Looking for a 12 v dc "PowerPack" battery that produces A/C

I have a Xantrex battery like the Subject description. It has a radio, the A/C receptacles, and a small light. It is rated at 24 AH. I need something like it for 36 AH. Anyone know where I can get one?

Reply to
W. eWatson
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Any room in the existing case? If so, put in a bigger battery.

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news

Absolutely no way to do that.

Reply to
W. eWatson

Just add radio and light to the power socket on this 50 AH pack:

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--Winston

Reply to
Winston

Reply to
W. eWatson

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some that might have been in the 30AH+ range

useful for emergencies, but I only need

Health device usage in my case. Car batteries

You could assemble the ingredients into a hard shell rolling suitcase...

Perhaps it's time to update the health device instead?

For example, I set up a 100 AH battery for a friend's

12 V CPAP machine. It saved her the cost and hassle of a hotel room during a recent power outage and will run for several days between charges if necessary.

--Winston

Reply to
Winston

The health device is a CPAP unit, and is as modern as is available. It seems to consume 4 ah per hour. When I'm car camping, it's useful to have the CPAP unit run longer than 6 hours. Same purpose here as your friends. I have an inverter that I carry in my car, but I don't think trying to run it off my car battery would be useful. When I get home some weeks from now, I think I'll check with APRIA who makes the device and see if they have some such device.

Reply to
W. eWatson

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to consume 4 ah per hour.

Without the humidifier? That's a lot of current.

Her unit measures about 30W (2.25 A D.C.) without humidifier. Her first unit required 120 VAC and was not nearly as efficient.

It is neat running straight off the battery with this latest unit. It's a 'Philips System 1'.

I concur. An efficient 12 VDC unit and a separate >30 AH deep cycle battery is what you want.

Doubtless they do. Also suggest check freecycle.org.

--Winston

Reply to
Winston

Did you check to see what your health insurance will pay? Tell them you need more backup time where you are.

Tom

Reply to
Tom Biasi

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I have no humidifier. I'm largely guessing at the AH. I used the Xantrex one evening, and woke up after about 5-6 hours and noticed I had 30% power left. That seemed a little too close for comfort.

Mine is a Philips RemStar.

I did buy a big 12v dc battery a few weeks ago at Costco, but for other purposes. I never got a chance to look at the AH. Slightly less the $100.00. Pretty heavy. Must have been 40-50 pounds. I'm a long way from home now.

Reply to
W. eWatson

An interesting thought. I'll do that when I get home in a few weeks.

Reply to
W. eWatson

evening, and woke up after about 5-6 hours

It'd be interesting to put your ammeter in series with the power supply and take a current reading.

purposes. I never got a chance to look at the

a long way from home now.

A regular car battery is good and a 'deep cycle' battery is much better for this low current, long duration load.

I put her battery charger on a timer to prevent it from boiling the electrolyte out of the battery. This one:

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It is excellent, if you tape the instruction sheet to the unit because without it, you'll never figure out how to program the thing! (Unless you download another instruction sheet, that is.)
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I set it to charge the battery for a few hours as she is sleeping and again for two hours after she leaves for work. This keeps the charge topped up.

I only have to add water to the battery once every month or so.

--Winston

Reply to
Winston

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My ammeters and other testers are at home. Won't see them for weeks. ...

Maybe I can find a store here in Tucson.

For auto use, if there's still enough power in the car battery to start it, then I would think recharging wouldn't be an issue.

Reply to
W. eWatson

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then I would think recharging wouldn't be an

Sounds like a big 'IF'. :)

I would consider putting a battery isolator on the cigarette lighter output, to drive your 24 AH pack.

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That way, you are assured the car will start in the morning and it will automatically recharge your 24 AH pack.

--Winston

Reply to
Winston

I found the device in HF today, but perhaps didn't understand how you use it. Passed on it for the time being. HF is about 4 miles away. I see it needs a power source. AC in the picture. How would this work in an automobile?

Am I supposed to set for some specific time on short of losing all power from the battery?

Where do I get an isolator? HF?

We are talking about running this off the auto battery and my inverter aren't we?

Reply to
W. eWatson

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Passed on it for the time being. HF is

would this work in an automobile?

Right you are. It would not work in an automotive application. I don't know of any 'charge timers' for D.C. use.

the battery?

The proper isolator does that for you. No setting necessary. There are simple switches called 'isolators'. Those would not work nearly as well for you.

I don't see them for sale at HF but there are auto accessory suppliers on the net that can sell you one. I don't know if either of these would be the best possible unit for your application but I cite them just as examples of what I was talking about:

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we?

Ideally you would eliminate the inverter by connecting a

12 V CPAP to a separate battery, which would charge from your auto electrical system.

--Winston

Reply to
Winston

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I looked at the specs on the cpap. 5 amps! Found isolator at a local automotive store, 70A. $42.00. How does this device stop short of leaving enough power to start a car?

Batteries Plus,a chain, has some batteries I think will help. The have a store about 40 miles from me. I think I'll finsh on this topic when I get back home in about 3 weeks.

Reply to
W. eWatson

It allows you to charge a second battery, separate from the normal car battery. They are usually just a pair of Schottky diodes. They have to be able to handle more the the current rating of your alternator.

--
You can't have a sense of humor, if you have no sense.
Reply to
Michael A. Terrell

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That may include the humidifier. When you get home, you can measure with an ammeter and be sure.

IMHO, it doesn't. From the little I've read, the 'isolators' are just two heavy duty diodes mounted on a heat sink. Current from your alternator connects to the anodes and the cathodes connect to each of your batteries respectively, preventing one battery from discharging the other. It's simple and clever:

Diode 1 .---->|------------. .--o | | | Diode 2 o | ---->|-----. ( Auto .---|--. | ) Fuse | o | | o | | | | | | | | | | Car | | CPAP '------' Batt--- --- Batt Alternator - - | | | === | | GND === === GND GND

(created by AACircuit v1.28.6 beta 04/19/05

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about 40 miles from me. I think I'll

Cool!

We pay more for ampere hours when they are packaged in small (SLA) quantities as compared to large (deep cycle battery) quantities....

Best of luck.

--Winston

Reply to
Winston

I had a suspicion that a second battery might be used. Probably I would want the smallest battery I can find that would provide several good kicks.

Reply to
W. eWatson

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