[Coco] Powering CoCo with 12V DC only (was Monitor Choice)

[Bruce W. Calkins]

I ran a CoCo 3, disk drive set on 12 volts in a Peterbuilt back in 
1987.  I used a 12 volt 12" analog color TV as a monitor, although I did 
use a 5" B&W battery TV for a while after adjusting it to show a crisp 
80 column screen.  Of course one advantage with the big truck was that 
one seldom shut the engine/alternator down so battery life was not an issue.

Bruce W.



On 12/03/2017 11:07 AM, Francis Swygert wrote:
> Date: Fri, 1 Dec 2017 17:51:40 -0800
> From: Steve Pedersen <666jacktheknife666 at gmail.com>
> Subject: Re: [Coco] Monitor Choice
>
> Yeah it's going to be complicated I'm actually looking at the DIY powerwall
> folks to maybe create a large tool box stuffed full of 18 650 batteries to
> run my system or I may just do a couple of 6 volt golf cart batteries
> hooked up to a 800 watt inverter or something else I'm still going over the
> details in my mind.
> ===========================================================
> First rule of power conversion: don't do it if you can help it! You lose some power during the conversion -- the inverter itself uses some power. So the best bet is to power the CoCo directly from a 12V DC source. The downside is you can't use it to power other things...
> What I think I would do is build a "solar generator". Not really a generator -- it's a battery in a box with everything you need to plug up, recharged by a solar panel. You could permanently mount a solar panel on the roof of your van to recharge the battery during the day. Doesn't matter how you recharge the battery though. Include a small battery charger and take the box to work, plug in and recharge there. Add a cigarette lighter plug and plug into the van with the engine running, etc.
>
> This link isn't the clearest, but the guy's intent is/was to power his home office with it. He made a few mistakes and goes over what he did wrong and how he corrected it (mainly battery sizing) rather thoroughly. He was sizing to run for 8 hours, which might be a bit more than you need/want. He was also planning on powering a few more items than you might be running, so you may not need as much capacity. I'd forget the "grid tie" inverter. You can get a 500W automotive inverter for under $50. I'd use one like this (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B074V2JF5N/ref=sspa_dk_detail_7?psc=1&pd_rd_i=B074V2JF5N&pd_rd_wg=cBM0P&pd_rd_r=T4Y4FPKXWJG205XFT15B&pd_rd_w=dPsnx) and mount it on the OUTSIDE of my battery box. Would greatly reduce wiring as it has everything right on it.
>
> Portable Solar Generator
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> Portable Solar Generator
>   *** UPDATE to "Step 3: Solar panel & connections"I built this system because its fun, I'm a ...  |   |
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>   Frank Swygert
>   Fix-It-Frank Handyman Service
>   803-604-6548
>