semi-portable power solutions?

[silk186]

I will be taking a train from Beijing to Guangzhou and it will be long trip with nothing to do so I'm hoping to play my DS and some ROMS on my laptop, the problem is battery life. So, I want to know if there is any kind of external battery that I can use? Any thing I can do with an electric scooter batter or back up power UPS type solution to power either of these two devices for 15-20 hours. I know there has to be something like this, I don't care about weight. Just not sure what to call it to make a search.

 

[corkyg]

Look for external notebook batteries. Here is a sample:

ExtBat

 

[Zepper]

I don't think any UPS of reasonable weight will be able to run your equipment for 15 to 20 hours continuously. You'll have to do some experiments to figure what your actual power usage is while using your equipment for those tasks you mentioned. I expect some UPS could come close, but for sure it will be heavy. Need to rig a carrying strap for it...

.bh.

 

[silk186]

I was thinking of a car or scooter battery in a roller bag, has anyone tried something like this before, it could be a cheap DIY solution.

 

[Zepper]

Car or scooter batteries emit hydrogen (but perhaps just in a charging situation - more risk of acid damage from spilling) - I don't think a train would allow those in passenger compartments. I suppose if you could find some gelled electrolyte batteries like those used in the UPS, you could use them for direct DC, but don't most laptops run off higher voltages than the 12 available from a gelled battery. I guess you could rig a 12 + a 6 in series for a total of 18V. UPS generally puts out AC so you could run your devices off their AC adapter/chargers.

.bh.

 

[corkyg]

If you have lots of $$$, you could get a half a dozen external battery units in a roll-on bag. But - why not just get a good book and enjoy the trip? 🙂

 

[Zepper]

corkyg +1 - I can't imagine a better time filler than reading a good book. But being in China I could imagine the selection wouldn't be that great. Vernor Vinge's great "A Fire Upon the Deep" would easily eat up that trip, but it may be banned in China as the author is a legendary libertarian... I must have read it at least five times and I enjoyed it anew each time.

.bh.

 

[heymrdj]

Originally posted by: Zepper
corkyg +1 - I can't imagine a better time filler than reading a good book. But being in China I could imagine the selection wouldn't be that great. Vernor Vinge's great "A Fire Upon the Deep" would easily eat up that trip, but it may be banned in China as the author is a legendary libertarian... I must have read it at least five times and I enjoyed it anew each time.

.bh.

I get motion sickness reading a book in a moving machine. Strangely not so much on a laptop..but I can...

I need one of those batteries. My 12lb behemoth DV9550 only gets 2.5 hours or a smidge over when sipping the juice. Only 45 minutes on high end. That would be perfect for LAN on the go 🙂.

 

[corkyg]

Another time pacifier for long trips is a CD player and audio books. That can be supported with ordinary AA batteries. I really envy your opportunity to see interior China.

 

[heymrdj]

Originally posted by: corkyg
Another time pacifier for long trips is a CD player and audio books. That can be supported with ordinary AA batteries. I really envy your opportunity to see interior China.

I don't. Why anyone would choose to go to ratholes like Africa, China, India, Mexico, ect, I will never understand. But ay, we all got likes and dislikes.

 

[corkyg]

Yep! I'll be leaving for South Africa on New Year's Day. 🙂

 

[cheesehead]

Originally posted by: Zepper
I suppose if you could find some gelled electrolyte batteries like those used in the UPS, you could use them for direct DC, but don't most laptops run off higher voltages than the 12 available from a gelled battery.

Scooter, UPS, and security system batteries are all of the sealed "gel-cell" variety.

To power your Game Boy or laptop off of such a cell, just connect twelve volts' worth of cells (most of these cells are 12v just like an automotive battery, but a few are 6v) to the car charger of your choice.

That said, please note the limited capacity of such batteries. While a small 6 amp-hour gel cell could run a Game Boy Advance for three days continuously, it might only power your behemoth laptop for three hours.

Originally posted by: heymrdj

I don't. Why anyone would choose to go to ratholes like Africa, China, India, Mexico, ect, I will never understand. But ay, we all got likes and dislikes.

Congratulations! You've just won the creepy thread-crapping xenophobe of the day award! Way to insult approximately 70% of the world's population (including many of my friends) in three sentences!

I'd visit China if I could afford it. Any chance we'll see pictures?

Originally posted by: Zepper
corkyg +1 - I can't imagine a better time filler than reading a good book. But being in China I could imagine the selection wouldn't be that great. Vernor Vinge's great "A Fire Upon the Deep" would easily eat up that trip, but it may be banned in China as the author is a legendary libertarian... I must have read it at least five times and I enjoyed it anew each time.

Vernor Vinge is also reputed to not be a very nice person. (In a weird bit of coincidence, I happen to know his ex-wife.) To get around government restrictions (and avoid giving the author any money), you could always just download a PDF from somewhere.

 

[heymrdj]

Originally posted by: Cheesehead

Originally posted by: heymrdj

I don't. Why anyone would choose to go to ratholes like Africa, China, India, Mexico, ect, I will never understand. But ay, we all got likes and dislikes.

Congratulations! You've just won the creepy thread-crapping xenophobe of the day award! Way to insult approximately 70% of the world's population (including many of my friends) in three sentences.

Sure I did. There's alot of good in those country's. But lets face it, these countries are hell holes in many places, like here in the US. But it only takes a small look into history books to see what's wrong with them.

So I will say that you're the UN leg humper that thinks everythings ok in the world.

Are we even now?

 

[silk186]

I have a 15" laptop with integrated graphics (Asus M3000N, the power bar says it uses 19V ~3.42A, 65W. I would assume that this is a maximum power draw. Any idea how long a 12v scooter battery might last?

 

[cheesehead]

Originally posted by: silk186
I have a 15" laptop with integrated graphics (Asus M3000N, the power bar says it uses 19V ~3.42A, 65W. I would assume that this is a maximum power draw. Any idea how long a 12v scooter battery might last?

Divide the amp-hour rating of the battery by three. This is the maximum you can expect. Then divide it by seven. This is the minimum you can expect. Power supplies often waste a lot of electricity, and the power draw specified is a maximum draw, not an average, and these numbers are very coarse estimates.