I robbed a rusty Sola power conditioner out of a sKrap pile and gutted it. The end plate cutout holes were all wrong so went to eBay and ordered 4, 1/4" thick aluminum plates. Riveted them fishplate over the sheet metal. Cost $16
eBay 400-amp Schottky dual rectifier block. $25.00. Scrounged 1/8" 3" X 8" aluminum plates for rectifier heat sink.
A pair of 36-amp Megawatts @$65 each. Twelve dollars pair of 10-turn 500 ohm power rheostats with scaling knobs.
Settled for a 50 amp rated 75mv shunt and dual gauge amp/2.5 digit voltmeter. Then Buy in Coins 4.75 digit LED volt meter. eBay again for 50 ampere ammeter, analog. Maybe 35 dollars for this paragraph.
21 dollars for a 6-hour Intermatic Timer. AC 6' 14 AWG cord robbed from Eduardo's SMART CHARGER that long ago became catatonic. Same for the twin 8' 8-gauge battery terminal cord and clamps.
(1) 5K uf electrolytic cap, 17 volt avalanche rectifier, An array of Gas tube discharge, avalanche rectifiers and 20 mm MOVS. Some pilot LED lamps for 120 and 12 volts, a nice strap handle, 4" rack mount handles... and a noisy high volume fan.
And there you have it!
Something that will operate 65 to 190 volts, freaky frequency, instantly twin voltage adjustable, no p-e-n-d-a-n-t to lose or snap or go weird. An instant mechanical timer to absolutely stop the music when I want it to, and can manage to travel upstairs in a Mexican hotel. And the power units are MADE IN TAIWAN not HUNGCHOW China like Phart Chargers and press the button six times to fully charge the battery - battery chargers are.
It's a shame to have to hassle through a project like this to arrive at a unit that does not play Dr. Kevorkian with a battery or with itself. If a solar flare drives temperature to 150F, this unit will float at 9.6 volts. If I decide to vacation in Sasquatch AK in February this unit can handle it. And no tiny LED menus to scroll like trying to interpret a Chino-India version of a Sanskrit scroll.
This is TRUE set it and walk away battery charging done right.
And it ain't for sale...
