TekPower 50 amp adjustable supply?
http://www.amazon.com/TekPower-TP50SW-Analog-Supply-Cigarette/dp/B00L5QU616 Would this be suitable for RV use as power converter? Assuming one knew how to adjust voltage for conditions. There is...
Forum Discussion
I would stick with the RV CONVERTER/CHARGERS with smart mode technology.
I use the PD9260C 60AMP unit and it goes through all of the smart mode charging levels automatically or on demand using the manual modes.
Battery science dictates how much current the battery is wanting to charge depending on what charging voltage is being used.
If you are using the 14.4VDC mode for charging a typical battery will want to draw 17-20AMPS of DC current... This level of charging was picked as in a short three hour expected charge time the battery will not boil out it fluids.
If you raise the DC VOLTAGE to make the battery draw more current then you will charge the battery quicker however you will really start boiling out your battery fluids and if the fluid level gets below the tops of internal cores then the battery may short circuit on you or even could even explode the battery if continued.
This was common charging in the early days of charging batteries where the local automotive repair shop would offer a quick one hour charge using 40-50VDC with the capacity of a 150 DC AMPS or so... I actually witnessed one of these quick one hour charger and saw a battery explode where the battery top and all the internal fluids blew up over the outside of the automobile and all over the side of the garage.
When i was in the Air Force back in those early years even the Military motor pools made their mechanics place their batteries in a steel cage when being charged. This was a pretty dangerous thing back in the day.
Makes one wonder why one would want to these things again...
The only reason we find the high current chargers these days is to be able to charge more than one battery at a time as the most a single 12VDC battery will only want to draw is between 17-20AMPS DC Current when first hit with 14.4VDC. A battery bank of four batteries will want to draw 68-80AMPS of DC Current when first hit with 14.4VDC if you want to charge those batteries in a quick three-four hour charge time. If you have a smaller DC CURRENT model charger it will still charge your batteries just take longer. The available DC current will just max out to rated capacity of the charger in this case.
This is what I see with my battery bank where I monitor the DC VOLTS at the battery terminals and the INPUT DC AMPS being drawn from my PD9260C 60AMP converter/charger. I currently only have three 12VDC batteries in the battery bank and it shows around 52-53 AMPS DC current being drawn when first hit with 14.4VDC charge voltage and if the batteries are initially at their 50% charge state they will charge back to the 90% charge state in just over three hours time.
I do this 50% to 90% battery bank charge every day when camping off the power grid. I can only do this 50% to 90% charge for around 12-14 cycles otherwise I will do damage to the batteries if I don't do a full 100% charge state which would take over 12 hours to do with my PD9260C 60AMP charger. Usually where i camp I am not allowed to run my generator that long of a time due to generator run time restrictions in place so this is a great time to pack up and go home..
ADDED NOTE: There have been times where I have a shorted battery I am trying to revive and having fully manual DC POWER with adjustable DC VOLTS and I guess ADJUSTABLE DC current would be handy. You would not ever do this when the fluids start really gassing for any long length of time. i.e. when trying to recover a dead battery it might work to hit the battery with 15-20VDC for short periods of time and bust away the crud that is built-up on the internal plate causing a short between them etc...
Roy Ken
I use the PD9260C 60AMP unit and it goes through all of the smart mode charging levels automatically or on demand using the manual modes.
Battery science dictates how much current the battery is wanting to charge depending on what charging voltage is being used.
If you are using the 14.4VDC mode for charging a typical battery will want to draw 17-20AMPS of DC current... This level of charging was picked as in a short three hour expected charge time the battery will not boil out it fluids.
If you raise the DC VOLTAGE to make the battery draw more current then you will charge the battery quicker however you will really start boiling out your battery fluids and if the fluid level gets below the tops of internal cores then the battery may short circuit on you or even could even explode the battery if continued.
This was common charging in the early days of charging batteries where the local automotive repair shop would offer a quick one hour charge using 40-50VDC with the capacity of a 150 DC AMPS or so... I actually witnessed one of these quick one hour charger and saw a battery explode where the battery top and all the internal fluids blew up over the outside of the automobile and all over the side of the garage.
When i was in the Air Force back in those early years even the Military motor pools made their mechanics place their batteries in a steel cage when being charged. This was a pretty dangerous thing back in the day.
Makes one wonder why one would want to these things again...
The only reason we find the high current chargers these days is to be able to charge more than one battery at a time as the most a single 12VDC battery will only want to draw is between 17-20AMPS DC Current when first hit with 14.4VDC. A battery bank of four batteries will want to draw 68-80AMPS of DC Current when first hit with 14.4VDC if you want to charge those batteries in a quick three-four hour charge time. If you have a smaller DC CURRENT model charger it will still charge your batteries just take longer. The available DC current will just max out to rated capacity of the charger in this case.
This is what I see with my battery bank where I monitor the DC VOLTS at the battery terminals and the INPUT DC AMPS being drawn from my PD9260C 60AMP converter/charger. I currently only have three 12VDC batteries in the battery bank and it shows around 52-53 AMPS DC current being drawn when first hit with 14.4VDC charge voltage and if the batteries are initially at their 50% charge state they will charge back to the 90% charge state in just over three hours time.
I do this 50% to 90% battery bank charge every day when camping off the power grid. I can only do this 50% to 90% charge for around 12-14 cycles otherwise I will do damage to the batteries if I don't do a full 100% charge state which would take over 12 hours to do with my PD9260C 60AMP charger. Usually where i camp I am not allowed to run my generator that long of a time due to generator run time restrictions in place so this is a great time to pack up and go home..
ADDED NOTE: There have been times where I have a shorted battery I am trying to revive and having fully manual DC POWER with adjustable DC VOLTS and I guess ADJUSTABLE DC current would be handy. You would not ever do this when the fluids start really gassing for any long length of time. i.e. when trying to recover a dead battery it might work to hit the battery with 15-20VDC for short periods of time and bust away the crud that is built-up on the internal plate causing a short between them etc...
Roy Ken
