Survival and technology

I have been looking at getting tablet as they are getting more popular.as I was thinking of the specs I wanted I started thinking about all the technology I use and what I could still use in shtf situation. Sure I can run a generator to power and charge stuff but that is not ideal.
technology gives us many options.Any one convert a desktop computer to 12 volts? Solar panels too charge your smart phone or kinetic radios.wind up flash lights.
I have some things that are self powered but s lot of out is just for camping. it is hard to find quality items that can be expected to last.

What at people using out there now?

 

Yes I know a desktop requires s lot of power.but from what I can tell everything on a desktop is 12v or 5v. So converting it to run off 12v battery should be easy. Building it into a camper and the bank of batteries there also simple. 12 volt flat screenns while not cheap are easy to find. Once you have a atx compatible power supply with enough wattage it is far easier to upgrade than a laptop. Most of which I have found to be 19 volts.
Sure I could just buy a laptop but I'm sure that you could build a power supply for less than 50$ which could help out those with other priorities than a computer.

Not to mention I like to build things useful or not.some timesi just don't know how. heh heh.
Nutz

 

Either way you go the batteries have to be charged. So while that will be an issue in time.its not at this time. I prefer to go step by step. Yes I know it would be smarter to get the issue of charging the batteries dealt with first. However there are tons of commercial options I expect I can try to ignore when the time comes.
last thing first. Regulated 12v say 500 watts max(for those of us who still want to play fallout 3 from our vaults).and its always nice to have a regulated 12 volt supply to plug in our car chargers in nothing else.

 

Mind if I chime in here ? First of all, building all those conversion things are nice, but why waste your money ? Simply buy one quality solar panel from 80 -135 watts in 12v. , 1 trace c-30 charge controller, and 1 USED trace 1512 Inverter along with a couple of trojen t-105 batteries . Even though you spent a little more then you wanted, you have a fairly good supply of QUIET power with no fossil fuels needed. If you shop wisely, you will have components that will last you for years to come with little or no maintaince other then watering your batteries now and then.

 

For me its mostly to see how things can be done. Sure I build things that turn out to be more effort than they were worth.but what I learn along the way more than makes up for the lost money.
Sure inverters are a fantastic tool.
But its nice to see how things can be done other ways.

Nuts

 

I'm going to chime in here also .Both Bruce & Nadja have a pretty good knowage of how the computer system is run off a solar & other fuel powered system .Now it possible to run a desktop computer off solar system but it alot of power for the socalled effort to run it .

If you looking for a simple tablet i would say go with a Apple Ipad2 like i have and it does everything i need it to do with surfing the web to answering e-mail's to sending e-mail's to keeping track of thing's that i have in the works and future project's also with a few simple to use application's on the unit .'

Along with a small fold up solar panel usb set up for remote travel that will charge it as it need .It come's with it own carrying case and it design to be hung off a backpack when it beening worn and in motion of the person walking

So tablet's are the wave of the future and they can be powered by 12.volt's using simple to use 12..volt car plug in to use in a vehicle cig lighter

 

books and pictures dont take any power.....lol
records can be run on a victrola
and crystal radios are kids toys

yes i love my 'puter and will hate to be without it
but you have to look at the possibilities

 

Well, if you are really serious...

The way to start simply is with your current desk tops power supply. Home computers require 3.3v @ 30 amp, 5v at 30 amp 12v at 70 amp, -12 @ .8 amp, and a +5Vsb @ 3 amp. The task is to duplicate the voltages your P/S supplied the motherboard and peripherals require with clean ripple free DC. Then, to know "where" to splice into the wiring harnesses.

 

Yes I am serious but I don't plan to get it done tomorrow.I'll be looking at circuit diagrams and getting a friend to help me build what I need.I'll post what what ever I find online along with the results.

How is the apple ipad? How is it for document creation? Can you run open office or a quality word processer? can you read and create epubs? Is there a good encrypting container app like true crypt or similar? Can it be charged with commonly found charger our is it a special apple only plug (mini usb or micro?) What is the voltage required to charge it(what is the out put voltage of the wall charger)
The biggest question is.
Can I install software if the apple market is down or I have no wifi. Ie: can I install software from a micro sd card?

Thanks for any info
Nuts

 

Well,

There are 'desktops' that use less power than my laptop (My employer provided is a desktop replacement does everything except the dishes/drapes)

How does 20W grab you? Granted that is not to drive the monitor too, you are using an LCD / LED monitor right? You recycled the tube desktop absorbing heat generating, electron sucking behemoth right?

Check it out.
Mini PC's

It a class of computer that has been out for maybe 8 years ago. Did a lot of work with them for embedded applications.

You can get solid state drive and ooo baby this is one quiet machine.

Other small form factor systems are typically called, book, mini book or cube.

If you are not creating multimedia films for the Sundance Film Festival, trying to calculate derivatives, playing world of warcraft etc, you should be fine for everyday surfing, email, etc.

my 2cents.

By the way, if SHTF, it's laptops, or netbooks only here. Way cheaper to power, portable and take up a lot less room. Also desk tops are going to be used door stops, chicken nest boxes, sheet metal patches when required.

 

Yes desk tops are a pain over the simplicity of a laptop.granted usb makes drives easy to add to anything temporary.but if you are trying to keep a computer running on what you can find left around 5 years after a shtf thing having a atx power supply that runs off 12 volts would be a god send.even more so if I know how it went together.
I could never fix a laptop if something burned out.but I can swap every thing in a desktop.piece by piece to make it run again.
Small form factor devices are to the best of my knowledge not far different for a laptop.all propitiatory parts that are not exchangeable most times even from the same vendor. Sure I will have a laptop, netbook, a tablet and a smart phone also mainly because I have them now or soon will.but its there desk top that I use the most even not counting internet use.it is also the only one that is tied to 110.

 

If you jailbreak a ipad you can do alot of thing's with it .My runs saight off the ipad OS and i have just the basic software on it for me to use in my personal life .There is alot of applications out there that can do some of the thing's that you want to do you just have to search the aftermarket application market

The ipad runs off a usb type 12.volt plug in that apple sell's so i just got 6 of them at one time and another 6 of them when they where closeing them out at one big box store .

 

The ipad Sounds good.but if there is no internet can you install anything?
Its the market that worries me the most.if you have to reset it can you install stuff again with out a market?(or if you break it and find s new one)

 

i have the complete ipad back up file's to restore it on a small protable hard drive that is design for the ipad useage and it can be restored that way also .

It on own custom emp proof bag inside a steel ammo can that has been reworked to hold it and the extras ipad & it accessories i might need inside the bag and then the bag is stored inside the ammo can

 

You can restore backups, and be right back to where you where before. that is good. what about new apps or installings a fresh new ipad with your old back up? Are you restricted to restore your back up to the ipad it came from, or any ipad? I was under the impression that to install even free apps you needed the apple market the first time.that is the one thing that had stopped me getting an ipad.(other than the price).can you download a install file from your sd card and install it.(or from the external hard drive(which sounds like a nice tool)).
is the external hard drive a standard usb external drive or is it apple brand only (could I use it to read a compatible hard drive (ide or sata) that I might find or is it apple format only) can you read the external drive from any lap top?

Once again thanks for sharing your personal experience.

 

i have all the applications i use on the back up harddrive .The new OS that is coming out for the ipad is design not to have a computer base interconnection to the socalled store area if i read the whole thing right .

You need to go to the local apple store and talk to them about the ipad and if it right for you .Me personaly it perfect for me and my lifestyle but it not for eveyone

 

From what you said it looks like apple is going %100 cloud computing.
I feel sorry for anyone who accepts a vendor that says you can't store your own information at home.that's a bad thing