Hardware Hacking Projects for Geeks

15

1

Cost

Time

Difficulty

$10–25

a weekend

easy

I’ve been using laptop computers for a long time, and one of the first acces-

sories I end up buying is an extra battery. These batteries tend to cost

anywhere from $100 to $200 and don’t provide that much more operating

time. I travel by air quite a bit, and the extra battery I carry often does not

last even half the flight.

After some thought, I decided to build my own external laptop power

extender that would run off of standard alkaline or rechargeable batteries.

The battery pack adds anywhere between two and six extra hours of run

time. With your laptop fully charged and this power extender packed for

backup, you should have enough power to run your applications for as long

as you wish on your next transcontinental airplane trip.

1. How to Build a

Portable Laptop

Power Supply

What You Need

• Battery holder for 10 to 12 cells

• Speaker wire

• DC power connector

• Fuse and holder

• D-size batteries

• Tie wraps

• Black electrical tape

• Multi-meter

Credits

Photographs copyright © 2003 Scott Fullam.

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