illjoshlli
New member
I've been planning on doing this for a while but I just haven't gotten around to it... like a lot of other things.. The threat of the storm was finally enough to get me going on this..
I had few reasons to do this.. one the cost and the other"¦ well"¦ I like building things..
It was actually much easier than I thought it would have been and it definitely works"¦ I ran it all last night to test it out a it worked great.
I am NO electronics expert by any stretch.. I did research it a LOT and my starting source was from bobofin on bostonreefers.org post on how to do this.
I basically copied this thread here:http://www.bostonreefers.org/forums/showthread.php?107976-DIY-VorTech-Battery-Backup
My backup should run my mp40 for about 24 hours.. This is more than enough to cover me when I'm out of the house for work, etc.. I have a generator to cover me after that.
Since the backup plugs directly into the mp40 driver along with the standard power supply there is no failover that needs to happen.. it just switches over if the main power dies.
Parts:
Battery - 12vdc, preferably lead acid sealed (you don't want a car battery in your house), however, a car battery would work for a quick fix"¦ the more amp hours the better"¦ the biggest I could find locally was 12v/12ah from Radio shack for 39.99. They also have a 12v/7ah for 33.. You can find 12v/18ah online for around 40$ shipped if you can afford to wait (check out amazon). Vortech uses a 12v/18ah
Charger "“ There are a LOT of options on this .. anywhere from $15 - $100.. The original thread says to use a 1000ma charger. I ended up going with a Schumacher SE-1-12S Fully Automatic Onboard Battery Charger - 1.5 Amps --- This was the highest quality one I could find locally that wasn't really expensive and also wasn't really cheaply made.. I paid $26"¦ amazon sells it for 20.. The key with a charger is to get an 'automatic' charger NOT a manual; Also, make sure it has some kind of light indicators
You also need the following parts from radioShack (thanks to Bobofin).
Radio Shack #270-1238 5x20mm fuse holder $ 3
Radio Shack #270-1050 5x20mm 1.5amp fuse (4 pack) $ 3
Radio Shack #274-1571 1.3mm, size H DC power plug $ 3
Finally, for the rest of the connectors and wiring I used things I had around the house.. I've built a few LED units so I have lots of leftovers"¦ I did use a 25ft extension cord for my plug that goes into the mp40 so I could keep the battery unit in the basement a run the line to my mp40 controller upstairs.
All together it took me about an hour to build and cost around $90ish including parts and extension cord
.
I had few reasons to do this.. one the cost and the other"¦ well"¦ I like building things..
It was actually much easier than I thought it would have been and it definitely works"¦ I ran it all last night to test it out a it worked great.
I am NO electronics expert by any stretch.. I did research it a LOT and my starting source was from bobofin on bostonreefers.org post on how to do this.
I basically copied this thread here:http://www.bostonreefers.org/forums/showthread.php?107976-DIY-VorTech-Battery-Backup
My backup should run my mp40 for about 24 hours.. This is more than enough to cover me when I'm out of the house for work, etc.. I have a generator to cover me after that.
Since the backup plugs directly into the mp40 driver along with the standard power supply there is no failover that needs to happen.. it just switches over if the main power dies.
Parts:
Battery - 12vdc, preferably lead acid sealed (you don't want a car battery in your house), however, a car battery would work for a quick fix"¦ the more amp hours the better"¦ the biggest I could find locally was 12v/12ah from Radio shack for 39.99. They also have a 12v/7ah for 33.. You can find 12v/18ah online for around 40$ shipped if you can afford to wait (check out amazon). Vortech uses a 12v/18ah
Charger "“ There are a LOT of options on this .. anywhere from $15 - $100.. The original thread says to use a 1000ma charger. I ended up going with a Schumacher SE-1-12S Fully Automatic Onboard Battery Charger - 1.5 Amps --- This was the highest quality one I could find locally that wasn't really expensive and also wasn't really cheaply made.. I paid $26"¦ amazon sells it for 20.. The key with a charger is to get an 'automatic' charger NOT a manual; Also, make sure it has some kind of light indicators
You also need the following parts from radioShack (thanks to Bobofin).
Radio Shack #270-1238 5x20mm fuse holder $ 3
Radio Shack #270-1050 5x20mm 1.5amp fuse (4 pack) $ 3
Radio Shack #274-1571 1.3mm, size H DC power plug $ 3
Finally, for the rest of the connectors and wiring I used things I had around the house.. I've built a few LED units so I have lots of leftovers"¦ I did use a 25ft extension cord for my plug that goes into the mp40 so I could keep the battery unit in the basement a run the line to my mp40 controller upstairs.
All together it took me about an hour to build and cost around $90ish including parts and extension cord
.
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