Many people have long been accustomed to using batteries to drive various devices, such as handheld game consoles, notebooks, etc.computer, even mobile phones rely on batteries for power. But if you put this on a desktop computer (PC) body, and it is not using lithium batteries, but the most common dryBattery, what will be the result? Recently, a foreign YouTuber conducted a somewhat crazy experiment, trying to use 64 AA batteries to power a desktop computer. Not only can it be successfully booted, but it can even run games and benchmark tests. However, when the experiment is finally converted into electricity costs, the results may make many people gasp.
Can you run a PC with 64 AA batteries? YouTuber’s measured battery life and electricity cost are amazing
Foreign YouTuber ScuffedBits has tried to use AA batteries to power computers before, but the results were not ideal at that time. The computer could only operate for a short time and ran out of power in about 2 minutes. This time he redesigned the entire battery module, directly upgraded the scale to 64 AA batteries, and re-adjusted the circuit design, hoping to make the desktop computer operate longer.
Desktop computers generally require a 12V voltage input, but if the battery pack is used to output 12V directly, the current will be very large, and the small wires will easily be unable to withstand it, resulting in a voltage drop or even a power outage. So he decided to change his strategy. This new design adopts the following methods:
- The battery pack outputs about 25V voltage
- Convert to stable 12V through voltage regulator module
- Multiple buck modules are connected in parallel to share the current
- All lines are changed to welding to avoid contact resistance
Through this design, the current pressure on the wires can be reduced while ensuring that the computer can obtain a stable voltage.
Successfully booted, the desktop runs entirely on battery
After completing the circuit design, ScuffedBits connected the battery module to the computer and used the battery directly to complete the entire boot process. It turned out much smoother than expected. The computer successfully started the Windows system. The entire process was not connected to any external power supply, and it was truly 100% battery powered.
The specs of this test computer are actually quite old:
- Intel Core i3-530 processor
8GB memory - SATA SSD
- Intel built-in display chip
This processor is an entry-level CPU launched in 2010, with a TDP power consumption of up to 73W, even more power than many current 65W desktop processors. In other words, the battery was actually subjected to a fairly high load during the test.
Not only can you turn it on, you can also play games and run scores.
After successfully booting it up, he began to test what the computer could do. The first test was a lightweight game “A Short Hike”. The computer successfully loaded the game and completed a game process.
He then conducted further higher load tests, including:
- CINEBENCH R15 benchmark test
- Minecraft game
- Minigames for the Hypixel server
When running CINEBENCH, the CPU operates almost at full load. The test result was 211 points, while the same processor scored 210 points under normal power supply. In other words, there is almost no difference in performance even when powered by AA batteries. In the Minecraft test, due to the old hardware itself and limited power, the frame rate mostly fell below 10FPS, and even 4FPS. Although the gaming experience is not smooth, it at least proves that desktop computers can really run on dry batteries.
Final battery life: 33 minutes
During the entire experiment, the computer continued to execute games and benchmark tests. Finally, at about 33 minutes, the battery voltage dropped to the point where it could no longer maintain system operation, and the computer automatically shut down. Originally, he planned to download and test “Portal 2”, but before completing the download, the battery ran out. Judging from the results, 64 AA batteries can provide about half an hour of desktop use. For a power supply composed entirely of dry batteries, this result is actually quite good.
The biggest problem is actually cost
While the experiment was a success, when costs are factored in, the story is completely different. Calculated based on the price of common alkaline batteries in Taiwan: 72 batteries are about 988 yuan, an average of about 13.7 yuan each. If 64 batteries are used, the cost is approximately 876.8 yuan. These batteries only allow the computer to operate for 33 minutes, which translates to an electricity bill of about 1,600 yuan per hour. It’s even more exaggerated if compared to general electricity bills. From an economic point of view, it is completely impractical to use dry batteries to power desktop computers.
Conclusion
This experiment may seem a little crazy, but it also shows the fun side of electronic engineering and DIY. By redesigning the battery module and voltage adjustment circuit, ScuffedBits has successfully enabled a desktop computer to run entirely on AA batteries and even run games and benchmark tests. From a technical point of view, this proves that dry batteries can indeed drive desktop systems as long as the voltage and current are properly controlled.
But if costs are taken into account, the situation is completely different. The 64 batteries can only last for half an hour, and the hourly electricity bill is close to 1,600 yuan, which is much higher than the electricity consumption of ordinary households. This also explains why modern computers still rely on power supplies and mains electricity, rather than dry batteries.
But for players who like to do hands-on experiments, these types of challenges are still very interesting. At least one thing we now know is that if you really need to, a desktop computer can indeed run on a bunch of AA batteries, but at the cost of possibly breaking your wallet first.
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Source: KOCPC Chinese