Leo - 400w Inverters draw a decent amount of amps, with one battery you might get two hours I'd estimate but someone I'm sure has done this. Depends on watts of load.
can i just plug a power inverter to the car battery? i was looking at a 400w power inverter to plug this direct like cameras, tv, lamp, laptops.. is this possible? how much hours constant can u run a tv for example? thanks
@leostyle7771 Yes, you can hook an inverter to this setup. But most 400w + inverters have to use a hardwire to battery terminal cable for safe use. My 400 watt cheap inverter says 90w max on the cig lighter plug. My next video is going to show a 150w fanless inverter hooked to the battery box. I'd never load it to max though. Small efficient things are all I normally run on simple setups like this.
Not rocket science but good how-to video. One comment, if a "battery you have laying about" is off-gassing hydrogen and you put that cig lighter socket right there inside the box that can accumulate the gas...any potential spark...just sayin'
@dirkdaddy2 Yes, it was meant to be ultra simple ;)
In some extreme cases there might be a potential for spark. Normally the battery will only offgas when you are hitting it with a big, fast charge. If you require total safety, put an expensive fully sealed AGM Optima battery in the box. There is also a covered external 12v outlet at Wal Mart. It could be mounted on the outside of the box.
@cooldude1349 It varies depending on the battery you have. Most of this size are 70 amp hour. Go to Instructables and search for "Easy Test of Battery Amp-Hours Capacity".
@harrison4479 Yes, absolutely. Use a Stanley 6 amp battery charger from Lowes to keep the pack charged if you have no solar panel. Or a CTEK 7002 charger if you have the cash. Look on Amazon for those.
@zane000000000 Yes, you can charge it through the 12v socket. The Stanley branded 6 amp battery chargers from Lowes come with jumper cable style clamps and a cig lighter plug. Both quick detach. Very nice and clean to use the 12v port.
@Azn69Knight Thanks. Hey, as long as they take the old batts to a recycle center. They can recover a lot of material from them for new batteries.
This Bosnian guy takes it *way* further that I would. But some people have no choice out there. Search "mladenkorotaj" on YT and "how to repair battery.avi"
would be cool to add a built in invertor on the otherside of the case.
I know your goal was to go cheap, but personally i'd spend the money for a deep cell (marine) battery.. they have much more amp capacity that a car starter battery. but then again if all you're doing is recharging a cell phone or laptop, a car battery is fine.
@jommmer Sure. I did list a deep cycle in the description/parts list. A friend gave me a good used car battery for free that day so I decided to make the video on the spot.
The video just shows that you can use any battery right away for low cost if you have no cash (or a free car battery). I want people to experiment right away instead of putting it off. ;)
@jommmer That's good to know. Those kinds of things come in handy. I have a few with ring terminals on them. Makes hooking to marine batteries quick and easy.
@ohioladyprepper Yes. It will take a really long time if it's a small panel.
A 20-30 watt solar panel will do a better job and still be portable.
Google "alt e solar" and look at the Sunwize SolCharger SC24-12V (light and tough)
Or the GSE 30 watt (cheaper, with metal frame). Put cig lighter plug on either one and plug into this pack. A 24 watt panel will put out 1.24 amp @ 12v. That's what you need.
1 amp is equal to a wall plug trickle charger. This assumes max sunlight.
just a thought for easy charging... take a male lighhter plug and wire positive to positive and negative to negative on a low amperage trickle charger (2amps or so). plug the lighter into your existing socket and plug the charger into the wall. this will keep the battery topped off. when the power goes out, just pull the charger plug from your battery and plug in the device you need to use. REMEMBER TO USE A CHARGER THAT DOES NOT EXCEED THE WIRING!
@rkaag99 Yes! A good idea if you use the pack only in emergencies (or have low cash). Schumacher sells a 1.5 amp battery maintainer at Wal Mart (Model SEM-1562a) for $19. Home Depot has Black & Decker brand 2 amp for the same price. They come with quick detach alligator clamps and rings. Just take the ring terminal set and cut/strip...add male lighter plug instead. You pack is then ready 24/7.
@rkaag99 Develop a good habit of never settle with "good enough" on wiring, since there's no telling what load you might impose on the system. If you have room, go with the next gauge up. Most cig receptacles are 10A rated, its recommended that unless you are using an intelligent 3-stage charger, use the C/10 rule, meaning if you are charging a 33AH battery, maintain charge rate around 33/10=3.3A. Your battery will love you, cheers
@R5H4D0W Of course. Great points. This video was made for people that have almost no cash. It uses the bare minimum you can pay at Wal-Mart for components. Lots of people are in this boat right now. I'd rather see them marginally prepared than have nothing. Some might think this sounds crazy...just spend some time talking to everybody out there. I have, and it's not pretty. This setup can charge AA NiMH batts, run small inverters and cellphones in a totally safe manner.
Know what you mean there brother. I saw what was starting to happen some time back, and started to prepare. I want to do some low tech builds like this to be a bit ahead of the curve when I finish them. I have some great ideas and spin-offs from some things like this, and as soon as I get a chance I'll be doing some response posts for the ones I think are really good.
Liked your YouTube page and subscribed it to check as I get free time. Great stuff, and useful for sure. Many thanks.
Great idea doing a fused output. Another something that you might want to consider is adding a terminal block of some sort in case you have a device that needs 12v power, but no extra cigarette lighter plug for the device.
Just strip a bit of insulation off the wires, twist if they are not solid wire, and attach to the terminal block. Doesn't even matter if you have terminal splices for your wire ends.
@DIMTIM1000 Well, I figured people could take the concept and run with it. I don't think terminal blocks are available at Wal-Mart. My whole concept is for people to just go and get it done. So many people are unprepared and unskilled out there. I hope this stuff helps them out.
@35slave Use a good battery charger like CTEK or another brand if you have no solar. Also, see my channel for solar panel video where I charge this pack with a big panel
Leo - 400w Inverters draw a decent amount of amps, with one battery you might get two hours I'd estimate but someone I'm sure has done this. Depends on watts of load.
dirkdaddy2 10 hours ago
can i just plug a power inverter to the car battery? i was looking at a 400w power inverter to plug this direct like cameras, tv, lamp, laptops.. is this possible? how much hours constant can u run a tv for example? thanks
leostyle7771 19 hours ago
@leostyle7771 Yes, you can hook an inverter to this setup. But most 400w + inverters have to use a hardwire to battery terminal cable for safe use. My 400 watt cheap inverter says 90w max on the cig lighter plug. My next video is going to show a 150w fanless inverter hooked to the battery box. I'd never load it to max though. Small efficient things are all I normally run on simple setups like this.
RBEglobal 10 hours ago
Not rocket science but good how-to video. One comment, if a "battery you have laying about" is off-gassing hydrogen and you put that cig lighter socket right there inside the box that can accumulate the gas...any potential spark...just sayin'
dirkdaddy2 19 hours ago
@dirkdaddy2 Yes, it was meant to be ultra simple ;)
In some extreme cases there might be a potential for spark. Normally the battery will only offgas when you are hitting it with a big, fast charge. If you require total safety, put an expensive fully sealed AGM Optima battery in the box. There is also a covered external 12v outlet at Wal Mart. It could be mounted on the outside of the box.
RBEglobal 10 hours ago
das einzige was fehlt ist ein EIN- AUS schalter :D
Blubbbberblase 1 week ago
@Blubbbberblase Ja, und ein paar Räder zu ziehen, diese schwere Kiste.
RBEglobal 1 week ago
how long does it last for ?
cooldude1349 1 week ago
@cooldude1349 It varies depending on the battery you have. Most of this size are 70 amp hour. Go to Instructables and search for "Easy Test of Battery Amp-Hours Capacity".
RBEglobal 1 week ago
instead of the cigarette lighter can i just put a power inverter in and run things like laptops off it?
harrison4479 3 weeks ago
@harrison4479 Yes, absolutely. Use a Stanley 6 amp battery charger from Lowes to keep the pack charged if you have no solar panel. Or a CTEK 7002 charger if you have the cash. Look on Amazon for those.
RBEglobal 3 weeks ago
couldnt you also charge this through the 12v socket
zane000000000 3 weeks ago in playlist More videos from RBEglobal
@zane000000000 Yes, you can charge it through the 12v socket. The Stanley branded 6 amp battery chargers from Lowes come with jumper cable style clamps and a cig lighter plug. Both quick detach. Very nice and clean to use the 12v port.
RBEglobal 3 weeks ago
id recommend using water tight glue or an o-ring between the parts of the socket
zane000000000 3 weeks ago
@zane000000000 Yes, you could seal it. They do make marine grade plugs and sockets with gaskets. More expensive but available.
RBEglobal 3 weeks ago
I need to get a butt splice...? Sounds like a pain in the ass to me. (You're welcome.)
vipwrestlingvids 1 month ago
@vipwrestlingvids Da dump dump.
Will you be here all week? I want to catch another show ;)
RBEglobal 1 month ago
if people did this instead of dumping their old car batteries, the world would actually be a greener place. kudos to you man, very resourceful.
Azn69Knight 1 month ago
@Azn69Knight Thanks. Hey, as long as they take the old batts to a recycle center. They can recover a lot of material from them for new batteries.
This Bosnian guy takes it *way* further that I would. But some people have no choice out there. Search "mladenkorotaj" on YT and "how to repair battery.avi"
I mean, I had the car battery so why not?
RBEglobal 1 month ago
would be cool to add a built in invertor on the otherside of the case.
I know your goal was to go cheap, but personally i'd spend the money for a deep cell (marine) battery.. they have much more amp capacity that a car starter battery. but then again if all you're doing is recharging a cell phone or laptop, a car battery is fine.
jommmer 1 month ago
@jommmer Sure. I did list a deep cycle in the description/parts list. A friend gave me a good used car battery for free that day so I decided to make the video on the spot.
The video just shows that you can use any battery right away for low cost if you have no cash (or a free car battery). I want people to experiment right away instead of putting it off. ;)
RBEglobal 1 month ago in playlist Small Solar Power
@RBEglobal Yes, no time like the present...
another idea is to just get the accessory 12v socket with the battery alligator clips already attached.. think i paid $9 for one at radio shack.
jommmer 1 month ago
@jommmer That's good to know. Those kinds of things come in handy. I have a few with ring terminals on them. Makes hooking to marine batteries quick and easy.
RBEglobal 1 month ago
Can the battery be re-charged using a solar trickle charge that can be plugged into the cig lighter?
ohioladyprepper 1 month ago
@ohioladyprepper Yes. It will take a really long time if it's a small panel.
A 20-30 watt solar panel will do a better job and still be portable.
Google "alt e solar" and look at the Sunwize SolCharger SC24-12V (light and tough)
Or the GSE 30 watt (cheaper, with metal frame). Put cig lighter plug on either one and plug into this pack. A 24 watt panel will put out 1.24 amp @ 12v. That's what you need.
1 amp is equal to a wall plug trickle charger. This assumes max sunlight.
RBEglobal 1 month ago
cool idea. Well done video and fitting set.
The only thing I would add is a charge controller and another two wire plug for a pre-made solar panel.
plunk down the power pack you made. lay out a small solar collector in the summer sun and simply plug it in.
Livinggreen100 1 month ago
nice!
Edzherenow99 2 months ago
That is just too cool!
livenlrge 2 months ago
Your end-result is so clean and polished. If I did this, I'd have glue and duct tape and all kinds of shit slopped all over. lol
therandomdot 2 months ago
@therandomdot Nawwww...just follow along step by step. You can do it!
RBEglobal 2 months ago in playlist Small Solar Power
just a thought for easy charging... take a male lighhter plug and wire positive to positive and negative to negative on a low amperage trickle charger (2amps or so). plug the lighter into your existing socket and plug the charger into the wall. this will keep the battery topped off. when the power goes out, just pull the charger plug from your battery and plug in the device you need to use. REMEMBER TO USE A CHARGER THAT DOES NOT EXCEED THE WIRING!
rkaag99 3 months ago
@rkaag99 Yes! A good idea if you use the pack only in emergencies (or have low cash). Schumacher sells a 1.5 amp battery maintainer at Wal Mart (Model SEM-1562a) for $19. Home Depot has Black & Decker brand 2 amp for the same price. They come with quick detach alligator clamps and rings. Just take the ring terminal set and cut/strip...add male lighter plug instead. You pack is then ready 24/7.
RBEglobal 3 months ago in playlist Small Solar Power
@rkaag99 Develop a good habit of never settle with "good enough" on wiring, since there's no telling what load you might impose on the system. If you have room, go with the next gauge up. Most cig receptacles are 10A rated, its recommended that unless you are using an intelligent 3-stage charger, use the C/10 rule, meaning if you are charging a 33AH battery, maintain charge rate around 33/10=3.3A. Your battery will love you, cheers
R5H4D0W 2 months ago
@R5H4D0W Of course. Great points. This video was made for people that have almost no cash. It uses the bare minimum you can pay at Wal-Mart for components. Lots of people are in this boat right now. I'd rather see them marginally prepared than have nothing. Some might think this sounds crazy...just spend some time talking to everybody out there. I have, and it's not pretty. This setup can charge AA NiMH batts, run small inverters and cellphones in a totally safe manner.
RBEglobal 2 months ago
Know what you mean there brother. I saw what was starting to happen some time back, and started to prepare. I want to do some low tech builds like this to be a bit ahead of the curve when I finish them. I have some great ideas and spin-offs from some things like this, and as soon as I get a chance I'll be doing some response posts for the ones I think are really good.
Liked your YouTube page and subscribed it to check as I get free time. Great stuff, and useful for sure. Many thanks.
DIMTIM1000 4 months ago
Great idea doing a fused output. Another something that you might want to consider is adding a terminal block of some sort in case you have a device that needs 12v power, but no extra cigarette lighter plug for the device.
Just strip a bit of insulation off the wires, twist if they are not solid wire, and attach to the terminal block. Doesn't even matter if you have terminal splices for your wire ends.
DIMTIM1000 4 months ago
@DIMTIM1000 Well, I figured people could take the concept and run with it. I don't think terminal blocks are available at Wal-Mart. My whole concept is for people to just go and get it done. So many people are unprepared and unskilled out there. I hope this stuff helps them out.
RBEglobal 4 months ago
@RBEglobal I like your videos, very easy to follow. Great ideas.
halfnhalf702 2 months ago in playlist More videos from RBEglobal
@halfnhalf702 Thanks!
RBEglobal 2 months ago in playlist Small Solar Power
smart little cookie i might make a few of these for if the power goes out brilliant idea
sharw2 4 months ago
nice thumbs up
drunkenp0t 6 months ago
fantastic idea ! how do you keep the battery charged?
35slave 7 months ago
@35slave Use a good battery charger like CTEK or another brand if you have no solar. Also, see my channel for solar panel video where I charge this pack with a big panel
RBEglobal 7 months ago