Science Forums 2

[Boerseun]

Hi, and welcome to hypography!

Using a series of car batteries is a bit clunky, seeing as your computer and its peripherals run much lower, in the 4 to 12 volt category. But, your pc's power supply was built to handle power fluctuations, and shouldn't be dispensed with if you can't replace it with something suitable as a power regulator.

I'd recommend investing in a power inverter, that'll take your van's 12V DC and convert it to 240V AC. Then all you'd have to do is plug it into your lighter socket, or wire it up to the circuit feeding the lighter socket, and Bob's your uncle. A mid-range inverter is about a third the size of an average 12V car battery, and will set you back in the region of a single battery's price. I'd also recommend using a flat panel which you can take out of its housing, instead of a CRT. That'll reduce the strain on the inverter by a bucketload, and also save you lots of space. So, you'd still have your pc's power supply acting as a regulator, and the cool thing is you can even run a kettle to make some coffee on site from the inverter as well!

Let me know how your project is going!