Best Way For Weather Reports

[barnakiel]

Originally Posted by belizesailor

That's pretty impressive. Did you test that with a good multimeter or how did you get the 1 amp?

Most Laptop PC's I have actually stuck a meter to (not a statistically representative sample by any stretch) draw more like 50 Watts. If your netbook draws 1 amp @ 12V that's only 12 watts by comparison.

Asus EEE Pc here - draw 1 amp. A bit more if charging, a bit less if dimmed with only the chartplotter running. Adapter 40 Watts. Remember the adapter is built to provide for the PC unit with all peripherals running - wifi, bluetoth, USB charged equipment, battery on charge, multitasking and full screen brightness.

b.

[Paul Elliott]

I've also used the Asus EeePc line. These use the Intel "Atom" chipset and are definitely lower power than a regular laptop. I measure 2A @ 12V when running the EeePc with display on. For my last trip I used an Asus "EeeBox" computer with a small USB-powered monitor. The PC, screen, USB hub, and quad USB/Serial adaptor, powered through a 12V / 19V adaptor, burned 2A or less with everything running. I used a wireless keyboard, and wireless trackball, hid the computer under the chart table. It worked very well.

[belizesailor]

Wow, will have to check into those. My good old Dell is an energy hog by comparison.

[Paul Elliott]

Here's a VALIS blog posting that describes some of the new system: New Navstation Computer? « VALIS

I see that I was mistaken regarding the maximum current drain for my system: It is 2.5A. It's usually closer to 2A though.

Also, the monitor brightness is still a little hot for use at night. It's not horribly bright, and down at the navstation it doesn't interfere with my on-deck night vision, but you might consider a smoked plastic filter for it. I'm reasonably happy with it as it is though.

[donradcliffe]

I just pulled the plug on my Acer Aspire netbook, and the battery monitor consumption dropped 0.9 amps. What happens when you turn off your chartplotter??

[belizesailor]

Originally Posted by donradcliffe

I just pulled the plug on my Acer Aspire netbook, and the battery monitor consumption dropped 0.9 amps. What happens when you turn off your chartplotter??

Which end did you unplug? From the computer or from the socket end? Some power supplies will continue to draw juice even when the PC is disconnected from them.

My chart plotter is about 1,000 miles away right now so maybe someone else can chime in. I expect make/model makes a larger difference.

[barnakiel]

I believe a 10'' plotter will consume less than a 10'' netbook and about as much as a 10'' (no-hd) tablet, given they all have similar tech displays (e.g. LED LCD). A netwook will waste some energy in the hd (whether it is a turning or a chip-based one).

The way forward is either a smaller display, or an OLED display.

Surprisingly, there seems to be no e-ink based plotter around (?). Strange, given the fact that this seems to be the most energy-efficient display available today, and also one that is easily daylight readable. (I bet B&W is the reason and the explanation).

Cheers,
b.

[teejayevans]

My measurements for my eee is 1.1A and 1.5A for HP with 17" LED display, these were made using the computer's 12v power cords. Two things lower laptop power consumption: LED displays and generic graphic cards. So look for those, the HP can suck up 2.5A if doing any heavy CPU processing, but above measurements made when system is basically idle.
Tom

[Paul Elliott]

And for what it's worth, my EeeBox system's power consumption was measured with full brightness, the system running real-time NMEA data through all my nav programs, and with the monitor, USB hub, quad USB/Serial adaptor, and the Iridium satphone all being powered by the EeeBox's USB ports. The current drain wasn't much lower when the software was shut down, but the screen brightness did account for a few tenths of an amp.

My Furuno NavNet3d system (two 8" chartplotters, radar, ethernet hub, fluxgate, GPS) definitely burns more power than my new computer, even when I have most everything in "sleep" mode. My old (non-netbook) laptop consumed more like 6A, which was substantially more than the Furuno system. When "off soundings" in clear conditions I usually shut down the Furuno gear and rely on the computer. If I need radar or at-the-helm charting (or when daysailing), I use the Furuno.

For wind, water speed, depth, autopilot, I have an old B&G "Network" system, which still works well. This is always turned on, and doesn't draw much power.

But back to the weather -- the netbook-style computers are fully capable of running any weather software you might need, and they do it at low power, at least when compared to a regular laptop.

[belizesailor]

Raymarine has specs for all their units on-line, some of the new ones I looked at were pretty power hungry. Of course, my very old RayMarine unit is not listed....probably way back in the archives somewhere...but it still meets my needs.

However, there are some things which a dedicated chart plotter brings to the table. For example, mine is fully integrated with the radar so I can overlay radar image over charts. This is quite handy when there is lots of commercial traffic around (it does MARPA too) and I think increases safety margins.

[donradcliffe]

Originally Posted by belizesailor

Which end did you unplug? From the computer or from the socket end? Some power supplies will continue to draw juice even when the PC is disconnected from them.

My chart plotter is about 1,000 miles away right now so maybe someone else can chime in. I expect make/model makes a larger difference.

I wasn't born yesterday, and I pulled the power supply connection to the inverter. The power supply draws 0.1 amps when not connected to the computer. For comparison with a chartplotter with the same screen size, the Garmin 4210 specs say 2.5 amps draw at 12V vs 0.9 for the netbook, but it would be nice to get some real data.

[conachair]

Anyone have a Raspberry Pi set up for weatherfax yet?

[belizesailor]

Originally Posted by donradcliffe

I wasn't born yesterday...

No offense intended -- just checking.

[belizesailor]

Originally Posted by Paul Elliott

And for what it's worth, my EeeBox ....... NMEA data through all my nav programs, and with the monitor, USB hub, quad USB/Serial adaptor, and the Iridium satphone ......

My Furuno NavNet3d system (two 8" chartplotters, radar, ethernet hub, fluxgate, GPS) definitely burns more power than my new computer, even when I have most everything in "sleep" mode. My old (non-netbook) laptop consumed more like 6A, which was substantially more than the Furuno system. When "off soundings" in clear conditions I usually shut down the Furuno gear and rely on the computer. If I need radar or at-the-helm charting (or when daysailing), I use the Furuno.

For wind, water speed, depth, autopilot, I have an old B&G "Network" system, which still works well....

Wow, lots of electronics aboard, hope you don't get a lightening strike -- that could be spendy!

[Paul Elliott]

Originally Posted by belizesailor

Wow, lots of electronics aboard, hope you don't get a lightening strike -- that could be spendy!

And I didn't even mention the SSB and Pactor modem yet! Yes, I'm a retired electronics engineer and I like my toys. Here on the west coast we don't get the lightning of, say, Florida, but I've sailed through some impressive lightning near Hawaii.

I actually carry a sextant and know how to use it. Just in case. Perhaps I should study up on "Lunars" in case my chronometer breaks down!