Powering PC monitor with a powerbank

[souljazk]

I have a 30,000mAh / 111Watt Hour powerbank, which I'd ideally like to use to power my screen during loadshedding.The unit can output 5v/3A ; 9v/2A ; 12v/1.5A.

Monitor is 19v 1.5A, so 28.5Watts p/h, which means approx 4H of run time.

Anyone used something like this, even if it was not a local purchase?

Takealot

 

[limadelta26]

Hey @souljazk You should be fine using a buck / boost taking the 12v out on the power bank. You will need to avoid using the USB connection for this as, even though you can get USB ports support fast charging and such with 2 amp or more, you won't have enough to power the screen properly and might end up damaging the power bank and screen.

Communica have buck / boost converters for solar which support higher amp output and personally I don't see why it wouldn't work fine (check this link Search Results )

I have run a old LCD off of a normal USB power bank (nothing fancy - just the LCD not the back-light) without issues, but to keep the whole thing as a normal screen without modding it (ie, taking it apart and such) rather run the buck / boost

Its also not much more expensive than the Takealot unit in your post.

Hope this helps.

 

[Signor65]

It might get your voltage up to the required 19V, but since it's already current limited to 1.5 amps at 12v, the current you get out will be below 1.5 amps for sure. There's a chance it might still work if you drop the monitor brightness low enough to reduce power draw, but there's no guarantee.

 

[limadelta26]

Agree with @Signor65 regarding the brightness.

Either way it is a risk, but with the buck / boost from the 12v out you can perhaps use 12v Lithium (provided you have a battery charger) like this one (again, commnica link coz im on the site doing some shopping BATT 12,8V7 SCP ) or alternative 12v battery power system something like a WiBox ( WiBox Lithium (LiFePO4) 76 800mWh - Arion Power ) that is normally used for Routers and Fibre ONT's so you might get multi usage out of it then.

 

[souljazk]

@limadelta26 & @Signor65 thank you SOOO much for the informative replies and links!​

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I did a quick check and I the 25" Ultrawide I have is running off of a 14v PSU. I do have a smart plug that can read the elec usage, so I'll check the actual draw later. I currently use it on the lowest brightness which is fine for my eyeballs.​

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I currently use the powerbank for normal phone / device charging, as well as powering a Mikrotik travel router (USB 5v to 12v cable) and R.Pi for some networking stuff, but would like to repurpose it for my screen.​

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[Confucius]

I built a small circuit using a boost converter from Communica / microrobotics to power a Samsung screen when I couldn’t find a power brick for it. It worked fine but would get pretty hot so make sure you get something with a beefy heat sink.

So it can be done but you are already very close to the threshold on the 12v rail as others have mentioned.

 

[limadelta26]

@limadelta26 & @Signor65 thank you SOOO much for the informative replies and links!​

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I did a quick check and I the 25" Ultrawide I have is running off of a 14v PSU. I do have a smart plug that can read the elec usage, so I'll check the actual draw later. I currently use it on the lowest brightness which is fine for my eyeballs.​

​

I currently use the powerbank for normal phone / device charging, as well as powering a Mikrotik travel router (USB 5v to 12v cable) and R.Pi for some networking stuff, but would like to repurpose it for my screen.​

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@souljazk That should work. I know with the RPi some of them don't like power banks due to the start voltage / amperage of the Pi itself (I have personally had issues with trying this one some RPi's and power banks - even running the Pi off of a TV's USB port in a pinch) but if you say you can run it fine now, you should be good to go with the start up voltage / amperage for the screen as well then (if you are going to use the screen only on the power bank) I'm using the same logic here as old school tube florescent bulbs with their start circuits.

 

[limadelta26]

I built a small circuit using a boost converter from Communica / microrobotics to power a Samsung screen when I couldn’t find a power brick for it. It worked fine but would get pretty hot so make sure you get something with a beefy heat sink.

So it can be done but you are already very close to the threshold on the 12v rail as others have mentioned.

@souljazk This is my reasoning to rather use the buck / boost instead of the takealot 5v unit. The scrren will probably pull more than 1.5A when starting and most likely will burn that unit out over time.

 

[souljazk]

@souljazk That should work. I know with the RPi some of them don't like power banks due to the start voltage / amperage of the Pi itself (I have personally had issues with trying this one some RPi's and power banks - even running the Pi off of a TV's USB port in a pinch) but if you say you can run it fine now, you should be good to go with the start up voltage / amperage for the screen as well then (if you are going to use the screen only on the power bank) I'm using the same logic here as old school tube florescent bulbs with their start circuits.

Thanx man, yes I wil only be using the screen on the powerbank during loadshedding.

 

[limadelta26]

Thanx man, yes I wil only be using the screen on the powerbank during loadshedding.

Yea you should be good to go. I'm keen on some pics and such when you have it up and running (if you have a solution for an enclosure and such)

 

[souljazk]

Yea you should be good to go. I'm keen on some pics and such when you have it up and running (if you have a solution for an enclosure and such)

A friend has a 3D printer, so will ask him to print me a small case for it, or maybe I'll make something from some scrap perspex or wood. Thank you again for your great advice and knowledge, I REALLY appreciate it!

 

[limadelta26]

Always a pleasure to add my 2 cents XD Hope it all goes well.