Thinking of camping with plane this year but we have two Cpaps. Recommendations for a way to power them at night.
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Thinking of camping with plane this year but we have two Cpaps. Recommendations for a way to power them at night.
How much power do they consume? Could you power them from a battery you recharge during the day?Quote:
Originally Posted by Md11pilot
Edit to add: Some locations (example - the Homebuilt Camping Pavilion) have AC outlets for charging.
My first CPAP has a 12 V plug in the back so I just got an adapter and used a Deep Cycle battery to power it. I also used a small solar panel to help charge the battery during the day but I don't think it was necessary. The Deep Cycle battery weight is 40 plus lbs so that's something to concider. I only used the CPAP for 4 nights but also used a small 12 V fan with it.Quote:
Originally Posted by Md11pilot
Bob
As I stated in your other CPAP thread, my recommendation would be to get 2 Rockpals 300W powerstations plus the CPAP-12v power cable. Each power station will get you 3 nights easy without a recharge (I was getting 4 with my CPAP) assuming you get the power cable and ditch the CPAP”s 110v power supply.
Thanks all. Great ideas and will follow up up and try to not start another thread. -oops, sorry.
Hi Md11,
Three thoughts:
1. I would suggest you need a modern battery (like LiFePo4), with enough capacity to run maybe 3 to 4 days on one charge, and able to be quickly recharged (maybe in 3-5 hours?). The LiFePo4 is FAR better than the old Lithium Ion batteries. It can be discharged down to almost zero, it can be charged at a much higher rate, and it weighs much less than any lead type battery. And they can give some 4000+ recharge cycles (vs. 400 for lead acid).
You'd need to do the math with amp-hours to know how many amp-hour capacity you need in a battery, but just as a guess, 50 amp-hours might do it. Here's a link to one on Ebay, it's 50 amp-hours, 14 lbs, and $369
https://www.ebay.com/itm/LIFEPO4-12V....c100010.m2109
2. The newer Lithium-type batteries need specialized "smart" chargers for safety, so that's another possible expense. A small trickle charger would not do the job, you need to throw some 10 to 20 amps or more into the battery.
3. As was mentioned, there are places to plug in during the day. Also note that near the Vintage Hanger is a very small building that is the "Charging Station" (I volunteered there last year). To bring a big battery like that, you'd need to bring the special charger with you to the charging station, they'd plug it into 110 vac. and you'd pick it up later.
That's a pretty expensive way to go, but it really would be a 10 year investment...
Hope it works out great for you! See ya at OSH.
-Frank
I made a 12v power pack to take on camping trips. I got a 12v SLA 14AH battery about the size of a motorcycle battery and installed it in a Harbor Freight ammo box. On the front I added a 12v power outlet and some 5v USB ports. You can find those on Amazon or Ebay fairly cheaply. I also attached an SAE quick connect connector to the battery which I can attach to a solar panel for charging during the day and using the battery at night. I have a folding 100 watt solar panel.Quote:
Originally Posted by Md11pilot
Cool project! You should do an instructable on it.
Most definitely.Quote:
Originally Posted by dougbush
Bob