batteries using solar power. That's not a bad idea - could come in handy one of these days.

These types of recharing/battery parts are often cheap / faulty, but monoprice may have something useful. Dealextreme might as well, but I'd definitely read all the comments about anything I buy at Dx. Concerning cheap batteries / chargers / etc: I'd always assume that the parts will not meet spec.
 
there is some definite problem with your maths, and I dont think you understand how photo voltaic power production works.

Lets say your max power draw was really 25w (it will be higher) you could theoretically power your system with anything that constantly produces that much wattage. You cant get that, so you'll need some batteries, and then youll need a controller and inverter.

Also, the panel itself is only producing 25w@1.4amps, which probably won't be enough to do anything with, luckily you have a controller and inverter which can set input wattage, amperage, and voltage. but to get more amps, youll need a higher powered system. (V*A=W) and since you are pretty much stuck in a specifi voltage range, you will need much solar panels with that produce much more wattage, preferably on a 12v system. Also, pcs are set up to run off 120v power, so you would have to harness that energy (in somewhere of the area of 12v), convert it to 120v, and then your psu will convert it back to 12v, I'd like into a 12v pc
 
The psu is dc to dc so the psu should... take care of the 12V 120V conversion, and the 15" LCD has been scrapped, I am looing now at running a lenovo portable monitor, it draws its power from USB, meaning only 3.7v

though I take the point about the sun and clouds... my PSU will however allow me to power this machine off a laptop charger, i wonder if that is actually any better than running a standard pc right out the wall...
 
In addition to what others have said, consider your source: Tom's Hardware isn't exactly a good source for build advice and such. There's a reason why they're regarded as a four letter word around here. At least, last I checked anyway,

As others have said, you're better off just getting a laptop with a decent gaming GPU and figuring out a way to charge the laptop battery (or batteries) or laptop via solar power. More cost-effective, already close to low power as possible, and far more portable.
 
You are going to need a much larger panel than 25W. I would look at panels in the 100W range and certainly not something you can carry easily around with you. You will also need batteries. I second the gaming laptop idea.
 
For decades there have been solar powered computers - calculators.

It is not difficult to build a solar powered computer. There are lots of solar powered pieces of data collection equipment sitting out in the wilderness. There was even some guy with a bicycle with a solar powered computer and internet connection.

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