I power my FLEX-5000 from a bank of batteries and use a boost regulator.? It works great.? Voltage at the input drops less than one tenth volt under full power load.? Just did it as an engineering exercise.
Batteries (about 3-400 amp hours worth of lead acid gel cells)?are maintained up to charge with a 1 amp float charger designed specially for lead acid gel batteries.? I've been doing this for the last?10 +?years, but this past year added the boost regulator. The lights may go out in my house, but the radio won't.? I'm able to power the FLEX computer from a 1,500 KW UPS powered by six 50 amp hour batteries in series (72 volts).... good enough for several hours operation before the lights come back on. Next project will be back-up power for the Home Brew 4-1000.? Let's see; how many batteries in series would that take? Bob K8MLM -----Original Message----- From: Jim R <rizzo...@hotmail.com> To: ctsee...@cox.net; FlexRadioReflector <flexradio@flex-radio.biz> Sent: Thu, 21 May 2009 10:19 pm Subject: Re: [Flexradio] Flex-3000 voltage requirements All Has anyone considered a boost regulator? There are several companies making them. I even saw an ad in QST for one made by MFJ. It will maintain 13+ volts even with the input down to 10. to 11v Jim K5HY > From: ctsee...@cox.net > To: flexradio@flex-radio.biz > Date: Thu, 21 May 2009 05:59:27 -0400 > Subject: [Flexradio] Flex-3000 voltage requirements > > That's interesting. Do you know if the 5000A has the same > characteristics? I was thinking of running mobile in my 24' I/O boat > this summer for a couple of nights. I'd like to be able to use the 5000 > without having to run the engine all the time. > > As long as I'm asking the questions, I was going to pick up one of those > Hi-Q antennas for the boat. Does anyone have any good suggestions for a > ground plane on a small (24') fiberglass boat? > > Thanks. > Chris > KA1GEU > > > > -----Original Message----- > From: "Ken Simmons" <k...@flex-radio.com> > Subject: [Flexradio] Flex-3000 voltage requirements > To: "FlexRadio reflector" <flexradio@flex-radio.biz> > Message-ID: <018901c9d89c$88e55b00$7614a...@ken> > Content-Type: text/plain; format=flowed; charset="iso-8859-1"; > reply-type=response > > All Flex-3000 users: > The dropout voltage of the 5V regulator is 2.5V, all the lower voltage > regulators are LDO types. > I have completed a few simple low voltage tests, the production > calibration > tests all pass at ~11.4V. > The preamp is the only non-regulated voltage active component in the > receive > path and has .3 dB less gain at this reduced voltage. > Tested the transmitter on 20mtr USB with a recorded wavefile: Info panel > > reads ~10.7 V, Powermaster wattmeter: 83W (Tune @100 drive level) and > listened on a F5K audio sounded same as full voltage of 13.8V. > > The Flex-3000 was used mobile traveling from Austin, Tx to the Dayton, > Oh > Convention, and return trip operating as K5FRS, with no technical > problems, > although band conditions were not the best. > > Ken Simmons, K5UHF > FlexRadio Systems > Senior Design Enginee r > 13091 Pond Springs Rd. #250 > Austin, TX 78729 > Phone: 512-692-9044 > > "Tune in excitement!" T > > > > _______________________________________________ > FlexRadio Systems Mailing List > FlexRadio@flex-radio.biz > http://mail.flex-radio.biz/mailman/listinfo/flexradio_flex-radio.biz > Archives: http://www.mail-archive.com/flexradio%40flex-radio.biz/ > Knowledge Base: http://kc.flex-radio.com/ Homepage: http://www.flex-radio.com/ _______________________________________________ FlexRadio Systems Mailing List FlexRadio@flex-radio.biz http://mail.flex-radio.biz/mailman/listinfo/flexradio_flex-radio.biz Archives: http://www.mail-archive.com/flexradio%40flex-radio.biz/ Knowledge Base: http://kc.flex-radio.com/ Homepage: http://www.flex-radio.com/ _______________________________________________ FlexRadio Systems Mailing List FlexRadio@flex-radio.biz http://mail.flex-radio.biz/mailman/listinfo/flexradio_flex-radio.biz Archives: http://www.mail-archive.com/flexradio%40flex-radio.biz/ Knowledge Base: http://kc.flex-radio.com/ Homepage: http://www.flex-radio.com/
