diy powerpack

[yycwrangler]

Hi folks

been looking at buying one of those power packs for starting cars that comes with 120 plugs and 12 volt/usb plugs.

In principle they all look great but it got me to thinking how hard would it be to build one and if so the ability to put a much better battery in it. This would obviously the ultimate https://www.amazon.com/Xantrex-802-1500 ... B001O294ZU but if I could build something similar I believe it could be cheaper and a better unit. So would like the following:

good size battery that could be charged inside our trailer, so no off gassing. Deep cycle so can be charged over and over.

at least 1 if not 2 - 120volt outlets - so power convertor to convert from 12 to 120 volt
2-12 volt outlets
2 - usb outlets

the ability to charge via 12volt or 120volt

Is this doable..have you seen any links..

Any thoughts would be appreciated
Cheers
Al

[Tyrtill]

It is certainly doable maybe a bigger inverter too.

For example
50 Amp Hour Battery $107
500 watt pure sine inverter $80
Usb 12V Plug $12
50 Amp Circuit Breaker For inverter $9.00
15A Inline Fuses for other connections $7.00
Wheeled bin $30
5A Smart Charger $36
Some kind of battery tie down
12 Volt Plug

Lots of screws, crimp connectors, etc.

[yycwrangler]

tyrtill

Those links were great..Thank you very much..That's exactly what I was thinking..Although never crossed my mind to use a wheelchair battery..I imagine they have good longevity and must give a good electrical kick considering what their used for.

cheers
Al

[featherliteCT1]

Have you considered how long it would take to use up all of your available amps using a 51 amp hour 12v battery to power any thing that operates on 120v?

[GuitarPhotog]

Have you considered how long it would take to use up all of your available amps using a 51 amp hour 12v battery to power any thing that operates on 120v?

Keeping in mind that 51 AH battery shouldn't be discharged below 50%, that leaves 25 AH for use. Inverters, especially cheap ones, are notoriously inefficient, 85% is good. Now we're down to about 21 AH. That means your 120 VAC inverter can deliver 250W for one hour before being below the safe limit. That translates into a 1200W hair dryer for 12 min, or a 750 W coffee maker for 1/2 hr.

When planning an electrical system, you should start with the desired loads, in Watts and amount of time you will run it. Then you can plan inverter capacity, battery capacity, and recharge capacity. Having a 200 AH battery doesn't help much if you only have a 20 W solar cell. You'll never get it recharged, unless you don't use it.

<Chas>

[featherliteCT1]

Have you considered how long it would take to use up all of your available amps using a 51 amp hour 12v battery to power any thing that operates on 120v?

Keeping in mind that 51 AH battery shouldn't be discharged below 50%, that leaves 25 AH for use. Inverters, especially cheap ones, are notoriously inefficient, 85% is good. Now we're down to about 21 AH. That means your 120 VAC inverter can deliver 250W for one hour before being below the safe limit. That translates into a 1200W hair dryer for 12 min, or a 750 W coffee maker for 1/2 hr.

When planning an electrical system, you should start with the desired loads, in Watts and amount of time you will run it. Then you can plan inverter capacity, battery capacity, and recharge capacity. Having a 200 AH battery doesn't help much if you only have a 20 W solar cell. You'll never get it recharged, unless you don't use it.

<Chas>

Well said. Another way to look at it using your figures is that a 1200 watt space heater would keep you warm for about 12 minutes.