How long can you run a PC on AA batteries? — I think we just witnessed the birth of a chaotic new speedrun

Have you every wondered how many AA batteries would be required to run a PC? One YouTube creator did more than wonder. "ScuffedBits" managed to get a PC to run on nothing but AA batteries, though the sessions did not last very long.

I'll cover how ScuffedBits managed to get a PC to run on AA batteries below. But first, I want to explore a new type of speedrun I believe they invented, or at least refined.

Because ScuffedBits powered their PC with batteries never designed for that use case, the computer was destined to shut off abruptly. On one run of Minesweeper, ScuffedBits only just managed to win a round and save the result before the PC turned off.

Imagine the possibilities of battery-powered speedruns. Some people already create tension by setting their laptop to a specific battery percentage and giving themselves limited time, but using AA batteries or something else that's unreliable would make it even more extreme.

I suggest taking it to the next level and not figuring out how much juice is left in your power source.

It reminds me of playing Sonic the Hedgehog in my parents' car as a kid. My brother and I would play that game on road trips for hours, but it did not support saving (that feature was added in the third game of the franchise).

We'd beg my parents to not stop the car so we wouldn't lose our progress. But sometimes life, and cars powering classic consoles, hit unexpected bumps. If the car hit a sudden dip in the road, the Sega Genesis would freeze, ending whoever's run was ongoing.

As a kid the concept of a game dying unexepectedly was terrifying. Now, I think it would be a fun way to create drama when gaming.

How Many AA Batteries Does it Take to Power A PC Setup? - YouTube

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ScuffedBits went through a few iterations of a setup before being able to run a PC on AA batteries. They first tried carbon batteries but were unable to make things work. Alkaline batteries yielded better results, though even the longest session only last around 5 minutes.

Since PCs do not have slots for AA batteries, ScuffedBits removed the 450-watt power supply and replaced it with an ATX connection. That allowed the creator to connect 12V cables to batteries.

The wires between the batteries and the PC appeared to be the problem because they could not handle the voltage spikes caused by the PC. Two capacitors and additional wires were used to mitigate the issue.

A total of 56 alkaline batteries powered the PC when things finally worked, though an external power supply was used to boot the PC. ScuffedBits swapped to the batteries after booting the PC.

As you would expect, launching Steam or running other modern programs drew too much power to leave the PC running for long. Playing Minesweeper was the most ScuffedBits managed to do.

When playing Minesweeper, the PC lasted just under 5 minutes, which was enough for a full game on easy mode. With some practice, ScuffedBits could reduce that time or raise the skill level to set records in the newly created AA-battery speedrun competitions.

💬 What do you think about my speedrun idea??

The AA battery experiement reminded me of the days before save files and when a console could freeze or crash at any moment. I'd like to bring that chaos back with some AA-battery speedruns.

Would you be willing to risk your save file for the thrill of a five-minute battery race, or is this a "speedrun" category better left to the YouTubers? Let us know in the comments!

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