Playing With DC to DC Boosters

The DC to DC voltage converter BOOSTER is used for tasks. Much like a pressure washer is connected to a garden hose to blast away stuff at much higher pressure.

The original constant voltage of the WFCO is fine for my battery, but I do want to use some high power 36 volt 30 watt (this is real not BS huckster ratings) LED chips, equalize flooded batteries and perform other tasks without molesting the WFCO or the battery. All of the tasks can be performed with battery power alone but except for occasional short term use of the lights it would not be a wise discharge of battery power.

As am equalizer the battery to be de-sulfated is isolated out of circuit by lifting a ground cable, the BOOSTER output is wired wih alligator clamps to the battery terminals. Booster current has been pre-set through it's cermet pot to a 5 amp limit for a 12 volt RV battery, and voltage limit has been set at 16.0 through another cermet pot. This is the one, the solitary only correct way to equalize a flooded lead acid battery. When the equalization is underway the WFCO is providing adequate power to feed the rest of the batteries plus the BOOSTER. When equalizing a battery, CURRENT, meaning amperes, must be controlled. Not only controlled but tightly controlled. An equalization of a 100 ampere battery for instance starts out at 5.0 amps and ends at 5.0 amps, no more, no less. Whichever occurs first, all cells get restored to original specific gravity OR 16.0 volts is reached, the equalization process stops. It is not automatic, it has to be monitored with a hydrometer or voltmeter.

When all that is going on, the innocent other batteries and the RV hasn't a clue anything is different - voltage remains at regular converter values. No stressing the refrigerator board or overheating the lighting circuits. The BOOSTER is the size of a pack of playing cards stacked four high.

My AGM battery manufacturer outlines a specific process to condition their battery. I can set voltage and amperage value of the BOOSTER to exactly match the manufacturer's recommended conditioning recommendations which are temperature sensitive and voltage must be kept close to their recommendation.

Set to it's maximum 80 volts the booster can send 700%+ as much power over a conductor to a distant load. On the other end, a BUCKER can be adjusted to provide exactly and precisely the voltage needed by the load - this means voltage drop no longer exists or is a concern. The only concern is the capability of the booster and the bucker to handle the load. For light loads like 120 watts which renders an insanely intense amount of LED lighting for security purposes a booster and a bucker are a dream come true. Yes, a person can do the same task with 120vac, a switch type regulator on the far end. Price any 36 volt power supplies lately? And how about when the public power goes down? The booster and bucker will gladly operate off of battery power and 120 watts is fine as long as total burn time is limited.

And the WFCO remains untouched.

Landyatcht

"My dell laptop had a standard barrell connector but it has a pin In the middle. If the smallest of.3wires.leading to this barrell connector is compromised. The laptop will not charge its battery."

That center pin is NOT part of the primary charging system - it's a serial data connection which informs the computer which power supply is attached. The system will function with that connection disabled however you might have to configure the power settings.
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I guess I'm a bit confused why a DC to DC booster when a few resister changes inside the WFCO will do the very same thing at less cost and far less parts

I now understand "Playing with the toys is fun" - I fully understand

So the booster is getting the needed power from the wfco's total watts potential? The wfco's output voltage is limited to 13.75, but its output current is limited at its current limit, say 40 amps. So, a 40a wfco has a potential output of 550w when in cv mode (13.75v x 40a). That 550 watts has the potential to become 12 amps and 45v, minus losses?

And the kicker is... the booster has a current INPUT limit of 16a. So the most it can get from the wfco is 220 watts (13.75v x 16a). So, 220 watts IN and 177.6 watts out.

jrnymn7 wrote:

MEXICOWANDERER wrote:
.4 in occurred at 13.75 volts output on the WFCO = 5.5 watts INTO THE BATTERY
When the WFCO fed the DC to DC converter 177.6 watts went INTO THE BATTERY

Unless you feel the WFCO's potential of 792 watts is somehow insufficient to put 177.6 watts into the battery ? Minus the @ -10% efficiency loss 712 watts allows a lot of room to play with.

Someone is forgetting to include part a) of the equation which is 3,810 watts potential input into the WFCO (meaning AC). Which is sufficient to keep it happy.

AC feeds the wfco, the wfco feeds the booster, the booster feeds the batteries... I get it. But my original question was, and still is, how does the wfco suddenly supply more than its regulated 13.75 volts to the booster? If the wfco is set to regulate (i.e; limit) the voltage at 13.75v, how does more get thru? Does it suddenly lose its ability to regulate and serve only as a conduit for power? Does the booster convert the available dc current to dc voltage? How does 13.75v become 14.8v? The power has to come from somewhere, and as far as voltage is concerned, it isn't coming from the wfco. The wfco's voltage regulation is somehow being bypassed.

The booster increases voltage by the circuit being able to store the energy, collectively. This is done with switching, inductors, and capacitors.

Boost converters

MEXICOWANDERER wrote:
.4 in occurred at 13.75 volts output on the WFCO = 5.5 watts INTO THE BATTERY
When the WFCO fed the DC to DC converter 177.6 watts went INTO THE BATTERY

Unless you feel the WFCO's potential of 792 watts is somehow insufficient to put 177.6 watts into the battery ? Minus the @ -10% efficiency loss 712 watts allows a lot of room to play with.

Someone is forgetting to include part a) of the equation which is 3,810 watts potential input into the WFCO (meaning AC). Which is sufficient to keep it happy.

AC feeds the wfco, the wfco feeds the booster, the booster feeds the batteries... I get it. But my original question was, and still is, how does the wfco suddenly supply more than its regulated 13.75 volts to the booster? If the wfco is set to regulate (i.e; limit) the voltage at 13.75v, how does more get thru? Does it suddenly lose its ability to regulate and serve only as a conduit for power? Does the booster convert the available dc current to dc voltage? How does 13.75v become 14.8v? The power has to come from somewhere, and as far as voltage is concerned, it isn't coming from the wfco. The wfco's voltage regulation is somehow being bypassed. Is it about watts in, watts out, not volts?

I find my 600 watt model is perfect for equalizing batteries. If this laptop demanded a three wire battery hookup it would have ended up under the rear tire long ago.

Boosters are fun when working with 30-watt 36 volt LED chips.

They're also neat to send 80 volts DC a long way on a small wire, to a bucker. Ever run 100' of 16 gauge and end up with -exactly- 12.00 volts for LED lighting?

My dell laptop had a standard barrell connector but it has a pin In the middle. If the smallest of.3wires.leading to this barrell connector is compromised. The laptop will not charge its battery.

Ive yet to employ my booster other than to make 12v fans levitate at 2x volts and make some lights brighter.

.4 in occurred at 13.75 volts output on the WFCO = 5.5 watts INTO THE BATTERY
When the WFCO fed the DC to DC converter 177.6 watts went INTO THE BATTERY

Unless you feel the WFCO's potential of 792 watts is somehow insufficient to put 177.6 watts into the battery ? Minus the @ -10% efficiency loss 712 watts allows a lot of room to play with.

Someone is forgetting to include part a) of the equation which is 3,810 watts potential input into the WFCO (meaning AC). Which is sufficient to keep it happy.

LittleBill wrote:

jrnymn7 wrote:
0.4a in, 12a out?

re read the OP post, it was .4 at 13.xx, the batterys were full at that voltage, he cranked the voltage higher and the amps increased into the battery's

Yes, but the power to the dc-dc converter was being routed thru the wfco. He did not crank up the V on the wfco, but on the booster. So 13.75v and 0.4a IN, and 14.8v and 12a OUT.

In other words, 5.5 watts in, and 177.6 watts out. Apparently Mex has invented Free Energy?

The booster I showed was rated to 600 watts which I believe is enough to charge a laptop battery. I do strongly recommend sticking a 60 mm muffin fan under the booster.