I've been looking at sailboats this summer with the idea of buying one and doing some 2-3 week stints living aboard next year, but still doing some office work. I work from home anyway; so why not sail in the daytime, and then put in a few billable hours in the evenings or on days when it's raining? With cellphones and WiFi I'm still "at the office" if need-be.
Most DC-to-AC marine power-inverters don't generate a clean-enough AC-sine wave to safely power electronics power-bricks and chargers. So I'm wondering why not just use DC directly, since most bricks make DC anyway for the internal power-supplies. Plus, it should be more "efficient" use of my batteries' amp-hours reserves without the power-losses of the inverter and the power-bricks. Auxiliary gas or diesel-powered AC Marine alternators typically generate square-wave AC and the frequencies and voltages are all over the place as the loads shift, they are death-on sophisticated electronics ...And even when tied-up at a marina, dock-side "Mains" electrical power is notoriously "dirty" and the voltage inconsistent.
Anyone know if you can get power-bricks or power-supplies that run off 12volts-dc? Most marine electronics are designed to run on 12vdc, but land-based office equipment like printers, routers and PC's are designed for 60-Hz 115vac. And with a ruggedized computer on-board I can configure it as the boat's CPU for the electronic charts and navigation. Laptops are handy but I rather have a tower-PC hardwired-in, networked, and with WiFi as the central hub. With laptops you still have the problem of safely charging them.
For less than what a decent 2-bedroom condo and fees would cost I can get a nice, used largish sailboat and still afford the marina charges.
Most DC-to-AC marine power-inverters don't generate a clean-enough AC-sine wave to safely power electronics power-bricks and chargers. So I'm wondering why not just use DC directly, since most bricks make DC anyway for the internal power-supplies. Plus, it should be more "efficient" use of my batteries' amp-hours reserves without the power-losses of the inverter and the power-bricks. Auxiliary gas or diesel-powered AC Marine alternators typically generate square-wave AC and the frequencies and voltages are all over the place as the loads shift, they are death-on sophisticated electronics ...And even when tied-up at a marina, dock-side "Mains" electrical power is notoriously "dirty" and the voltage inconsistent.
Anyone know if you can get power-bricks or power-supplies that run off 12volts-dc? Most marine electronics are designed to run on 12vdc, but land-based office equipment like printers, routers and PC's are designed for 60-Hz 115vac. And with a ruggedized computer on-board I can configure it as the boat's CPU for the electronic charts and navigation. Laptops are handy but I rather have a tower-PC hardwired-in, networked, and with WiFi as the central hub. With laptops you still have the problem of safely charging them.
For less than what a decent 2-bedroom condo and fees would cost I can get a nice, used largish sailboat and still afford the marina charges.