You probably know this, but cheap ones can overheat (esp inside a case) and also output a very distorted ac. Strobes can probably handle a bit of distortion, but you still want the power to be as clean (pure sine wave) as possible, within a given budget.
Cableaddict wrote:
Whatever you do, don't cheap-out on the inverter.
You probably know this, but cheap ones can overheat (esp inside a case) and also output a very distorted ac. Strobes can probably handle a bit of distortion, but you still want the power to be as clean (pure sine wave) as possible, within a given budget.
Yeah, which will be what makes it difficult to find a decent one down here for a decent price. (I've looked before and not found anything.)
Actually, thinking about it, the inverter and battery pack should both be fine given I'm planning on buying some Einsteins (assuming they ever get to market) as they run on 110-240v, so that inverter would be fine.
One other quick question, though - which charger are you using for it?
ehor wrote:
Juicy, get a ctek charger.
I got a $160 one for keeping my 2nd battery alive for camping. it's well worth the money.
Really? I guess tha's $160 AUD? Still I'd rather spend $ on chargers like: http://tinyurl.com/ye958zj
One charger to conquer 'em all!
I have a Bantam BC6 charger, works great, but I am also planning to buy a BC8DP, since BC6 supports up to 6 cells Li-Ion/Li-FePO4 pack only. Bantam's chargers are well designed and built, I have been using it to charge all of my gears' batteries, except AA and AAA. There are plenty of reviews around: http://tinyurl.com/ybc9duu
It's worth mentioning at this point that Lipo/Lilo/LiFe packs require much more sophisticated chargers than NiMH battery packs. NiMH packs are little more than a few bare cells soldered together with an embedded thermometer if it's 10aH or over. Lipos require a balancer and lots of other fancy circuitry to keep all the cells tuned up, but NiMH packs just need a "dumb" charger than can provide a steady output and know when to cut the charge.
bacilonur wrote:
It's worth mentioning at this point that Lipo/Lilo/LiFe packs require much more sophisticated chargers than NiMH battery packs. NiMH packs are little more than a few bare cells soldered together with an embedded thermometer if it's 10aH or over. Lipos require a balancer and lots of other fancy circuitry to keep all the cells tuned up, but NiMH packs just need a "dumb" charger than can provide a steady output and know when to cut the charge.
But your battery pack is NiCad, isn't it? (I know they're also happy enough with a not-so-smart charger, just wondering if I've processed/retained information incorrectly.)
do you guys have any idea if this setup would work well with the upcoming einstein? Any rough estimates for full power recycle on the einstein with the 180 watt aims inverter?
bacilonur wrote:
Hiya Shoebox, you have to go through their custom pack form. Select 10 or 12 cells, double flat configuration, Elite 5000, 16awg, then female Deans or Tamiya.
Sorry but I have to bother you with another question: Will a 12 cell double flat pack fit in the Pelican 1050? I was all set to order a 10 cell pack when I spotted the tantalyzing tidbit about 12 cells in your reply to Shoebox.
Here's the thing: 12 cells fit fine in the 1050 (as you can see by how much spare room is left with 10 cells in my other shots), my deliberation with using 12 cells was due to the voltage limit on any 12v inverter (or appliance). NiMH cells peak at almost 1.4v when they're freshly charged, which comes to over the 16.3v limit I discussed with a tech at Aims. Under load, NiMH cells quickly drop back to their nominal 1.2v, but there is a very slight risk of over-volting your inverter. My solution to that is simply to charge the pack at least 6 hours before I'm going to use it (which is what you'd probably do anyways), which should reduce the cell charge just enough to be safe with the inverter.
I'll post more shots of the other 12 cell version as soon as I can. And in case you missed it, make sure you get a female Deans (also known as Deans Ultra, not the Deans mini) connector put on it. Much smaller and tougher and easier to make 90 degree joints with. Then put a male Deans on your inverter and your charger. Female Deans on the battery is standard since it minimizes the chance of accidentally shorting it while disconnected.
I'm not an EE, but it seems to me that there must be a simple way to limit the DC output from the batteries. Some simple switching resistor, FET thingie, or whatnot that would limit the DC to 12v (before the inverter) and automatically switch out of the circuit once the voltage drops below 12.
-Maybe even with a reservoir capacitor, so the extra voltage isn't lost.
Maybe someone here knows?
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It seems to me that this rig could be run while plugged in, when wall ac power is available. (no?) In which case the above circuit would be mandatory with 12 cells.
You can use a voltage regulator, but then you've got another component that could fail and will definitely add a bit of heat and current loss, further reducing your efficiency.
The Aims 180 is rated to work at 10-15V, so I'm not too worried about burning it out, I'm just telling it like it is so I don't get lynched by any resident EEs. On the other side of the voltage scale, my larger pack is running off just 9 1.2V cells, working at the inverter's minimum power requirements with no apparent downsides.
NiMH packs are little more than a few bare cells soldered together with an embedded thermometer if it's 10aH or over. Lipos require a balancer and lots of other fancy circuitry to keep all the cells tuned up, but NiMH packs just need a "dumb" charger than can provide a steady output and know when to cut the charge.