Page 1 of 2 12 LastLast
Results 1 to 10 of 13

Thread: Best solution for portable power

  1. #1
    Email problem henny's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jan 2017
    Location
    Centurion
    Posts
    4
    Thanks
    0
    Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts

    Best solution for portable power

    I am not an expert in the field (I actually know very little – I know how to connect a plug). I have sleep apnoea and have to sleep with a CPAP (Continuous Pressurised Air Pump) machine. My problem is I cannot go on holiday to places where there is no electricity available (and that is the places I would like to go to). Can anyone suggest an “affordable” solution to this for me?
    I want to be able to charge the device using either Solar or from my car cigarette lighter socket.
    The following is the information I find on the documentation of the CPAP machine I am using with respect to electricity usage
    (Please note I do not have the 12V DC adapter and I am not sure if it is available in South Africa)

    Electrical Rating 115 V – 230V AC +10/-15%, 50-60 Hz with power supply unit WM 24480 or
    12V – 24V DC +25/-15% with DC adapter WM 24469

    Power consumption in operation at:
    230V 0.1A 0.23A
    115V 0.2A 0.45A
    24V 0.9A 2.0A
    12V 1.8A Without Humidifier 4.0A With Humidifier

    Power consumption on standby at:
    230V 0.02A
    115V 0.04A
    24V 0.2A
    12V 0.4A

    Please ask if you need more information
    Attached Thumbnails Attached Thumbnails Click image for larger version. 

Name:	CPAP.png 
Views:	310 
Size:	38.8 KB 
ID:	6638  

  2. #2
    Suspended
    Join Date
    Mar 2013
    Location
    Had enough
    Posts
    3,358
    Thanks
    114
    Thanked 213 Times in 201 Posts
    You need some sort of battery pack to charge from solar or your electric charger. You then plug this battery pack into your cpap and switch to 12v-24v Dc. (You cannot "charge the device")
    Very similar to a battery that you can buy for cell phones - You charge it before hand and keep it in case you need to use it to charge your phone.
    I know that Sleepnet in Cape town had them at one stage


    Or I suppose you could run a cable directly from your cigarette lighter to your 12v input on the machine

  3. #3
    Diamond Member Justloadit's Avatar
    Join Date
    Nov 2010
    Location
    Johannesburg
    Posts
    3,480
    Thanks
    134
    Thanked 695 Times in 593 Posts
    Blog Entries
    1
    The issue here is more of how long do you wish to run the unit for on battery power?

    Your data shows that at 12V it draws 4Amps. This is a total of 50Watts. If you run for 24 hours, you need a reservoir of 1152Watts.
    If you use lead acid battery, and wish to get a decent life span out of the battery, then a 100Amp deep cycle battery will give you 600W of energy, so you will need 2 off 100Amp batteries. Quite a load to carry around, since they weight about 22 to 25Kgs each. Next if you use solar, and my experience has shown that you will need 2 off 250W solar panels and a charger to get the batteries properly charged in the time the sun shines, and that includes cloud cover, which have quite a large physical size, approximately 1.6 meters by 1m and weight about 23Kgs(each).

    So the solution will be quite expensive and possibly a problem to carry around and setup in a rural area for a few days or so.
    Yes you can charge the battery up from your car, for the required maximum charge for the batteries, the alternator will only give a usable charge of about 20amps at about 1000rpm, and would require to run your car for about 5 hours. The cost in fuel would be prohibitive.

    One of our other members may offer a better solution.
    Last edited by Justloadit; 20-Jan-17 at 07:03 AM. Reason: PV Individual weight is 23Kg
    Victor - Knowledge is a blessing or a curse, your current circumstances make you decide!
    Solar pumping, Solar Geyser & Solar Security lighting solutions - www.microsolve.co.za

  4. #4
    Silver Member PlatinumWealth.co.za's Avatar
    Join Date
    Sep 2016
    Location
    Cape Town
    Posts
    289
    Thanks
    6
    Thanked 19 Times in 18 Posts
    Deep cycle batteries and a ac converter
    The JSE Investment and Finance Forum - PlatinumWealth.co.za
    JSE Investing Chat Group
    Unlock US Netflix

  5. #5
    Diamond Member Justloadit's Avatar
    Join Date
    Nov 2010
    Location
    Johannesburg
    Posts
    3,480
    Thanks
    134
    Thanked 695 Times in 593 Posts
    Blog Entries
    1
    Quote Originally Posted by PlatinumWealth.co.za View Post
    Deep cycle batteries and a ac converter
    Yes and what about charging the batteries on site?
    Sine wave or square wave?
    What about the losses in the AC invertor, then the SMPS back down to 12V DC. This all reduces battery life.
    Victor - Knowledge is a blessing or a curse, your current circumstances make you decide!
    Solar pumping, Solar Geyser & Solar Security lighting solutions - www.microsolve.co.za

  6. #6
    Silver Member PlatinumWealth.co.za's Avatar
    Join Date
    Sep 2016
    Location
    Cape Town
    Posts
    289
    Thanks
    6
    Thanked 19 Times in 18 Posts
    Quote Originally Posted by Justloadit View Post
    Yes and what about charging the batteries on site?
    Sine wave or square wave?
    What about the losses in the AC invertor, then the SMPS back down to 12V DC. This all reduces battery life.
    I'm not Google.

    I guide you in the right direction, the nitty gritty is your job.
    The JSE Investment and Finance Forum - PlatinumWealth.co.za
    JSE Investing Chat Group
    Unlock US Netflix

  7. #7
    Diamond Member AndyD's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jan 2010
    Location
    Cape Town
    Posts
    4,923
    Thanks
    576
    Thanked 934 Times in 755 Posts
    Quote Originally Posted by henny View Post
    I want to be able to charge the device using either Solar or from my car cigarette lighter socket.
    You say you want to charge it......does it already have its own batteries?


    Quote Originally Posted by henny View Post
    Power consumption in operation at:
    230V 0.1A 0.23A
    115V 0.2A 0.45A
    24V 0.9A 2.0A
    12V 1.8A Without Humidifier 4.0A With Humidifier

    Power consumption on standby at:
    230V 0.02A
    115V 0.04A
    24V 0.2A
    12V 0.4A

    Please ask if you need more information
    Do you need the humidifier to be on? There's a big difference in power consumption, it uses less than half the power if the humidifier isn't needed.
    _______________________________________________

    _______________________________________________

  8. #8
    Email problem henny's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jan 2017
    Location
    Centurion
    Posts
    4
    Thanks
    0
    Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts
    Thank you for all the answers so far.
    I have tried the deep cycle battery (105ah) with a 800w inverter (which has now packed up) with a Optimate6 charger but as stated it is a heavy solution and only last 1 and a half nights and the charger work off mains so camping in remote places will not work. I am looking for a much simpler solution but all my investigations work out to be very expensive and big.
    And
    No I do not have to use the humidifier.

  9. #9
    Email problem henny's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jan 2017
    Location
    Centurion
    Posts
    4
    Thanks
    0
    Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts
    "The issue here is more of how long do you wish to run the unit for on battery power?"

    I want to be able to sleep at night (1 night) and then be able to charge the battery again during the day using solar or preferably, from the car as I do drive around a lot.

  10. #10
    Email problem henny's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jan 2017
    Location
    Centurion
    Posts
    4
    Thanks
    0
    Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts
    Sorry, no, it runs of mains

Page 1 of 2 12 LastLast

Similar Threads

  1. Portable fridge/freezer wanted
    By Neville Bailey in forum General Chat Forum
    Replies: 4
    Last Post: 12-Dec-16, 06:06 AM
  2. Portable Power Supply Needed
    By Neville Bailey in forum General Chat Forum
    Replies: 1
    Last Post: 04-Apr-14, 09:21 AM
  3. [Article] Portable electric lights
    By Master Electrician in forum Electrical Contracting Industry Forum
    Replies: 1
    Last Post: 17-Sep-10, 09:54 PM
  4. Portable DB boxes
    By ElectricalNoob in forum Electrical Contracting Industry Forum
    Replies: 4
    Last Post: 28-Jul-10, 09:37 PM
  5. HP's BEE solution.
    By Dave A in forum BEE and Employment Equity Forum
    Replies: 5
    Last Post: 18-Oct-07, 11:18 AM

Did you like this article? Share it with your favourite social network.

Did you like this article? Share it with your favourite social network.

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •