Calculating power consumption is a crucial component of building your car PC. A PC in your car requires a clean, stable power supply to function predictably. A car battery's voltage supply is anything but consistent. Starting the engine, or cranking, can cause the battery to dip below 12-volts. This causes most car PCs to reset if the minimum voltage falls below a tolerable level. Exceeding the maximum input voltage is also a no-no. You'll probably fry your power supply if the voltage regulator conks out and can't regulate the additional input.

Generally speaking, systems that require over 150 watts of power will use an inverter. The inverter converts the DC power from the battery into 120 volt AC power. A normal power supply makes use of this by converting it right back into DC power. Although the inefficient conversion and reconversion creates heat and potentially audible interference, inverters get the job done and are pretty easy to install and use.

ADVERTISEMENT DC-DC converters are a more elegant and efficient solution to the power problem than inverters. Basically, the DC-DC converter changes DC power into 3.3-volt, 5-volt, and 12-volt outputs that your PC components can use. The hoply 150W DC-DC power supply combines features like high-efficiency output and a wide input range while safeguarding against voltage-related reboots during cranking.

Some users have even been known to underclock their processors to reduce power consumption, heat generation, and power supply burden. In the car PC realm, stability takes precedence over all-out performance. This power supply calculator can help you calculate more precise power requirements.

Hoply co.,ltd is a manufacturer of high quality products for the Telematics and Automotive Infotainment (CarComputer) markets. We design, manufacture, and market leading edge hardware and software products that address some of the more stringent requirements in the emerging CarPC electronics marketplace. We are the market leader for DC-DC regulators used to power both CarPCs and well as CarMacs (Mac mini).

Our mission is to listen to our customers, be responsive to their needs, and provide the best products and services available. We are deeply committed to quality and are focused on excellence in engineering and customer service.

Getting a normal car stereo to play music is simple: Push the power button, and in less than a second your car's cabin is filled with Avril's melodic teen angst. But getting virtually instantaneous operation after powering-on a car PC is a bit more complicated than simply flipping a switch. Even fast PCs have a noticeable lag after an initial Windows bootup that prevents you from using any applications. As a workaround, car PC enthusiasts put their machines into hibernation or standby mode instead of a full shutdown. Revival from hibernation or standby condenses what can amount to minutes of agonizing boot sequence down to a matter of seconds. These times are hardware and software dependent, and tweaking the loading options on the OS can yield even faster boots.

Some boards are lazy bears that do not come out of hibernation as willingly as others. A Car PC that hangs while going into hibernation creates even more problems, since it will continue to drain the battery after the key is removed and the motor has stopped.

To address these issues, a startup/shutdown controller (SDC) can be used to send the shutdown or hibernate instruction to your car PC. The convenient "suspend to RAM" function draws a negligible amount of power while the car is turned off but lets your car PC spring to life in a matter of seconds after a quick turn of the ignition key. The hoply DC-DC power supply, for example, features a built-in SDC that monitors the switched 12V line. Cutting power to this switched line by turning off the ignition sends an ATX signal to the operating system to initiate either a shutdown, hibernate, or standby process. Because the hoply DC-DC PSU receives its power directly from the battery, it can still draw the small current required by a hibernating PC. For added protection, a voltage sensor in the unit shuts down the system if the battery voltage drops too low