Hey all, not a spam account, lol. Long time lurker, first time poster. I apologize if the link is the problem, but it is not to any particular product, and it’s not monetized. I only posted it because trying to find a stuff on Ali Express can be a pain. No worries if you need to remove it.
As for power input, yes it is best to use a regulated voltage source if you’re unsure of input voltage tolerance. I have not found that specification yet, but we run these off of unregulated supply from a 12v lead acid battery being charged by a solar panel and Morningstar pwm controller. I haven’t released the magic smoke from one yet. YMMV.
Oh, and about the OS, some will come with an OS, some won’t. You have to look closely. If they don’t you should be able to load a copy of Windows 10 IoT for free, or use a Linux distro.