> Here's a unique request for the members of this list who have
> experience as
> electricians.
>
> I would like to donate a computer to an experimental school (with lots of
> initiative and no money) in the country, here in Bolivia. They
> have no electricity
> in this village (or the majority). I need to think about how to
> interface an older
> IBM 286, which has a 200W power supply and a VGA monitor with the 12 V
> source that would be available from a car battery or possibly a
> solar panel. I
> understand that laptop parts are more expensive, and there is no
> AC source to
> charge those batteries. I would like to adapt existing parts on
> the IBM, if
> possible.

        Well a PC needs four voltages, +5 at around 10-12 amps, +12 at 5-7 amps, -5
at under an amp, and -12 at under around 500ma, (please note, these
amperages vary greatly, and are just guesses really). For a 12V car battery,
+5 and +12 are easy, you've already got that, it's the -5 and -12 which is a
problem. I recommend, although lossy, that you buy an inverter, a few
hundred watts should be more than enough, in the long run it would be
easier, although it will end up draining the battery faster. TTYL