|
|
Post by cosmicboss on Aug 29, 2016 5:08:27 GMT -8
Hi,
I am not sure that this post belongs in this part of the forum 100%, but is technical in its nature.
Anyone in here who has experience converting electronics with wall warts to work directly with DC current off of your pv systems/ battery banks?
I would like to know more about this. Is it just cut off the wall wart and connecting to a DC outlet by means of a buck/boost converter?
If the electronic device is straight 12v can I just cut the wart off and plug directly? or is the converter needed to keep the voltage stable?
Will devices that require clean current benefit from the boost/buck converter? I know some computers (desktops) require pure sine wave power and will get damaged if run off modified wave.
I have a couple of wifi routers, and cable modem that are 12v 1amp (or 2amp?), and have a wall wart. I am thinking that these would be good candidates to run off solar 24/7.
Any experiences, help, advise, suggestions are very well appreciated.
Thanks
|
|
|
|
Post by cosmicboss on Oct 7, 2016 6:23:13 GMT -8
*BUMP*
Anyone with experience with boost/buck converters?
|
|
|
|
Post by frank on Oct 17, 2016 2:55:19 GMT -8
every light in our tiny house is 12 volt. I use under cabinet led lights that had a transformer. I cut the transformer off and hooked it to the 12 volt battery bank. we also use 12 volt landscape lighting. as for wifi 12 volt hook up. I thought the same thing. and then I thought about it and no its to expensive to replace if it doesn't work.
|
|
|
|
Post by cosmicboss on Oct 17, 2016 5:19:42 GMT -8
Thanks for your input Frank. I want to get a conversation going about the subject.
I don't have a source/link to it, but i read that most of the electronic equipment in police cars is connected to these devices. I have seen at least 1 blog posting on the subject (again, no link. Sorry) where this person lived in a condo and had all his power needs met from balcony solar panel(s?) and he was powering all his electronics in this way. He posted a photo of a very small foot print/micro desktop computer by Intel called NUC (actually a very expensive barebones computer platform) powered with 12v via a boost/buck DC regulator.
Some electronics are more sensitive to power fluctuations than others, or they don't have the built-in capability to regulate.
So why would it be to expensive to do your wifi in this way? You mean replace the equipment if it fries? I totally get the fear, hence why I am asking around.
|
|
|
|
Post by frank on Oct 18, 2016 8:43:02 GMT -8
i do know hooking up certain electronics to direct 12 volt after you cut off the transformer does work. I do property clean ups and we get things in that might work or might not. I got a old polaroid led tv in that actually had a 12 volt dc plug in on the side. the tv didn't come with the transformer so I did hook it up to a battery and it did work. as far as I know every home tower computer ive scraped is actually 12 volt. ive always wanted to try it. its just which wire is it for power when theres 20 wires coming out of the transformer. I do know that led tv when you take them apart the schematic inside says its 12 volt, but there you go again which wire. now lap tops because they have battery backup built in. the voltage is all over the place. I don't think I have ever seen a 12 volt lap top. our laptop is yeah 19 volts? there is only 3 things in our house that are ac. wifi tv and laptop. and as for trying it on one of them ill let you try it first and let me know how it goes.
|
|
|
|
Post by cosmicboss on Oct 19, 2016 4:37:10 GMT -8
I think in you could charge the laptop with 12v using one of these step-up/step-down devices.
|
|
|
|
Post by cosmicboss on Oct 19, 2016 4:38:24 GMT -8
DC to DC PC power supplies exist, but are not cheap.
|
|
|
|
Post by cosmicboss on Oct 19, 2016 4:43:38 GMT -8
Desktop PC's still use a lot of energy and one may be better off just firing up the inverter to run it. I know my home workstation uses something in the order of 200 watts to 260 depending on what is being done.
|
|
|
|
Post by jsb2000 on Oct 19, 2016 15:19:20 GMT -8
Hi, I am not sure that this post belongs in this part of the forum 100%, but is technical in its nature. Anyone in here who has experience converting electronics with wall warts to work directly with DC current off of your pv systems/ battery banks? I would like to know more about this. Is it just cut off the wall wart and connecting to a DC outlet by means of a buck/boost converter? If the electronic device is straight 12v can I just cut the wart off and plug directly? or is the converter needed to keep the voltage stable? Will devices that require clean current benefit from the boost/buck converter? I know some computers (desktops) require pure sine wave power and will get damaged if run off modified wave. I have a couple of wifi routers, and cable modem that are 12v 1amp (or 2amp?), and have a wall wart. I am thinking that these would be good candidates to run off solar 24/7. Any experiences, help, advise, suggestions are very well appreciated. Thanks I've found that most 12V routers are reasonably voltage tolerant and can handle a range of voltages around the one produced by their wall warts. Many have a DC to DC converter built in that brings the supplied voltage down to either 3.3VDC, 5VDC, or both for their internal circuitry. In fact, here's a breakdown analysis for the Linksys WRT54G/GS model that I found on line. You'll note they they "sip" current at around 500mA at the typical voltages seen in 12VDC solar systems (11-15VDC). I've run most of my office directly off of my 12V Renogy solar system for quite some time now with no ill effects. That includes wireless routers, a cable modem, chargers for cell phones and tablet, laptop, LED lights, phone system, and so on. No burn ups, blow outs, firmware glitches, Internet/network outages so far. For the couple of devices that require voltages other than 12VDC (or 5VDC, which is easily supplied by a cigarette lighter USB adapter), I use these. The one I linked is for 3.3VDC (which nicely powers my La Crosse BC-1000 AA/AAA Nicad/NiMH battery charger, which has/had a 3V wall wort) but they have several other models with other voltage outputs. So, based on my personal experience, cutting off the wall wart and connecting directly to the 12VDC system without using/worrying about a buck/boost converter works just fine. |
|
|
|
Post by cosmicboss on Oct 20, 2016 4:45:51 GMT -8
Wow. Just the info i was seeking. Great info thru and thru JSB. Thanks for clearing that up for me, and thanks for sharing.
I just upgraded a few months back from a wrt-54G to a couple of E4200. My WRT-54G is now my backup router, but I may just cut the wall wart to run it 12v. Had no idea that it had an internal DC/DC converter/regulator. The Cable modem is also due for upgrade and may do the same thing to it to have a solar powered backup modem.
This is great. Things are looking good.
Others experiences are welcomed. Other devices?
|
|
