| Author |
Message |
    
254
| | Posted on Wednesday, April 16, 2003 - 1:23 pm: | 
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I wanted to know what would be the best cheapest battery to buy for use at the home. I am planning to run a par. series
going through my power suppy that will charge the battery. With a 15V Charge.
Any suggestions
Thanks Tyler |
CM 3885
| | Posted on Wednesday, April 16, 2003 - 3:19 pm: |
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Bad idea there bub!
First the fumes from the battery will be toxic when the battery charges and flammable if you smoke! Second it would be chaper and far safer in the long run if you just get a power supplier to use. |
Mr. B
| | Posted on Wednesday, April 16, 2003 - 4:11 pm: |
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I would just get a bigger power supply.
Mr B.
In the BEE Y YOU |
Buck
| | Posted on Wednesday, April 16, 2003 - 5:23 pm: |
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I use a marine battery to run my base amp. I built a charger out of an old GM alternator and an electric motor I had laying around and it works great. I have it all mounted in a shed outside my shack window and the electric is all plumbed into my shack. All I have to do is flip two switches in the shack and the battery is charging.
Buck |
254
| | Posted on Wednesday, April 16, 2003 - 6:07 pm: |
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The Battery Is going to Be put outside in A Metal Case. Im Trying to find a cheaper way of running a big mobile amp it the house.
254,
If you are going to put battery outside use a Plastic Boat Battery Case, NOT METAL.
Just my thought's.
Lon
Tech 808
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William Pokora
| | Posted on Wednesday, April 16, 2003 - 8:12 pm: |
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I Have bin using two Car batterys for years & a charger on a timer .it runs the radio and and 8 pill with NO PROBLEMS!!!! Just add electrolite about each 6 months |
Sofkow
| | Posted on Wednesday, April 16, 2003 - 8:52 pm: |
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I used a car battery once...it produced very noticable hums in TX mode.
never again...for the price of a car battery you can easily pick up a decent power supply. |
Alsworld
| | Posted on Wednesday, April 16, 2003 - 9:05 pm: |
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254,
It's dangerous what you are going to do. Many things are possible that are all bad. I am not going to tell you it's okay, but I will try and give you some pointers only in the name of your safety.
Plastic case with a top strapped on it. This keeps anything from crossing paths between the + and -.
Keep the battery outside, or at the very least in a WELL ventilated area.
Don't smoke or have open flames anywhere near the battery. Those fumes while charging are not flammable, but EXPLOSIVE! Please be careful.
Get into the routine of checking the fluid levels in the battery(ies). Constant use will boil the water level off.
As stated, it can be effective and will work, but keep in mind of a few things. Household current runs at aboutr 115 volts. Car/Marine batteries run between 12-14 volts. That is not the worry here, it is the amperage (amps) that can kill you. Household current usually won't, but the 12V environment and the amount of amperage a battery can put out is truly scary. Not to mention a battery exploding is much like a stick of dynamite.
254, it can work but I'm just asking you to learn the facts and be as safe as possible. There is nothing in our hobby worth burning down your house, or hurting/killing people over. Yes, I have used a battery myself, and I'm not trying to be the kettle calling the pot black, just be careful dude (and save up for a base amp or a good power supply  )
Alsworld |
Sparkomatic
| | Posted on Wednesday, April 16, 2003 - 9:32 pm: |
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Buy a power supply that will handle the load. A battery charger will put a hum in your receive and transmit a lot of times. Do it right....don't jury rig it. |
Highlander
| | Posted on Thursday, April 17, 2003 - 8:30 am: |
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I think its ok to do, just be careful like others have said. Use deep cycle batteries, not automotive. There should be no need to have the charger on while you are operating, so I wouldn't worry about hum. Get a voltmeter so you can monitor the batteries and not overcharge them. There are obvious advantages to battery power. |
Adshar64
| | Posted on Saturday, May 24, 2003 - 4:31 am: |
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A few good points in here and a few pedantic ones. I run a truck battery on a 1000w amp with two 30amp power supplies attached. While TX operating I run at 15.5v to 16v on variable voltage power supplies and have voltmeters setup.
Amp pulls 110 amps measured on peaks. Radio pulls 22 amps. I get volt drop to 13 - 14 v on transmit and get good recovery battery charge rate off TX cycle. On standby I run at 14v - 15v and when radio gear turned off, power supply voltage dropped to 13v (2nd supply turned off) to trickle charge. Yes you need to be careful in this situation to monitor and control voltages in different operating conditions so you don’t boil battery dry and make an acidic mess around battery. Never had any problems with fumes etc .I operate in a well ventilated shed though. This works for me ok. Remember it’s the voltage and resistance to it, that determines current flow, because a battery can deliver high current, doesn’t mean it will electrocute you lol. 100ma through the heart is the deadly current region that causes defibrillation of the heart. Voltages of 50v or more with low skin resistance are needed to approach electrocution risk. (I am a licensed Electrician)You need to have moist hands and be well grounded to negative to feel a tickle from a 12v battery. |
Simon
| | Posted on Saturday, May 24, 2003 - 9:33 am: |
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OK. It can and has been done before. Yes if not done properly can be dangerous. A local amateur here runs a setup that consists of several 3V cells in series/parallel to run his shack (for about 3 years) with no problems. Even his computer is run from the battery using an inverter. Why does he do this? Because the cells are part of our emergency system power backup and its better to sue them then just stoire them.
Yes he keeps a regular check on the electrolyte level and the charge levels. Yes they are vented to outside and yes he used large guage wire (actually copper earthstrap) for all connections.
As I said on this he has 2 computers, 1 200w HF radio, 1 1000w linear (occasionally), 2 25w VHF radios, 1 5w UHF radio, 2 TNCs (for packet).
Now while I agree with Adshar64 about the safety of 12v I will point out that I did once see a technicina drop a 6" wrench across the busbars on a 12v battery in a telephone exchange - big flash, loud bang and no wrench so take all precautions.
Now as to the hum someone mentioned.I have only come across this once when using a battery and charger combination and it was cured by adding an extra 10000uf capacitor across the charger terminals - JUST WATCH POLARITY. |
Bigbob
| | Posted on Saturday, May 24, 2003 - 9:35 am: |
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I knew a man only by the handle of Sarge who powered his house on 24 1000 amp car batteries in parallel,and a 10kw gasoline generator set to start at 10.5 volts,got the gen. at army/navy. Only used a 4-watt cb and could talk all night.The guy used this system till he died,about eight years,he tried to light a candle,BOOOOM,TOTALLY OBLITERATED HIS TWO STORY FRAME HOUSE,his body was found scattered over 2 acres of his property when they stopped the search,the biggest piece of his house was an 8-inch slivver of wood,if it wasn't so tragic it would have been a cool spectacle,a real learning experience for all to see. |
Simon
| | Posted on Saturday, May 24, 2003 - 9:35 am: |
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PS
I should have added that most commercial radio repeater sites use battery power either as there main source or as a backup source of power with no troubles. |
WATER BOY
| | Posted on Saturday, May 24, 2003 - 10:23 am: |
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How maney cars& Trucks Explode !!!!!!! |
solarforever
| | Posted on Saturday, May 24, 2003 - 11:14 am: |
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Well just as a side note to this... I am totaly independent of my local pwr company!! I have solar pwr that gives me all the prw I need .. it is much too extensive to go into here. Just let it be said that it can be done!!!! My solar pannels cover over 1 acre!! |
10ring
| | Posted on Saturday, May 24, 2003 - 1:26 pm: |
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sounds like some one needs to look at them IOTA power supplies |
CM 3885
| | Posted on Saturday, May 24, 2003 - 1:57 pm: |
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Some farmers around were i live use battery backup and generators if they have cattle to take care of. Know of a guy that has a generator and several cells in a shed out by the barn when the ice storms came around a few years ago he was all set for 12 volts... |
Buck
| | Posted on Saturday, May 24, 2003 - 10:23 pm: |
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We have a generator that runs off of the PTO of a tractor....It will run the whole farm if we need it to
Buck |
CM 3885
| | Posted on Sunday, May 25, 2003 - 12:22 am: |
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Most dairy and beef farms i know of have a backup system in case the power goes out.. The imfamous Palm sunday tornado outbreak in 1965 made that pretty much a have to have as many dairy, poultry, and cattle farmers were left with no power for weeks after the twisters tore through the area and the financial loss was tremendous.. |
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