keeping original dc power supply questions

[cokefunk]

i see a lot of info on the picoPSU here. is it really necessary that i use it? could i instead keep the dc power supply and wire my laptop battery to it? 11.1v dell inspiron battery. its should be enough to power my intec gamecube screen and the dreamcast. power supply issues are my only problem and i dont wish to damage any of my parts or id just go for it.

im making a lot of progress on this and id appreciate any knowledge shared.

[eurddrue]

I reccommend that you stay away from intec gamecube screens at all costs. They suck. Their refresh rate and stuff like that is horrible.

How much mAh is that battery? It may not give you good battery life, I'm not sure, and you would probably need a protection circuit.

[cokefunk]

im at work so ill have to check on the mAh when i get back. it doesnt have to last long about 45 mins would be fine for me.

as for the screen it was a cheap and abundant so i went for it. im not too worriedabout screen quality. this is all just a test run. my next portable ill go all out on.

i know the battery is 11v though. wouldnt the dreamcasts power supply protect it? unless the fact its originally AC (correct me please if im wrong) conflict with the fact the battery is DC? im guessing i WILL need some sort of protective circuit. when i get back ill post some pics of my setup.

oh and thanks for the help! im very appreciative of anything i can learn. ive been browsing the forums for days trying to get it all planned out

[WERD]

You can't use the Dreamcast's power supply. It runs on 120 VAC and your battery is 11.1v DC. There is no practical way of getting it to work. Just get the Pico PSU for a portable. The 12v model will work with your battery.

[cokefunk]

ah ok. well i can totally see that now that you've mentioned. ill be ordering one then

[WERD]

Just make sure not to disconnect the protection circuit from your battery. You must have it or else your li-ion battery will catch fire if over charged or over discharged. If your battery is still in its case that would connect to your dell laptop then the protection circuit is still connected so no worries. Just be weary if you disassemble your battery's case.

[cokefunk]

you mean the boards that the the batteries are wired o in the case? yea i kept those figured they were important. and they have that charge indicator which is just nice

[WERD]

Yeah the board connected to the cells are the ones you want to keep.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lithium_io ... s_required

Take a look at that and it will explain why those boards are extremely necessary.