Can a PC be powered from a cigarette lighter?

S

servo-15

New member
I know it sounds like an odd question, but I live in an apartment and would need a 100 metre extension cable to reach my car. Is it practical to somehow power a PC from the car's battery?
 
I have seen power inverters that change the 12volt accessory inside the car to power a "regular" elecric machine such as a laptop etc. My guess is that the PC would suck a lot of juice, so you would probably need to keep the car running using such an inverter, so the battery doesn't die.



I didn't notice where you live, but radio shack , target , kmart etc. all sell the "power inverters".
 
You'll need a fairly hefty power inverter to make it work . . .



The heaviest duty inverter that Radio Shack sells is 300 watts. The Porter Cable needs closer to 500 watts (3.7 amps * 120 volts = 444 watts).



Tort
 
Thanks guys, sounds like the PC needs a lot of juice, at nearly 4 amps I will definitely need the engine running. I'm in London in the UK :brit , radioshack used to trade as "Tandy" over here before they went bust. I checked out the website of another store (maplin) and luckily they sell inverters going up to 1000W!
 
My Google search found inverters as high as 3000W (for big $$$). There were a number of 500W and 600W models in the $100 USD range that might suit your purpose.



Good luck,

Tort
 
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