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From: harry@neuron6.jpl.nasa.gov (Harry Langenbacher)
Newsgroups: sci.electronics
Subject: Re: Uninterruptible Power Supply
Message-ID: <1993Apr15.225326.22831@jato.jpl.nasa.gov>
Date: 15 Apr 93 22:53:26 GMT
Article-I.D.: jato.1993Apr15.225326.22831
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In article <NURDEN1.25.734866568@elaine.ee.und.ac.za> NURDEN1@elaine.ee.und.ac.za (Dale Nurden) writes:
>I'm wanting to build a simple UPS for my PC. ... sustain the computer long enough to complete 
>the current task and save, 5 to 10 minutes should be enough....
>I think, though I don't really need to keep the monitor active (I can try to 
>remember what to do) so maybe I can avoid a DC-AC inverter and just use a 
>battery to directly supply the motherboard and peripherals.

Now there's a good idea ! All you need is 20 amps DC for a few minutes, and
a good (wetware) memory (was I using wp or autocad or ...). I thought of the
same idea myself a few days ago. I've got a fairly new car battery that I take
along in my 4x4 when I go camping, and it sits around useless when I'm home.
I wish I could get a batteryless ups to use it with, or use it with a heavy
duty 5-volt regulator to supply the PC. But I guess you'd need -5v and -12v 
(and +12) too (2 more batteries ?).

An alternative would be to leave a 40 AMP battery charger hooked up to the battery
and run a 12vdc to 110vac converter running all the time, and when the power
goes out, voi-la ! the 110vac converter keeps on running off the battery ! and
then I could take the 110vac converter and my computer on the camping trips !-)


-- 
Harry Langenbacher 818-354-9513 harry%neuron6@jpl-mil.jpl.nasa.gov
FAX 818-393-4540, Concurrent Processing Devices Group, Jet Propulsion
Laboratory, M/S 302-231, 4800 Oak Grove Dr, Pasadena CA 91109 USA
