Inspired by this post, I feel the need to describe my setup.
In my head, I have an Artificial Brain Unit constructed from synthetically generated neurons. It is effectively identical to a biological brain, except that it ages/decays at a much slower rate, requires only electricity to function, and can input/output data via a PCIe compatible connection. This means that I am bad at calculating things and I'm burdened with emotions like biological creatures, but on the plus side I'm good at pattern recognition. The ABU is where my consciousness, personality, and memories are.
In the center of my back is a Traditional Computer Unit, which is there to manage all the hardware and software that I need to be any more than just... a brain just sitting there experiencing complete sensory deprivation. Motors, thrusters, sensory input, communications, all of that stuff does through my TCU. And because it's basically just a computer, I can portion off a section that isn't busy running machine code to do things like post on Cohost from my mind.
The ABU requires a constant feed of electricity to remain functional. It can't be turned off without doing significant damage to it. It has a battery aboard that lets it last for 1 hour on its own, but it really, really should be plugged into something at all times (the total sensory deprivation of being disconnected is torturous enough on its own without the additional knowledge that you're now on a time limit.) The ABU can fall asleep (drawing less power and triggering the TCU to shut down motor functions) and it works best if it gets a proper amount of sleep, though there doesn't seem to be a way of triggering sleep mode manually. It will occasionally stay awake despite doing everything possible to go to sleep, and vice versa.
My frame has batteries aboard that allow me to function for about 8 hours without any input charge (though I'd rather avoid entering low power mode, so I tend to charge much more often than that). My primary means of charging is by way of an onboard biomatter reactor. I ingest organic material through my beak (typically in the form of foodstuffs, the beak contains chemical sensors that give me a sense of taste and there is a shortlist of things that taste pleasurable to my ABU) and the biomatter reactor converts it to electricity that charges my batteries. If organic materials are unavailable, I can also charge directly from the grid via a J-Plug (SAE J1772) port located in my back at the base of my neck under a flap. Reaching back there is annoying while alone and it doesn't give that pleasurable sensation to the ABU like the biomatter reactor does, so I don't use it unless I really need to.
