Portable power - possible solutions...

HI All

I'm looking at ways of providing some portable power on my open-air market stall.

Various reasons for this -

- to show off the stained-glass lamps I make (mains cfl bulbs)

- to power a laptop / webcam & microwave antenna (to enable people to sign our on line petition at

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there & then) = (15V nominal/mains tosh laptop & 12v/mains for the antenna and , maybe...

- to run a digital photoframe (9.5v / mains)

Had a fairly successful trial run with just the lamps last week - using one of those 'jump-starter' sealed-lead-acid efforts with a little 100W inverter - ran the lamps for four hours or so... - and I sold one !

Can't decide on the most sensible way to go - constructing something isn't a problem for me, it's deciding on the best route...??

Possibilities

1) Bigger SLA and separate regulation for the photo frame. Maybe run everything but the lamps at 12v, use inverter for the lamps 2) Caravan leisure battery, then as (1) 3) Borrow a little petrol genny - run everything at mains 4) Something else I'd not though of ..?

Need to be able to run everything for about 5 hours at a stretch - could then recharge things that needed recharging overnight before doing it again...

Any comments / bright ideas etc ?? Windpower's out (too expensive to buy and cumbersome to transport)

Thanks in advance Adrian - West Cork, Ireland

Reply to
Adrian
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I'd use a little generator, personally. I've got a little Honda EX650 and it's been very useful. Nice and quiet too, and it cost... nothing (Freecycle special). 650w @ 240v or 8.3A @ 12v for charging batteries.

Si

Reply to
Mungo "Two Sheds" Toadfoot

Buy the bigger battery. Running costs are very low compared to a generator and they don't make a noise or smell.

Reply to
dennis

I'd do a leaflet and share the url and some info and a quick ad for the stuff you sell and give that away too.

Reply to
mogga

Thanks for the reply. I've got the offer of the use of a little genny - one of the other traders has one that he uses for his hot-dog-warming machine - but I don't like to be reliant on him throughout the summer....

The only genny I've experience of was an 'open frame' building site-type thing which we bought some time ago in case of power cuts. Right blighter to start & noisy with it - but I understand the little ones can be fairly quiet...

I'll see how the loaned one goes....

Thanks Adrian

Reply to
Adrian

Good point. I've just sold a little touring caravan - should have 'stolen' the leisure battery out of that before I let it go ! Bother

The other thought I had was to run the inverter off the car battery (I'm able to back the car up to the stall at most venues) and then use the jump-starter kit in case the car battery's too flat to start the car....

Kind of 'long way round' - but might be a plan... though I know that car batteries are not really intended to give current over long periods...

'Spose the idea would be an 'auxiliary' car battery, charged off the alternator, like the charging arrangment when you've got a caravan with its own battery....

Thanks Adrian

Reply to
Adrian

Sorry - don't understand what you mean..... please explain

Thanks Adrian

Reply to
Adrian

I believe he was inferring (reasonably politely) that your question about generators was a transparent ruse to place advertising on the newsgroup. Had you left out the "Various reasons" paragraph and put any url's in your signature, he wouldn't have been so picky, as this would be in line with newsgroup etiquette..

HTH

Reply to
Bob Mannix

Ah - thanks - I must be a bit slow this morning....

No - _that_ wasn't the intention - apologies to all whose sensibilities have been offended .....

... the inclusion of the URL was to answer those who might say 'Why do you want to run a laptop and a microwave antenna on a market stall'....

Ah well - thanks

Adrian

Reply to
Adrian

If you drive far enough to charge it. A mains charger overnight is probably more likely.

I have an APC ups that will start if you hold the on switch in. Makes a good standby for emergencies. I don't know if you would want to buy one so you have a nice self contained mains supply. They aren't the cheapest thing going.

Reply to
dennis

Run everything from battery(ies) to avoid the inefficiency of the inverter and noise, etc from the genny.

Build some simple regulators for the 9.5V photo frame and whatever DC voltage the laptop requires. Actually you'll need to use two batteries in series since laptops are often more than 12V. Even switch mode aren't difficult to DIY these days. OK you may need some electronics experience, maybe you could barter it for a lamp or two?

Make some kind of LED unit to show off the lamps.

Tweak the power management settings on the laptop to maximise battery life.

MBQ

Reply to
Man at B&Q

Yes - good point...

... I only covered about 8k miles last year .... and the two local markets are only about 10 miles from home - so the chance of topping up the battery between the one market on Saturday and t'other on Sunday might be a bit slim...

Yes. I seem to recall that the caravan leisure battery used to take quite some days to come up to full charge on a 4A charger...

Had a UPS some time ago - seemed to only offer about 10 minutes backup - though I realise this would depend on the current drawn from it...

..friend of mine had a boat and used a UPS to run a mains drill / sander for odd jobs... but that was before cordless tools became so widespread.

Thanks Adrian

Reply to
Adrian

Ah, well, to be fair to you, that's slightly bad form too! This forum is (or should be) to discuss how to do practical things yourself, not to question a poster's reasons for wanting to do it. Bad form that frequently occurs though!

Reply to
Bob Mannix

Yes - that's what I was thinking.....

easy enough...

Allegedly it's 15V - but I was going to pop it on a variable 0 - 30V psu and see what it _really_ needs..

Possibly....

- careful - you'l be accused of advertising for me ... ! Actually, I've been into electronics for the past 50 years or so - so, with a bit of luck, I can sort something out...

Tried that with the stained glass tealights (which use little candle nightlights) - wasn't all that successful.... - and for the lamps it's simpler to have them running from the actual mains cfl bulbs that they are supplied with rather than having to fiddle about with leds & suchlike. I did buy a cheapo led 'parasol light' array which I was going to build into a display for the tealights - but so far I've not managed to loacte the necessary 'round tuits'

Yes - that's not a bad plan.... Think it's set to 'paranoid' at the moment - screen shuts down after a couple of minutes....

I must get an ammeter on the various bits of kit and see what their actual current draw is - the photo frame for instance quotes

Reply to
Adrian

Not always 'bad form' - sometimes asking 'why do you want to do that ?' can be useful - as it suggests a completely different way of achieving the same ends...

Looks like short-term we're using the generator.... longer-term we'll have to think about some kind of battery bank & individual regulation for the various bits of kit.

What's the betting that the 9.5V photo frame accepts the same size DC connector as the 15V laptop !??

Good game, eh ??

Adrian

Reply to
Adrian

Unlike SLA leisure or mobility batteries, many car batts don't take well to deep discharge - you may find letting it go flat once is enough to knacker it.

That would be better.

Reply to
John Rumm

I read it as - "why not do a leaflet with all the info required regarding the petiton etc, and give it away at the stall (and place a copy into bags containing sold items etc)".

Not quite as effective as having a laptop there and then - but simpler to power.

Reply to
John Rumm

You could replace the laptop with a internet capable mobile phone...

Reply to
John Rumm

Yes - question is - how flat would the battery go..... guess I need to rig it all up & see what sort of current's being pulled from the battery...

I think, if I'm going to have to go for an extra battery then I might as well make it a little SLA... already have a 12v 7AH one that's used to power an amp/speaker combination for a bit of music....

Thanks Adrian

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Reply to
Adrian

- that's true - and a possible interpretation of what the man was saying. Actually - we do have a stack of car stickers (advertising the website) on the stall - so we do plug it as hard as possible. Not a bad idea to include a sticker with each purchase, though - I'll do that....

Sure - the laptop thing's a bit gimmicky - but it'll make people stop and ask - and might even get us some media interest....

Thanks Adrian

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Reply to
Adrian

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