Powering up your car by using the power supply of your PC

DarkRaven

Member
Joined
Jun 6, 2006
Messages
36
Location
Germany
Car(s)
2007 Audi A3 2.0 TDI
I have just found a stuperb thing on youtube which I thought is worth sharing.
Coolermaster just introduced a new range of power supplies and decided that the best way to advertise them is to show that you can in fact start your car with one of those.
[YOUTUBE]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6eZ2vctGCaU[/YOUTUBE]

It is completely pointless, but I like it :D
 
You couldn't start any of the cars I own with that.
 
AAA guy says mine needs 1600 AMPs or what ever.. No idea what it means but i know a laptop cant do it.
 
I agree that the explanation behind it comes a bit short in this video. But I guess the engine is already warmed up properly (which decreases the load on the starter a lot) and they probably removed the overload protection on the PSU and so on. They say it is unmodified, but have a look where the ATX plug is plugged in. That thing does more than just short the both pins on the plug to start the PSU without actually using the button on your PC.

Anyway, considering some modding and preparation I think it can do that sort of thing. But it is just meant funny and I think it is, so what :D

By the way, 1600 Amp is way to much! :)
On 12 to 14 Volt, which is the voltage your battery supplies, you will find you have just spent 19.2 to 22.4 kilowatts to start your engine. And that is actually enough to drive the car if you put that to an electric motor :)
 
Last edited:
A car uses between 100 and 350A of starting power according to the internet ;)

My 5 year old PSU already pushes out ~45A on the 12V Rail
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Plausible with a small enough and easy-to-start engine. Heard tales of it being done to light equipment - tractors, go carts, motorcycles, the like. That was back when power supplies carried an order of magnitude less power on 12v.

Never done it personally, but that's because all my high power units are in important pieces of equipment.

... And if you have AC power available I can think of a half dozen easier ways to get a big pile of 12v than needing to blow up an expensive, precisely regulated piece of equipment. Hell, a bloody new battery is cheaper.
 
Top