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by londons_explore 1689 days ago
A very cheap, bad-practice, but effective solution is to run the inverter to AC and back to DC again with the ATX power supply, but to connect the 12V from the battery direct to the motherboards 12v rail.

The motherboard uses most of its power from the 12v rail, and due to the galvanic isolation in the ATX power supply, it should be safe to do.

The 12VDC from the battery may not be in spec for the motherboard, but typically they'll work anyway.
1 comments
kempbellt 1689 days ago
It's also worth noting that many "12 volt" DC batteries do not store and output at exactly 12 volts.

Depending on the tolerances of your board, you might want to throw a buck converter in the circuit and set the output voltage set to exactly 12 volts to account for any potential over-voltage coming from the battery/panel setup.

They are pretty cheap if you want to DIY (7 for $10 on Amazon). Worth the peace of mind, imo.

I imagine this is what most car-laptop chargers are, but with branded packaging.

link