I'm putting together a 12V multi-purpose supply for 90% home and 10%
mobile use. The "magic field box" thing advertised in the latest
Model Aviation would probably work fine, but I already have several of
the individual parts (eg. 12v to 120vac inverters) and don't want to
pay that much.
I've heard that I could just use a normal big battery and cross
float it with a power supply with some proper diodes to protect the
power supply in the event of a power failure, but I'd rather have a
slightly more elegant and idiot-proof solution that also allows me the
ability to charge while driving if I'm mobile. Also, there are
concerns about the maximum charge voltage for the batteries I'm
interested in using. Perhaps someone here has had similar
requirements and can help me out.
The two items I need are a battery and some sort of
charger/maintainer. I've heard good things about the Optima Yellow
Top AGM battery (but could easily be swayed elsewhere) and have no
idea what I want in a maintainer. Archive research suggests several
devices people have used for these batteries in winch operation, which
would be similar in discharge requirements to mine.
Why:
* I'm a ham and would like the ability to operate on emergency power
for a while (mostly just 2m/440 stuff and handhelds).
* I live near the coast in Florida. I don't mind a few days without
power, but my laptop batteries don't even last enough to make it
through one DVD. This annoyed me a lot last year.
* I use digital cameras and sometimes want to charge batteries en
mass while on the road. I'm also thinking about getting some
strobes that would run off of a 12V supply and would prefer not
to use my car battery. This reason (more than the others)
drives me toward a larger (i.e. car battery size or so) setup.
Requirements:
* 12V system output (thinking an Optima yellow top battery might have the
right combination of design and capacity)
* entire system should be at least luggable, probably with a little
cart
* good amount of longevity; I don't mind battery degradation, but
it's nice if it would last for a few years with minimal use
* completely automatic charge control supplied by a 13.8V source
* graceful failover from mains or supply power failure
* relative safety (this will be inside a dwelling, not a garage,
and although I don't have a meth lab in here, a properly handled
lead acid battery probably pales in comparison to the properly stored
numerous LiPo packs and misc other junk I have in here.)
I can handle the fusing and switching necessary, but I really need
suggestions about a good solid charger/maintainer, as the market seems
flooded with a variety of devices. I've read other posts in the
archive close to this, but none that really answer my question
completely. The BatteryMinder from VDC would do almost everything I
want but requires a 110V supply. The BatteryMinder Solar sounds like
what I want:
http://www.vdcelectronics.com/batteryminder_solar_15a.htm , but it's
not clear whether I want to power something like that off of one of my
fixed 13.8V supplies.
Any other suggestions or things to watch out for?
Thanks,
Peter Jensen
Melbourne, FL
http://www.diff.net/media/2004_09_26_hurricane_Jeanne_damage/img_2775.htm
--
Peter Jensen ... http://www.diff.net/peter ... [EMAIL PROTECTED]
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