Installing a boat PC

Tired of lugging a heavy laptop back and forth, Norman Eastwood resolved to fit a PC system on his boat

It was a thread on the PBO forum that started me thinking about fitting a PC on my boat instead of carrying a heavy laptop back and forth. The boat lives in Turkey, and I never wanted to leave the laptop on board because there are personal details on it, and also because it always needed Windows updates before every trip: some of these are too big to want to do over a limited internet connection.

The solution proved simple in concept. A mini-PC which weighs about half a kilogram and runs from 12V would be the only part of the system that would have to be carried back and forth. To keep the whole PC running on 12V, the monitor needs to be carefully chosen. I bought a second-hand AOC LM720A 17in monitor, which came with its 12V mains adapter, for just £22 including delivery from eBay.

For 12V use, the next item needed was a regulated 12V supply that would cope with variable voltage input and connect to the PC and monitor. I chose an Amperor model (ADP-90DC-12) which has two outputs. Unfortunately, this adapter has plugs that are 5.5mm outside with an inside diameter of 2.1mm, so plug adapters are needed to connect them to the monitor and computer, which both have 5.5 x 2.5mm sockets. Two Maplin 2.5mm plug to 2.1mm socket DC power plug adapters (part L51AY) are needed. A wireless keyboard and mouse complete the set-up, and the best combination I found was a Sumvision Paradox IV.

The AOC monitor is quite big, with a

ABOVE The Sumvision Cyclone on test at home, connected to the 17in AOC monitor together with keyboard, mouse and other peripherals MAIN PIC The Sumvision set-up on the boat, with the old U-blox 7 GPS dongle attached by cable