64 AA Batteries Powered This Old PC Long Enough to Finish Real Games

ScuffedBits set out to test the limits of what batteries could do, and decided that keeping a desktop PC running without a wall outlet would be a good place to start. So he went for it, but his initial attempt came to an abrupt halt after only a few minutes of light gaming. Undeterred, he returned with a stronger strategy, this time bringing some more cells.

His workbench was a riot of color, with 64 different types of AA batteries littering the table, including carbon zinc, alkaline, and nickel metal hydride rechargeables. He connected them in three different configurations, each producing approximately 25 volts when completely charged. He peeled off the thin wires, which he had rescued from an old network cable. They seemed out of place in the midst of his battery spectacle, but they actually served a purpose. They directed the majority of the power to the next component of the setup: three voltage step down modules.

Good news, as these modules were capable of reducing that high voltage to the stable 12 volts required by the PC. He connected three of them in parallel just to be safe, so the current flowing through the wires was lower than it would have been at a lower voltage. Less current, less losses, since everything worked out perfectly and kept everything operating smoothly.

The computer has some rather ancient technology installed, including an Intel Core i3 530 processor on the motherboard, 8GB of RAM, and a solid-state drive. Last but not least, he installed a small DC to DC board to control the box’s power distribution. With the power turned on, the fans sprang to life, and Windows loaded up perfectly on its own. It took a few moments for the desktop to show on screen, but it was entirely due to the batteries running out of power.Throughout the tests, power production gradually increased, peaking at a reasonably healthy 64 watts. What was even more encouraging was that the voltage measurements on the PC side stayed stable, thanks to the voltage modules that kept everything in line. The batteries managed the fluctuating power demands on their own. The final test involved running a benchmark called Cinebench, which put the processor through its paces while still producing the same results as when connected to a conventional power supply. This meant that the battery idea was worth exploring further, at least as a potential option for genuine games.

Later, ScuffedBits investigated the various types of batteries and discovered that carbon zinc cells were the first to fail, losing the majority of their voltage and power soon. Alkaline batteries performed well at first, but when put to the test, they revealed their flaws; nevertheless, nickel metal hydride batteries were the clear winners here, as they maintained their charge from start to finish.
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