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chandan.ahluwalia
Apprentice
India
126 Posts |
 Posted - Aug 17 2008 : 3:02:18 PM
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I was trying to search on net about the different power supply that can convert the 12V DC to all the range that the motherboard and processor needs. Then it striked me that as the supply is not cheap or cannot be shipped to my area so i thought of a UPS to be installed in the car for operating a Pentium 3 processor with a HDD and some motherboard + a good quality sound card.
So Aaron,i read a lot about the way you fixed the thing in your car, i had a little different idea like replacing it with a very high end Gaming and Multimedia system afterwards so the normal power supply's won't give enough current.
So comming back to the point, if i use a 500 watt UPS in my car which is having the battery with ratings almost the same as that in a Honda Civic and exactly the same as that in Honda City(If you have heard about it), will there be a problem? Or shall i go for an inverter? After reading the previous posts on inverters i don't think that an inverter can run a computer reliably. So please suggest me about what to do.
One more thing i wanted to ask. What to do about the shock absorbers for the hard disk? is there a simple way to make one or are some available in market?
Please suggest... |
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Aaron Cake
Administrator
Canada
6718 Posts |
Posted - Aug 17 2008 : 4:53:01 PM
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Don't use shocks on the hard drive. They are unnecessary and unless tuned correctly, will just cause more damage.
Using a UPS seems fine...You don't have to worry about matching the battery size. Connect the battery of the UPS in parallel with the battery already in the car (through an appropriate fuse of course).
Or just eliminate the UPS battery and connect the battery leads up to the car's 12V system.
Most UPSs are only designed to run as long as their batteries last, so heatsinks may not be large enough for continuous operation. |
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chandan.ahluwalia
Apprentice
India
126 Posts |
Posted - Aug 18 2008 : 12:15:45 AM
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So sir, you are suggesting that i install bigger heat sinks for heat generating parts inside. And yes, i'll remove the battery completely from the UPS as it will drain some extra power for no use.
Regarding the dard drive, can you suggest something as usually i have to drive on bumpy roads with lot of pot holes. And the suspension of my car is not that effective. I may end up with a crashed hard drive the very first time i take it for a drive. |
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Aaron Cake
Administrator
Canada
6718 Posts |
Posted - Aug 18 2008 : 09:51:29 AM
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When I tried to shock mount my hard drive, I ended up killing three of them. It's hard to tune a damper and spring rate for a hard drive (or the whole player) and get it right the first time. It becomes a process of elimination with a pile of dead hard drives as a result.
Once I gave up on the shock mounting and mounted the player directly to the car, it ran fine for the next 6 years.
Hard drives (use a laptop hard drive) are far tougher then you think. |
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cyclopsitis
Nobel Prize Winner
Canada
732 Posts |
Posted - Aug 18 2008 : 10:53:40 AM
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| Humm.. to tune the shock you would need to know the "k" of the spring and the force applied to the HD. That way you could figure out the damping factor... In my physics class I hated springs and DF haha. |
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chandan.ahluwalia
Apprentice
India
126 Posts |
Posted - Aug 18 2008 : 11:36:18 AM
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Same here, i never understood the spring stuff properly!!!
Well Aaron, even i have heard that laptop Hard Drives are tougher than the Desktop counterparts but if i use a Desktop one then will it last some years?
And if high powered speakers and Subs are placed near them, will it affect the HDD as with my current system, the car rattles like hell! |
Edited by - chandan.ahluwalia on Aug 18 2008 11:37:37 AM |
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Aaron Cake
Administrator
Canada
6718 Posts |
Posted - Aug 20 2008 : 09:45:16 AM
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I ran a desktop hard drive for three years. No issues once I removed the springs and hard mounted.
Keep in mind that I mounted all my hard drives vertically. I think that makes a huge difference as the heads aren't slapping the disk all the time.
As for the subs, it's probably not a good idea to mount your hard drives near them. The constant vibration could be a problem. |
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chandan.ahluwalia
Apprentice
India
126 Posts |
Posted - Aug 20 2008 : 2:11:55 PM
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Well, mounting the hard drive vertically is a good thinking as horizontally, it will cause the head to slap  the disk which will bring it to tears .
And i think i should place them in my car with no subs but 4 big speakers. That must solve the problem.
Thanks for the suggestions Aaron. I really appreciate. You are a genius  .
Any more suggestions you wish to provide in this system setup? |
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UPS in car for computer
