12v UPS power supply

[SkylinesSuck]

Does anybody make an OTS 12v power supply with an integrated battery backup?  I'm considering moving my KG-1000 inside the house since the kids would have all their needs met by a much cheaper radio.  I'd like to have it for always available family comms, including when the power is out (and the wife leaves her phone on vibrate somewhere random which is the norm).  I guess I could just plug my current power supply in to a standard 120v UPS, but I was wondering if there's anything out there specifically designed for this?

[BoxCar]

Not in a single unit that I'm aware of. There are several units available that can provide battery power and can be recharged from an external source. Perhaps the closest would be a power pack from Jackery or another similar unit. Check retailers such as Amazon for ideas.

[WyoJoe]

The standard 120V UPSs that I've seen all use 12V batteries to supply the backup power. Perhaps you could modify one to add a 12V DC output.

You would want to make sure the UPS isn't generating a lot of RF noise.

The other option I've seen, albeit with some mixed reviews is to use something like the West Mountain Radio "Super PWRgate," which is a UPS device that connects between your existing power supply, your radio, and a 12V battery. It charges the battery and powers the radio when power is supplied from the power supply, but uses the battery to power the radio when the power supply isn't operating. There is also an "Epic PWRgate" that does all of the above, but also ties in to solar panels. You can see both of these here:

https://www.westmountainradio.com/dc_power.php

[OldRadioGuy]

Harbor Freight has several "Jump Starter" battery packs with built in chargers.  You can just leave it plugged in and charging.

I have one and it works great (I do not use it for radio stuff so much so you'll have to check the specs)

Mine was not very expensive but they do not make that model anymore.

You could also just get an AGM (sealed) 12V battery and keep it on a low amperage charger.

This assumes you don't talk continuously on the radio. 

You have to do the math and see how much battery and what amperage charger you need.

 

Vince

[serrasalmus]

i used a jackery 240 for my kg1000g now its running a motorola cdm1550ls. it has no issue running it and can last 2 days betweeen charges and the best part is there is no noise. its also not connected to the house power when i use the radio so in storms im not worried about it as much as i would be if it was on house power

[AdmiralCochrane]

I drilled a hole in the case of a UPS and soldered wires to the leads going to the battery to feed my first VHF/UHF base unit. I've also used a jump starter.  I endorse both ideas as feasible. 

[gortex2]

Samlex and Astron both sell a battery backup power supply. Both cost more than the radio. Your best bet is a GEL battery and a DC PS with Battery Revert.

[mbrun]

Does anybody make an OTS 12v power supply with an integrated battery backup?  I'm considering moving my KG-1000 inside the house since the kids would have all their needs met by a much cheaper radio.  I'd like to have it for always available family comms, including when the power is out (and the wife leaves her phone on vibrate somewhere random which is the norm).  I guess I could just plug my current power supply in to a standard 120v UPS, but I was wondering if there's anything out there specifically designed for this?

To maintain a typical lead-acid battery at full charge, without overcharging it one needs a DC power source that provide a pretty consistent 13.5-13.8vdc (at 68F) https://batteryuniversity.com/learn/article/charging_the_lead_acid_battery. The typical electrical system in a car and the typical power supply used for power supply mobile radios in the shack are both designed to produce this voltage. If LA batteries are fully charged they can readily be connected in parallel with a radio and power supply (exactly how a car is configured) so it is online and ready for uninterrupted immediate use with any loss or AC power.

One consequential issue with this arrangement is that rare time that you end up deep cycling the battery. You could blow a fuse on your power supply when AC power is finally restored if the battery draws more current than your power supply can deliver. For prevention, switch off the power switch on your power supply when AC is lost and then plan to switch the battery over to a smart-charger battery to bring it back up to full charge after power is restored. An A-B switch could be an asset to you for this.

I would not use a UPS as the means to provide long-term backup power to a radio that natively and efficiently already operates on 12vdc power already. I would perhaps if I only needed 10-60 minutes of backup. UPS cannot compete with the efficiency of a battery connected to DC operated device. I would save the UPS for powering those critical things that can only be powered readily by AC.


Michael
WRHS965
KE8PLM

[BoxCar]

My training said never leave a battery on charge unattended. Systems that do have chargers connected at all times are also live in that current is being drawn from the system. The charger is a "float" charger in that the charge voltage floats above the battery's unloaded voltage and supplies the load with its needed current. That's what we use in both phone systems and repeater sites.

If you are looking for a standby system, just connect the battery to the charger once a month or so to keep it topped off and not on charge.

[djxs]

On 5/31/2021 at 4:07 AM, SkylinesSuck said:

Does anybody make an OTS 12v power supply with an integrated battery backup?  I'm considering moving my KG-1000 inside the house since the kids would have all their needs met by a much cheaper radio.  I'd like to have it for always available family comms, including when the power is out (and the wife leaves her phone on vibrate somewhere random which is the norm).  I guess I could just plug my current power supply in to a standard 120v UPS, but I was wondering if there's anything out there specifically designed for this?

@SkylinesSuck: This I can help with. I have much experience with UPS systems. The simplest answer is: If you are in need of a turnkey solution for constant power during blackouts, then yes a UPS is simple, elegant and "compact". You just need to determine how long you want to run the devices you have plugged in to the UPS. I found a UPS runtime calculator by doing a Google search: https://www.powerinspired.com/ups-runtime-calculator/

[WRNA236]

I use an Iota DLS-45 and 100 A-hr battery exactly in the way you describe, as essentially a UPS for my radio station.  The DLS is technically a battery charger (it needs a battery, it won't stay in regulation without one) but will supply current like a power supply when asked.  So the normal mode is the charger is in float on the battery, which is considered stand-by in UPS terms, with it supplying current up to it's rating, 45 amps in my case.  If you exceed this draw the battery would have to make up the difference.  If the mains go away the battery supplies all the power and the output of the DLS is sufficiently high impedance as to be essentially present no load.

 

[WyoJoe]

Along the same lines as the DLS-45, West Mountain Radio offers their PWRgate devices which function as nominal 12V UPS systems when paired with a power supply and battery. Their "Epic PWRgate" adds a solar panel interface for charging of the battery, and can allow the unit to function without a power supply in some cases. It seems a little expensive for what it is, but is highly regarded, so you are likely paying a bit more for a quality product.

What these devices do essentially, is take the 12V power from the power supply and pass it to the radio, while also float "charging" the battery when it receives power from the power supply. When the power supply loses power, the device switches to battery power. When the power supply comes back on, the device switches back to the main source, and supplies charging current to the battery to bring it back to a full charge, before returning to float.