DIY Mini-ITX Laptop - New Power Bank Test
The new USB-C power bank has arrived. So, how did it do as a battery for the DIY laptop?
In brief:
- The power bank delivers plenty of power for the motherboard, GPU, and other peripherals
- It can't deliver enough to power the LCD controller & panel from a separate outlet. Actually, it could, but would require additional external circuitry to enable a higher power mode
- Fortunately, the power bank can deliver 100W on one outlet with the USB-C power sink board attached, which is more than enough to power the motherboard and LCD panel
- The machine's power consumption is:
- 25W at idle (could be less, but AmigaOS lacks power management, with the exception of the graphics drivers)
- 59W when running the Cow3D demo, which puts the GPU in high power mode
- 21W at idle with the screen off (could be less, but again, the OS needs more power management ability)
The Power Bank's Pros & Cons
Pros:
- The battery pack can deliver more than enough power for the laptop project, and its high capacity gives decent battery life, even though we're using desktop components
- It can also charge the batteries while still delivering up to 100W to the computer. The previous battery pack could only deliver 60W, which wasn't enough to drive both the computer and the LCD panel
Cons:
- Like the previous battery pack, it won't give the computer battery status information over USB. However, it is USB upgrade-able, so the manufacturer could add this if there are enough of us building DIY laptops
- It looks like the power bank's electronics does slowly drain the batteries even when not in use. It's very slow though, so this isn't a deal breaker
What's Next With the Laptop Project?
A power board needs to be designed to switch the power and motherboard on (and off). It'll also have a reset switch. The other major task is to get everything modelled in the CAD software, after which the laptop shell can be designed. I'll keep you updated...
HINT: Subscribe to the mailing list (click here), and be informed as soon as there are updates... before anyone else hears about it. ;-)
Which Power Bank? And Where to Buy?
It's the Zendure SuperTank Pro, and is available here. Please remember that you'll also need a 100W USB-C charger (link), or you won't be able to charge the battery and therefore won't have any power for your laptop.
NOTES:
- Zendure seems to be very USA centric. If they don't ship to your country, then use a service like MyUS to forward it to you. They give you a US (and UK) address, so you can buy from US websites and have it forwarded to you (click here to go to MyUS)
- The links above are affiliate links, so I get a small commission if you do buy from them via the links. The commissions will help fund this laptop project.
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