Battery in portable desktop?

[apbrit2009]

i was thinking about making a portable desktop for my brother due to his need for a gaming machine and a portable computer but only the money for one.
he needs something that can function unplugged
would it be possible to use a laptop battery to power it?
and if so, how would i do that?

[apbrit2009]

also, i have $1000 to build my own gaming rig, it has to have os, monitor, mouse/keyboard included in the price
any suggestions for parts?

[nevermind1534]

you can really only use a laptop battery in a laptop that was designed for it. A UPS, however, can power anything that plugs into the wall.

[apbrit2009]

you can really only use a laptop battery in a laptop that was designed for it. A UPS, however, can power anything that plugs into the wall.

how much does that cost, and where would i get it?

[nevermind1534]

It depends on how much battey life you want. Most major retail outlets sell them.

[x88x]

I've played with the idea myself, of incorporating an UPS into a desktop; never really gone past that stage though :think: The only problem is that, depending on what kinda unplugged functionality you're shooting for, you might be sorely disappointed. The main reason being that, even if you do get a high capacity UPS or string a couple together, they all use sealed lead-acid batteries, which do not take kindly to being fully discharged. I had one a while ago that just completely stopped charging at all after being discharged, though some advances appear to have been made since then, as one I use at work was completely discharged during a power outage, and it bounced back just fine (albeit) slowly, but that was to be expected from a lead-acid. Also, if you want more than about 15-20 minutes of battery life with a typical gaming system and (presumably) an LCD monitor, you're gonna be shelling out a good bit on that UPS.

As for your $1k rig, what kinda performance are you looking to get out of it and how important are your inputs (mouse/keyboard) and outputs (monitor/speakers) to you?

[apbrit2009]

As for your $1k rig, what kinda performance are you looking to get out of it and how important are your inputs (mouse/keyboard) and outputs (monitor/speakers) to you?
monitor should be at least 1680x1050 and speakers at least 2.1 channel but other than that outputs arent important
as for the inputs, il use the G5 i use on my laptop (Asus G1sn-x1), and keyboard can be any cheap usb one

[apbrit2009]

Also, if you want more than about 15-20 minutes of battery life with a typical gaming system and (presumably) an LCD monitor, you're gonna be shelling out a good bit on that UPS.


its gonna be a pretty cheap system using fairly low power parts
any alternatives to the UPS?

[x88x]

monitor should be at least 1680x1050 and speakers at least 2.1 channel but other than that outputs arent important
as for the inputs, il use the G5 i use on my laptop (Asus G1sn-x1), and keyboard can be any cheap usb one

For a good, (relatively) cheap, high-res monitor, Samsung has some that were released early this year; a 21.5" 1920x1080 @ ~$190 (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824001319) and a 23" 2048x1152 @ ~$230 (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824001317), Asus also makes a 19" 1680x1050 @ ~$130 (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824236056).

Creative, Altec Lansing and Logitech make some acceptable 2.1 systems for around $30-40.

I would also recommend that you get a decent keyboard. I also used to be of the 'random cheap, whatever, it's keys, I hit them' school, but then I got my first nice keyboard...and I've never regretted it...and often wondered how I used cheap POS keyboards for so long.

For the actual system itself, with that price range, I'd go with a Phenom II, 8GB of RAM, and a GTX 260 or 4670. I have a GTX260, and at 1680x1050, I have yet to run into a game that I can't run at full settings.


its gonna be a pretty cheap system using fairly low power parts
any alternatives to the UPS?

Well, depending on how comfortable you are with building your own electronics, you might be able to get a cheaper UPS for the charging circuit, source some compatible batteries by themselves, and build the circuitry to bypass the PSU when you're not plugged into the wall. Since no power rails go over 12V, and generally not over 2-3A, it should be possible...I know Google does it :D

[apbrit2009]

thanks 4 the advice everyone, once i have built everything i will post pics
it may be a while because i won't be getting my paycheck till the end of july due to my employers financial woes
i work at a family owned hardware store which is being hit badly by the recession
*edit, getting check at end of august, I have a rig now, but it's on loan from my brother*

[x88x]

I know this thread is kinda old now, but I just ran across this (http://www.instructables.com/id/Rework-a-UPS-with-Massive-Capacity/) on Hack a Day, and thought it might help if you're still trying to do the portable thing.

Disclaimer:
Normal UPSs are NOT designed to deal with this level of current at the kind of time upgrading the batteries lets you do. This is much riskier and much more dangerous than dealing with normal desktop UPSs in the manner that they are supposed to be dealt with. Basically, I'm not responsible if you kill yourself :P