T-Pain Is On A Boat: Re: [Electric Boats] Inexpensive variable power supply?

Tuesday, December 10, 2013

Re: [Electric Boats] Inexpensive variable power supply?

One super cheap way to accomplish this works just fine for me. I found an old, beat up "smart charger" for automobile batteries. Most of these come with a current meter on front and switchable outputs for "trickle," "normal charge," and "start." Remove the "smart components. It's usually a small circuit board with various hard-wired charging routines for lead acid (AGM, gel cell, Flooded and maybe a few other choices).

The built in rectifier is typically a single diode and the huge transformer is ceter-tapped to provide three or more voltage settings. Replace the single solid state diode in there with a bridge rectifier (A 50 AMP BRIDGE DIODE ARRAY - 4 DIODES can be bought for less than a dollar if you shop around).

Now, simply install two switches. The center tapped output of the transformer can let you choose two different output voltages, one exactly twice what the other pair of terminals delivers. So one of your switches can switch from HI to LO. The other switch switches between the various leads that used to provide different voltages for trickle, charge and start. So you have 3 voltages at the "LO" setting and another 3 voltages at the "HI" setting of switch 1. So that gives you six distinct output voltages ranging from around 8VDC to around 54VDC. A filter capacitor is optional. I ended up putting in a 100 microfarad electrolytic that I happened to have in my junk pile. The transformer in mine provides a solid 15-20 amps at just about any voltage I select. While it's not continuously adjustable, and it doesn't come with current limitation settings, that can be fairly easily added later, but for my uses (36 cells of LiFEPO4 in my EV), it gives me the flexibility to charge anywhere from two to eight cells at a time at a fairly substantial current (15 A, or in some cases, at lower voltage, it comfortably provides 20A). Not a bad idea to mount your bridge rectivier on a big heat sink and put a computer fan in the enclosure. It does get pretty warm but never dangerously hot. Also make sure you put in a fuse to prevent damage. But hey, if the whole thing burns up, all you've lost is a garage sale purchase of a pretty crummy cheap-o battery charger, something that's easily replaced.

On Tue, Dec 10, 2013 at 1:48 AM, Orest Iwaszko <orestyko@hotmail.com> wrote:

Love that , not only will it charge your 12-30 volts you asked for but also every other rechargeable battery you own , as well as be a power supply for any other small implement you own as well . These are worth their weight in gold. ( another thing that gets me as excited as

a variable power supply is the desulphating charger ) But nothing gets me as excited as all of you yahoooo!

is there a variable power supply in the 120 - 180 volts neighbourhood ?

ps love your quote.

On 2013-12-09, at 4:44 PM, Kirk McLoren wrote:

there usually are various supplies on Ebay. If you are lucky you might find an HP

"The further a society drifts from truth the more it will hate those who speak it."
George Orwell

On Monday, December 9, 2013 4:34 PM, Mark F <mark.internet@yahoo.ca> wrote:

Have you looked at a bench power supply.
Here is a link to one http://www.leeselectronic.com/index.php?id_product=1422&controller=product

I purchased the 60V one and have used it to charge some batteries.

Unfortunately it is max 5A.

There are DIY versions online of modifying old PC power supplies, but I don't think they will do 10A or 30 Volts though.

If you find a good source, let us know

Mark

From: oak <oak_box@yahoo.com>
To: "electricboats@yahoogroups.com" <electricboats@yahoogroups.com>
Sent: Monday, December 9, 2013 1:42:54 PM
Subject: [Electric Boats] Inexpensive variable power supply?

I've been experimenting with rolling my own power supply, using an Arduino to control on/off, voltage monitoring, etc.

Is there a good, relatively cheap VARIABLE power supply that will output something in the range of 12-30V, up to at least 5A, preferrably 10A?
It should run off 90-150V (dock shore power, which should be expected to be "dirty").

Thanks!

John