[mythtv-users] Netbook as low-power combined back-end / front-end?

[Simon Hobson]

rsh1k wrote:

>But the
>battery is also a pretty big advantage for the netbook.  I think the
>last UPS I had on my Mythbox was down to an estimated 12 minutes of
>runtime after about a year of use... whereas, a netbook with a few
>hours of battery would have no problem if I had to unplug it during a
>lightning storm or that sort of thing.

Don't count on the battery being any use. It varies a lot between 
battery types and quality of charge management, but some in 
particular really don't like not being used regularly. So you may 
find that after a few months of being sat there plugged into power, 
the battery is dead.

On the other hand, if you pick a system that runs off 12V (as some of 
the ION boards do, then in principal you should be able to just hook 
this up to a 12V lead acid battery and use a 13.8V supply/battery 
charger instead of going with a full UPS. Also, for things like the 
mini ITX boards, there are PSUs designed for in-car use that run from 
a battery and will auto-shutdown on low battery etc.

Lastly, what sort of climate are you in ? Or more importantly, what 
sort of temperatures does your UPS live in ? The VRLA (Vale Regulated 
Lead Acid) batteries they use really don't like heat and despite 
what's claimed about them they will dry out. If the batteries are 
still running, it may be worth prising the cover off to get at the 
rubber caps on the cells, and putting a tiny amount of distilled 
water in - only a couple of ml, a small syringe is good for that - to 
rehydrate them and see if they improve.

-- 
Simon Hobson

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