Tag Archives: Traps & Lessons Learned

Super PWRgate PG40S Auto-Switch

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Ham In The Box - Super PWRgate PG40S by West Mountain RadioSometimes you just need that right piece of gear, that one need that is weird to fill, but you need it…you really, really need the right piece of equipment..

Well, the West Mountain Super PWRgate PG40S Auto-Switch is one of those pieces of equipment. And then some! Yeah, it’s that flipping good.

Let me share a little background first. For several years now I’ve been working on putting together radio and power equipment to keep communications going during emergencies, disasters, especially during a grid-down. Why? Other than the obvious answer, during my 30+ years of responding to emergencies and disasters I’ve learned that stable and reliable communications is a top priority. How much so? In every single incident where a firefighter was injured or killed, communications (poor or lack of) played a major role. Communication problems were the single common thread through all of these incidents.

Now, let me change to something completely different for a minute. I’ve been around long enough to remember the first personal computers. You know, the kind that didn’t even have a hard drive. I remember several times I would be working on these early computers and the power would flicker…everything lost! Yup, all the work that I had been doing was gone into some special “data zone” never to be seen again.

Finally after that happened a couple of times I learned about uninterruptible power supplies (UPS). Through pure magic it kept your computer going even when the power, not just flickered, but went out completely. It was as if the computer gods decided to smile down on us mere mortals. Yeah, I didn’t know at the time is was just a battery, auto-switch, and a battery charger built into that wonderful, magical UPS box.

Now, fast-forward to today…during times when communications are needed most I don’t want them to fail just because the power suddenly, unexpectedly flickers or goes out altogether. Because…DUH…during emergencies, disasters, and grid-down the power should be expected to go out! Yeah, no-brainer right?

Well, to meet the uninterruptible power supply needs that I foresaw, it would take a whole lot of money to buy the right UPS. And even then it wouldn’t have all the options and features that I wanted. So naturally I decided I was going to build my own solution. No, I am not a masochist, I just like to use my brain, to be challenged, and work with my hands. So, another great adventure was headed my way!

As I began to layout my first power box I had written down my “mission statement” for the box itself. Then I listed the “restrictions and requirements” that went into great detail. One of the biggest needs was the ability to automatically switch from the AC to DC power supply to the battery supplied DC power. The quest began!

Here is the mission statement for this piece of equipment –

“Provides clean DC power from an AC power source and automatically switches to battery back-up providing DC power when the AC power fails.”

I gotta tell you…it wasn’t hard to figure out. As usual I started doing some serious research into the options available out there on the market. And it became clear real quick that there was a pack leader, a unit that simply stood out among the others in terms of reliability and quality…West Mountain Radio’s Super PWRgate PG40s.

Here is the technical story from their website –

  • A Super PWRgate is a 12 volt backup power system rated at 40 amperes continuous from either a Power Supply or a Battery.
  • The Super PWRgate has a built-in four-stage battery charger with selectable current rates of 1, 4, 7 or 10 amperes.
  • Connected equipment will instantly switch to battery during a power blackout or power supply failure.
  • Uses two 80 ampere Schottky diodes as an OR-Gate to isolate the battery and power supply from each other.
  • Low loss PWRgate provides forward voltage drop of less than 0.3 volts at 20 A and 0.37 volts at 40 A.
  • Optimized for use with GELLED & AGM type batteries, but will keep flooded lead acid and marine type batteries near full charge as well.
  • Solid, durable construction in an aluminum case with heat sink. Includes mounting holes for convenient and secure use in mobile units.
  • Uses Anderson Powerpole®connectors
  • Dimensions: 1.65″ H x 5.25″ W x 3.9″ D

Specifications –

Maximum Voltage: ·                     18 Volts DC
Maximum Current: ·                     40 Amperes
Circuit: ·                     Diode OR-Gate
Diodes: ·                     Two Schottky 80 Ampere, 20 Volt
Voltage Drop: ·                     0.25 VDC at 1 Ampere

·                     0.37 VDC at 40 Ampere
Charging Circuit: ·                     Smart, linear charger

·                     Fuse switched for 1,4,7 or 10 Amperes (±5%) maximum

·                     Peak voltage limit: 13.8 (Gelled), 14.2 (AGM), (±2%)

·                     Peak voltage limit set via internal jumper to GELLED or AGM

·                     Peak voltage terminate point: 0.1 Maximum current

·                     Float Voltage: 13.5 volts (±2%)
LEDs: ·                     Green – Indicates charger is “ON”

·                     Red – Indicates peak “PK” charge voltage

·                     Yellow – Indicates Float “FL” voltage
Connectors: ·                     Anderson Powerpole, 40A
Dimensions: ·                     1.65″ H x 5.25″ W x 3.9″ D
Weight: ·                     0.9 lbs, 0.4 kg (aluminum enclosure with heat sink)
Mounting Holes: ·                     Two, 0.175 in. d, at a distance 4.875 in., for #8 hardware

 

Typical application –

Findings –

  1. I couldn’t get the unit to fail when switching from the power supply to the battery. No matter what I tried it performed the power switching perfectly. There wasn’t even a flicker in any of the equipment I tested it with.
  2. It really does a great job of keeping a battery charged. Technically that makes it a battery “maintainer” and not so much a charger. But, I ran my big 100Ah battery kind of low, then let the PWRgate go into charge mode. Yup, performed flawlessly; the unit didn’t even get hot.

 Summary –

This is a high-quality product that does exactly what they say it is supposed to do…and what it needs to do. For my radio set-up it is an essential piece of equipment and I am 110% satisfied with it. Awesome job West Mountain!

 

 

 

 

I apologize…

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Without realizing it till yesterday, my Power Box Project articles were posted without editing and without pictures. I apologize for that mistake. I got sidetracked with the SitRep – 05/01/20 – WARNING ! and all the Immediate Action Warnings. I have gone back and did some quick editing and added the associated pictures to the 3-article series My “Power-Box” Project.

Please take the time and review those articles again.

Click to start reading the first article…

 

MFJ 4230MV Compact 25a Power Supply

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MFJ-4230MV COMPACT SWITCHarticle first appeared in June 2016

I love mobile radios! So far I have –

  • Yaseu FT-8800R
  • Yaesu FT-8900R
  • Yaesu FT-897D
  • Yaesu FT-2900R

Told you I like mobile radios! And yes…I like Yaesu brand mobile radios the most.

But, having all these mobile radios I need to be able to power them when I am outside of the truck. And the only commonsense way to do that is with stable and readily available AC power from the utility company. But, a little tiny bit of a problem…the radios all run off of 12vDC power.

OK, so it is really no problem at all…you just use a power supply. Technically it is a “transformer” if my memory serves me right. You are taking 120vAC voltage -and through the magic of electronics- transforming it into 12vDC power. And that DC power can be used to run your mobile radios without a vehicle battery.

As always…my mission statement –

“Provide clean, stable, reliable DC power from an AC power source to run one or more mobile radios.”

Requirements and Restrictions –

  • Must not induce “noise” into the radio on any band above an acceptable (minimal) level.
  • Must be able to work continuously for years at a time without being turned off.
  • Should generate minimal heat when in stand-by mode.
  • Should generate manageable heat when being used continuously.

Well, here is the deal…I had already been using an MFJ SWR meter and I liked it a lot. My first power supply was from Radio Shack and it performed really well and I had no complaints. However, it just didn’t push enough amps (power) for my new usage requirements. So I naturally looked to MFJ for a power supply option. I did my research and the 4230MV unit appeared to meet all my needs/demands. Then it was time to do my research.

I carefully read all the reviews I could get my hands on. I really dug into it. What became obvious to me from the beginning was a couple things:

  1. The overall price point was excellent. Same could be said for the “price to amp” cost.
  2. Users were reporting no real “noise” on the HF or any other bands.
  3. It was one of the most compact units on the market.

Here is some technical information –

  • 30 Amps Surge (up to 5 minutes), 25 Amps Continuous.
  • 4 to 16 VDC adjustable output, detent at 13.8VDC.
  • Light weight, only 3.4 lbs/1.35kg
  • Compact, only 5″ x 2 ½” x 6″ (W x H x D).
  • Backlit meter that displays amps or volts.
  • Five-Way binding post for high current radios
  • Over Voltage protection.
  • Over Current protection with “FAULT” LED.
  • QUIET Internal Cooling Fan with “FAN” LED
  • Super Regulation, works with AC input from 85 to 135 VAC (115VAC model) or from 170 to 260 VAC (230VAC model), 47-63Hz
  • Noise <100mV. AC Line Fuse( 6.3 Amps)

Findings –

I purchased my first unit several years ago and began my testing. Let’s not make this difficult…it performed exactly as it was advertised and met 110% of my expectations. Yup…a great little unit. But, let me give you a few more details –

  1. The unit will warm up a bit when using it continuously. There is a cooling fan that will spin up initially when you turn on the unit, then shut-down. Then it will come back on at about 70 degrees. It seems to spin faster as the temp rises. There was minimal sound from the fan, no problem at all.
  2. I could detect no noise on the HF side or any other band.
  3. While the unit is rated at 25amp, it can handle 30amp surges with no problem. But, it won’t operate continuously at 30amp.
  4. I’ve seen folks who have been running this unit for 3 – 4 years with ZERO problems.
  5. I like the adjustable vDC output, gives you some nice operating capability options.
  6. I really like the clean face of the unit. It may sound silly, but it looks very professional. And I like that look sitting there on the shelf while it is working away for me.

Summary –

A great power supply unit!!

Yeah, there are some folks who like to poke fun at MFJ from time-to-time…but don’t buy into that. MFJ has a 1-year “no matter what” warranty. And that is very reassuring and tells you how confident they are in their equipment. Think about it…if a piece of electronic equipment it going to breakdown to poor quality it will probably do so in the first 30 days, undoubtedly within the first 120 days. MFJ has your back!

 

 

 

My “Ham-In-The-Box” Project – Yaesu FT-8900R Go-Box – Part #2

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Ham in the box, ham-in-the-box, field deployable ham radio, ham radio in teh fieldnote: This article first appeared in May 2015.You should read Part #1 that appeared yesterday.

In Part #1 of this series I covered the mission of this Ham-In-The-Box project, requirements and limitations, and the initial challenges that I faced. I also outlined each piece of equipment that would make up the final product. In this article I will cover a step-by-step build process along with tips that I discovered along the way.

Just a reminder of the mission of this project –

To be able to rapidly field deploy a Ham radio, for which I am licensed to use, in the event of any emergency while maintaining a secure and protective storage environment.

 The “Build”

Step 1 –

Ham in tbe box - Ham-In-The-Box - Ham radio go box, proatable ham radio, field set-up for a Ham radioI quickly realized how inconvenient working on the box would be with the box lid in place. So the first thing I did was take the lid off. To take the lid off get a punch and tap the hinge rod out from the inside out. Once you have about 1/2” of the rod exposed then grasp the rod with a pair of vice grips and pull it the rest of the way out of the hinge.

Ham in tbe box - Ham-In-The-Box - Ham radio go box, proatable ham radio, field set-up for a Ham radioHam in tbe box - Ham-In-The-Box - Ham radio go box, proatable ham radio, field set-up for a Ham radio

Next, I laid out the components to ensure they would all fit and be accessible as needed. The PWRgate warned about heat being generated by the unit so I decided to install it off to one side where I could install a cooling fan to blow air directly onto its heat sink. I had to implement a “remote head” installation of the Yaesu FT-8900R due to its overall size. If I didn’t the head would be too close to the lid when closed and I didn’t want to take the chance to damage it. It worked out great since it looks like a much cleaner install. I also took care to install the radio as far away from the heat generating PWRgate to avoid over heating the radio.

Step – 2

I laid out the first level of structural material (framing). I cut the upright 1-1/4” angle iron (aluminum) to fit very snugly into the box. The corners of the aluminum actually bite into the plastic. Once I had the uprights cut to length and placed in the box I then placed the lower cross-member into position based on securing the AC power supply that would be placed at the “bottom” of the unit when the box was placed on its side during operation. That was due to the power supply’s weight; it was the heaviest item that would go into the box.

Ham in tbe box - Ham-In-The-Box - Ham radio go box, proatable ham radio, field set-up for a Ham radio

Next came placing the radio. I based the top cross-member’s position based on the radio unit’s size; I wanted the radio to be up and out of the way. I also wanted the rear of the radio to facing outward for access to the power cable, data port and antenna coupling. That positioning also allows for the fan to move the unit’s heated air to the outside of the box.

Ham in tbe box - Ham-In-The-Box - Ham radio go box, proatable ham radio, field set-up for a Ham radioHere was an issue I ran into; the radio attaches to the mounting bracket with screws that come from the sides of the radio into the bracket. With the bracket mounted to the cross-member I can’t access the screws to remove the radio from the mounting bracket. So I used the regular screws to mount the radio to the bracket but I used #8 bolts with wing-nut/star-washer to install the mounting bracket to the cross-member. To remove the radio unit you remove the wingnuts and then remove the mounting bracket with the radio attached.

Step 3 –

Ham in tbe box - Ham-In-The-Box - Ham radio go box, proatable ham radio, field set-up for a Ham radioTo mount the PWRgate I used a short piece of 1-1/4” angle aluminum to mount the PWRgate to. I used #8 bolts with wingnuts and washers. I had already marked and drilled holes to match mounting the PWRgate mounting bracket to the cross-member. If I have to remove the PWRgate unit it won’t be easy. The left-hand wingnut it tough to reach with my big hands and fingers but it can be done. Trying to remove the bolts and nuts from the units mounting bracket would have been impossible since the unit itself prevents access to the bolts/nuts mounting the bracket to the cross-member.

Ham in tbe box - Ham-In-The-Box - Ham radio go box, proatable ham radio, field set-up for a Ham radioStep 4 –

Now it was time to get the AC power supply placed and secured. But as I was looking at that part of the build I was thinking this might be the time I could combine the structural parts. So I measured and placed a lower cross-member and put it in-place to secure the AC power supply. As I did so I realized that could use that same cross-member and the other lower cross-member as the “base” to install the battery booster too. But I had to space the cross-members to match the width of the booster’s base and mounting holes. A little giggling around and I got it all lined up. Then came the challenge to secure the AC power supply to make sure it wouldn’t move around. But, there was a problem that the height of the AC power supply was just a little too tall for the front cross-member. Solution – cut a small notch in the front cross-member to offset the height issue. The side-benefit to doing so was a very secure mount for the AC power supply. All that being said I did cut a small mounting bracket to mount the AC power supply to both the front and rear lower cross-members. That added extra stability to the overall lower structure. Notice I had to cut out some area of the mounting bracket to keep the AC power supply’s cooling vents free of obstructions.

Ham in tbe box - Ham-In-The-Box - Ham radio go box, proatable ham radio, field set-up for a Ham radioWhen I was working at properly placing the battery booster I had to ensure that I could mount a “T” on the antenna Ham in tbe box - Ham-In-The-Box - Ham radio go box, proatable ham radio, field set-up for a Ham radioconnection (SO-239) on the rear of the unit. The “remote” outlet is back there as well but I don’t intend on using that option. I did have to ensure that I could see the booster unit’s LED lights and have access to the button on the front panel of the unit. I also had to give consideration to connections on the top of the unit. All-in-all the placement was near-perfect.

 

 

Step 5 –

I felt that the front lower cross member was still not stable enough and could move around too much. I also wanted to start putting in the pieces that would integrate the front panel frame into the rest of the structure. I decided the best way to do that was to run a piece of 1-1/4” angle between the front and rear lower cross-members that would run vertical to tie into the front panel frame.

I used 2 rivets to secure the lower part of the vertical support to the lower rear cross-member. But for the front lower cross-member I used a #8 bolt with wingnut and washer to allow the removal of the front lower cross-member that would help me if I had to move the AC power supply.

Also, I pre-drilled the hole that I would use to secure the vertical to the front panel frame. To connect the two I used a #8 bolt with wingnut and washer. This would allow me to remove the front panel frame if needed.

Step 6 –

So now it was time to start actually installing the different components to the structural frame. I started with securing the PWRgate and then the AC power supply. Prior to installing the AC power supply I installed the fused pig-tail to the power supply and making the connection to the PWRgate.

Ham in tbe box - Ham-In-The-Box - Ham radio go box, proatable ham radio, field set-up for a Ham radioWhile I tightened down the bolts on the PWRgate mounting bracket, I left the bolts loose on the AC power supply bracket and cross members to facilitate mounting the battery booster.

Step 7 –

I placed a 90° SO-239 connector on the radio antenna to reduce the radical bend in the antenna lead that would connect the radio to the battery booster. Remember the battery booster has a RF sampling port that enables the booster to only boost the battery when the radio is actually transmitting. Receiving doesn’t require or need any boost in battery power.

I also had to make a custom remote head extension cable. It is a 6-wire cable with an RJ connector. I could have bought a cable but making the right length on the spot was easier and cheaper. The cable has to reach from the rear of the radio unit to the remote head.

Step 8 –

One of the easiest parts of this build was installing the remote head mounting bracket. I wanted it fairly low in relationship to my eyes & head. Looking slightly down at a small display screen and buttons is much preferred to looking straight ahead or elevated. I used two self-tapping, self-drilling sheet metal screws with hex heads.

Mounting the Yaesu ft-900r remote head bracket in my "ham in the box"

I was going to complete my “build” post today but while diagramming my wire layout I found a flaw and had to do a little re-engineering. Not to worry though, it is coming along just fine, a minor tweak is all. So I will post this part of the build, finish up with Part #3 being the front panel, the wiring, and the antenna.

 

My “Ham-In-The-Box” Project – Yaesu FT-8900R Go-Box – Part #3

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Ham in the box, ham-in-the-box, field deployable ham radio, ham radio in teh fieldnote: This article first appeared in May 2015.

In Part #1 (posted day before yesterday) of this series I covered the mission of this Ham-In-The-Box project, requirements and limitations, and the initial challenges that I faced. I also outlined each piece of equipment that would make up the final product.

In Part #2 (posted yesterday) of this series I started relating the actual step-by-step build process. I went from prepping the box itself, building the internal frame and getting all the way through installing the remote head to the radio.

In this post I will finish out the building of this project. It was a great project, took much longer than I expected, I picked up some valuable experience and knowledge, and I learned another great lesson along the way. But when it was all over, the project functioned exactly as designed!

Just a reminder of the mission of this project –

To be able to rapidly field deploy a Ham radio, for which I am licensed to use, in the event of any emergency while maintaining a secure and protective storage environment.

~ The “Build” (continued) ~

Step 9 –

This was one of the weirdest parts that I fabricated, the front panel frame. I wanted the frame sturdy, rigid but not heavy. And I couldn’t have it too large or it would get in the way of the fan and other accessories. So I went with 3/4” angle aluminum. While I was measuring the different pieces I found there was a small “notch” or pocket in toolbox’s corner that a piece of the aluminum fit into perfectly. So I took advantage of that and used it to hold the frame in-place and semi-attached to the toolbox. The side benefit was making the whole structural frame kind of like a part of the toolbox without really attaching it. So that is the reason for the one slightly longer side to the frame. If you are looking at the box with the lid opening towards you, the longer leg would go into the notch on the front left side right under the “lip” of the toolbox. I used rivets to secure the pieces.

front view of frame

 

Then I was working on the solution to attaching the front panel to the frame. I really wanted to be able to remove the front panel to access the components underneath. But exactly how to do that securely while maintaining convenience was a bit difficult to figure out. Then it dawned on me to use JB Weld to bond the bolt heads to the frame. Then it was a matter of drilling out the holes in the front panel to match the bolts.

rear view of frame

 

Note: The 2″ notch in the front panel frame was not intentional. When I was laying out the frame and the front panel I forgot the “offset” from the left side of the box and didn’t line-up the fan to the frame correctly. I had to cut the notch so the fan wouldn’t interfere with the frame, or visa-versa.

Step 10 –

I really wanted the front panel to look sharp as well as be functional and lightweight. I went shopping for possible materials and found everything expensive. Then a moment of inspiration! I headed off to the local Goodwill and purchased a used VCR with a metal case. The metal that the case was made of was sturdy steel, thin, and a nicely painted black with a bit of texture to it. Perfect!

front

 

rear

 

Note: I used masking tape place over the metal to help prevent damage while drilling the hole. I also used a good hole-punch and gave it a sharp whack with a hammer to make a serious starter hole so the drill wouldn’t “wander” when I was starting the hole.

I used Gorilla Tape to finish off the edges and give it a slightly cleaner look than rough-cut exposed edges. Yes, I like Gorilla Tape better than Duct Tape.

The fan had to be positioned directly over the PWRgate to blow air directly at its heat sink, so I had little choice to its location on the front panel. Then I mounted a switch next to it. I figured there would be times when the air movement might not be required so why not have the capability to turn the fan off. When I attached the fan to the back of the panel I used Gorilla Tape around the hole to create a bit of a “stand-off” from the metal panel to make sure the fan blades didn’t come into contact with the metal. The tape also works a little like a rubber washer absorbing vibration from the fan. To cut the hole for the fan I used a hole saw with the correct diameter cutter. Using a hole saw made a much cleaner hole than other methods. The switch hole was drilled out with a regular drill bit as per the instructions that came with the switch.

The next requirement was the “through the case” antenna lead connector. I thought at first about just having it loose and connect it. But then I thought I wanted the box to look as professional as possible so I mounted it on the front panel. The hole for the male-to-male connector was drilled out with a regular drill bit.

Then I positioned my remaining two accessories; the cigarette lighter socket and the USB charging port. I decided to mount cigarette lighter socket lowest on the front panel thinking it might have the heavier item plugged into it. Mounting it lower on the panel might make less weight/torque on panel. The other socket would be for charging USB devices. I figured they would be lighter weight and less of a Wight/torque problem. The larger holes for the cases were cut using a hole saw which made a much cleaner hole than other methods. I use my hole punch to punch a hole through the case and then screwed in the sheet metal screws through the panel.

Step 11 –

Front panel wiring. This is where I struggled just a bit. I am not particularly good with making Anderson Powerpole connections with heavy or real lightweight wire. And my fears proved to be true. I also had to figure out how to distribute the power as well.

I wanted the cigarette lighter socket and the USB charger ports to only be available when working off of shore power not battery power. When on battery power I only want to use valuable battery amps for the radio and cooling fan. So the power to those two accessories had to be “distributed” before sending the power to the PWRgate. For that job I originally choose a Powerwerx Red-Dee-2 Connector 4-way (PS4) connector in a star pattern.

But when I installed it in the box the wires just were a mess and it was difficult to get them into place. So I looked again and saw the same identification for a different part that made a lot more sense. It worked just fine.

I used fuses for each of the cigarette lighter socket and the USB charger port to make sure I protected any devices that I might be using/charging. I chose a simple 15amp glass fuse.

I took this picture to make it easier to see how the front panel was wired. I swapped out the Powerwerx distribution part after the picture was taken. The two heavy 10gauge wires carry the power from the PWRgate to the battery booster. That ensures that the fan will always have power, even if on battery power.

Note: The red tape on the fuse wires is just a visual reminder that they are “hot” wires. I did that since the fuse wires are black.

This is what it looks liked when I put the heavier wires together with their Powerpoles connected. I put zip ties on them to make the wires easier to manage and reduce tension and torque as the wires were being handled.  Don’t get confused, the red/black pair doesn’t attach to the distribution device, it goes from the PWRgate to the batter booster so it always has power. The wires going to the cigarette lighter socket and the USB charger port only have power with on shore power.

Step 12 –

So with all the wiring done it was time to get the multimeter out and check it. When it comes to something like this I check things in stages, only hooking one device up at a time to power. So the only thing that I turned on initially was the AC power supply. I checked its output with the multimeter and it was fine.

Then I plugged in the power supply to the Powerwerx 4-way. Each output worked fine. Then hooked up each of the accessory ports (cigarette & USB), they worked fine. Then the big test, I hooked up the PWRgate. It came on, the right lights were on so all was good. Then the fan test, hit the switch and the fan didn’t work. Turns out I had the wires hooked up wrong. Here is the switch and the wiring diagram.

KC HiLiTES Oval Rocker Switch with Red LED Indicator 30 Amp – Black – KC #3116

KC HiLiTES Oval Rocker Switch with Green LED Indicator 30 Amp - Black - KC #3116KC HiLiTES Oval Rocker Switch with Green LED Indicator 30 Amp - Black - KC #3116 wiring diagramNext to get hooked up and tested was the battery booster. All was fine, the right lights were on and all was good. I had to laugh though, when I turned on the AC power supply to make the next connection the battery boost gave the “low voltage” warning signal. Surprised me.

Now the big test, the radio. But before I tested the radio I had to hook up an antenna. You must do that or risk burning up your radio. So I got out my rig. You might remember that rig from my article Antenna Stand and Ground Plane for the Yaesu FT-8900R <click here to read article>

TRAM 1465 Land Mobile Base Ground Plane KitI ensured that the fuse in the radio “hot” wire was good, it was. I hooked the radio up to the battery booster, then turned on the AC power supply. All was good, no smell of burnt wiring. Then I hit the button on the Yaesu FT-8900R to power it up. Nothing, dead as a door nail. I turned off the power, turned it back on, hit the button the radio…nothing.

One time before I had screwed-up the remote head cable which made it not power up. I figured I had done the same thing here. But to get to the cable I had to remove the radio. So I took out the radio and checked the cable, all seemed fine. So I thought I would test the radio before installing it back in the box. Same thing, still dead. I was beginning to worry that I had fried my radio somehow. No………..just me being and idiot. I was pushing the wrong button. I pushed the correct button and the radio powered on. I installed it back in the box, hooked everything back up and right the right button. Bingo! Up it comes and I started scanning and listened to folks having a conversation.

Here is the completed product –

This………

Rigid Professional Tool Storage System 22" Too Box

To this………

Ham-in-the-box mobile ham radio set-up with Yaesu FT-8900rHam-in-the-box mobile ham radio set-up with Yaesu FT-8900r Diamond CR8900A Quad-Band FM Mobile Antenna with ground plane

Note: An additional bonus is finding out that the lid latches act as box “feet” and cants the box up at a desirable angle.

Wiring Diagram –

Ham-in-the-box wiring diagram for mobile radio set-up using a Yaesu FT-8900R

click to enlarge to full size

I hope the diagram makes sense, I’m not an electrical engineer or anything but I did try to use standards symbols for diagramming it. If you have any questions on the wiring just let me know and I will try and explain it.

Summary –

For me this was the most ambitious Ham radio project I have undertaken since I built the cross-band repeater a couple years ago. And from a “power” perspective it was a little daunting. But I worked through it and figured it out after doing a whole lot of research.

And just so you know, there is a reason that I used this line of Rigid toolboxes. But the exact “why” will have to wait till I get some more time and money. I am always thinking….

 

 

 

My “Power-Box” Project – Part #2

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After starting, stopping, starting again, stopping once more…then putting the project on hold it was time to get back on this project. Does that sound confusing enough?

Well, when I started building this power box project I had this grandiose idea of having all these levels of redundancy and just a heck of a sophisticated power box. Yeah, remember what the KISS principle is? Well, somewhere along the way I went brain dead.

< Read Part #1 by clicking here >

Now, in my defense, the original power box that I had built worked! It had three batteries, a PWM solar charger built in, a relay to cut-over to a second bank of batteries should the big 100Ah AGM battery drop too low. There was an auto-switch from AC to DC if the AC failed. And there was more, much more. But, when I was all done with it, it simply was way, way too much…too sophisticated.

So I sat there in my shop one evening and was looking over the power box monstrosity thinking I had developed the perfect Frankenstein Monster. But, perfect in regards to theory only. In the field it would be too heavy, too many electronic parts, too complex, and just the wrong thing for the job. So, what did I do about it? I went back to basics. I reviewed the original “mission” and then went over the “Requirements & Restrictions.” Then it became clear to me to stop trying to overkill it.

Once I made up my mind to go back to the basic use I thought I should jump on it. Yeah, life had other plans for me, I was buried in other projects and it was just too cold out in my shop so I put the whole thing on hold till it got reasonably warmer. That was last week.

Once I started back on the project it went quickly and easily. I just wanted a power box that could –

  1. Provide reliable 12vDC to any of my radios.
  2. Provide reliable 12vDC to any combination of two of my radios.
  3. Provide a reliable means to charge at least 10 handheld radios at one time.
  4. Provide 12vDC power to other electronics as necessary.

I also wanted the following capabilities –

  1. Utilize 120vAC power if it was available but making sure there was auto-switch capability to DC power if the AC power was lost.
  2. Make use of a wide variety of solar charging capabilities; small 7w options all the to my dual-panel 60w solar charging system.
  3. Make use of a battery tender to keep the battery topped off.

Once I had that all clear in my head the “build” was pretty easy. Here is the list of components that I used –

Energizer 100Ah 12vDC AGM battery

Energizer AGM battery, Model: 31A 100 Amp Hour

 

 

 

MFJ 4230MV compact 25a power supply

MFJ-4230MV COMPACT SWITCH

 

 

 

Super PWRgate PG40S auto-switch

Ham In The Box - Super PWRgate PG40S by West Mountain Radio

 

 

 

For more operational capability I added –

Powerwerx voltage meter

 

 

 

A cigarette power outlet

Ham In The Box - Powerwerx Panel Mount Cigarette Lighter Socket Automotive Marine Grade

 

 

 

A dual 3A USB power outlet

Ham In The Box - Powerwerx Panel Mount Dual USB Socket 3 Amp Device Charger.

 

 

 

Various Anderson Powerpole chassis mounted connections

 

 

 

What I ended up with was exactly what I wanted. Sure, it was a little less operational time due to lower ampere hour availability, but it still met my basic mission just fine. And, it was a whole lot lighter and less complicated.

So here are the steps for the “build” –

Step #1 –

I started with an empty Rigid toolbox with wheels (model #) and added some Velcro to the bottom of the box. There is corresponding Velcro secured on the bottom of the battery. The battery weighs a whole lot! So it really isn’t going to somehow fall out of the box. The Velcro is used to keep it from moving around inside the box.

I wanted to ensure that I could get the battery in and out of the box without moving any other component and I wanted to keep the components spread out to reduce heat build-up as much as possible. It made sense to put the battery to the back of the box located as close to the wheels as possible for ease of movement. The power supply and auto-switch made the most sense to mount on opposite sides of the box.

Originally I wanted the power supply on the inside-front of the box but the mounting bracket pretty much dictated where that unit was to be mounted. With the location and positioning of each component figured out moved on to the the actual installs.

Step #2 –

The MFJ power supply doesn’t come with a mounting bracket, and it is a little off when it comes to standard dimensions for mounting brackets. I don’t like reinventing the wheel if I don’thave to. I took one of my spare Yeasu radio mounting brackets and added spacers to make it work for the MFJ power supply. I wanted the meter to be easily read but I also wanted to maximize the airflow around and through the unit itself. Hence, mounting it on the left side of the box with the bottom facing away from the side of the box.

Step #3 –

Next came the PWRgate and its proper placement. I already had the left side used and the front of the box I had decided to use for my Powerpole connections, meter, and power supply points. By default that left the right side of the box for the PWRgate. It was simple to find a decent spot and secure it to the side of the box.

Then wired up the “power out” to the Powerwerx chassis mount.

Step #4 –

I wanted to complete one side of the power circuit so I went ahead and placed the battery in the box, wired the battery to the PWRgate, and connected the PWRgate to the Powerwerx chassis mount. All wiring is high quality 10g wire to prevent voltage/amperage loss.

Notice that I have connected the power outlet to the PWRgate with a single 10g wire. Then off of that wire I used a connecter to splice in another 10g wire. Those are connected to the chassis connection point. Doing so gives me two sets of Anderson Powerpoles to connection equipment (i.e. radios) to. The 10g wire is more than enough to carry the carry the amperage.

Step #5 –

At this point I tried to implement some logic…power to the battery. So I installed another Powerpole chassis connection point on the left side of the front panel. This would be my connection to charging devices. Those devices could be solar chargers, a battery tender, or even another power box.

Notice that I ran the power in lines directly to the battery for the lowest amperage loss. But, I did place a fuse inline to protect the battery from any surge coming into the box.

Step #6 –

I wanted to be able to monitor the battery and get a feel for usage rate, remaining operational time, etc. So in comes the Powerwerx voltage meter. It was a simple install direct to on the front of the box. I located it in between a couple of horizontal structural pieces of the box. I used a 1-3/16” hole saw then used the standard plastic ring to secure the voltage meter to the box.

Step #7 –

As I mentioned earlier I wanted to add both a USB power outlet and a cigarette power outlet. The later provides a connection point for a wide variety of existing power options for various electronic and electrical equipment.

I prefer Powerwerx power outlets, one reason is the same diameter as the Powerwerx voltage meter. I placed a power outlet on either side of the voltage meter simply for atheistic. What I had to do was work it so the protective caps on the power outlets would open and not interfere with or be impeded by, the lip of plastic on the box itself.

Step #8 –

I had original thought to hook each of the power points and the voltage meter directly to the battery. Then I started to figure out having to fuse each line, etc. That is when I fell back to a Powerwerx distribution unit. Fuse one line going in, attached the two power outlets and the voltage meter and I would be good to go.

Step #9 –

I put the multi-meter to everything and it all checked out fine. Checked the voltage meter against the multi-meter and it checked out fine. Now it was time to test it out.

I was working on reviewing a dedicated 12vDC battery charging cradle for Baofeng UV-5RA so I figured why not test them both…and I did. I plugged the charger into the USB power point…fine. Then I plugged it into the cigarette power point…fine. I left it in there for four hours and it charged the radio battery up with no problems…no smoke, no smell of burning wires, and didn’t even burn up the charger base. All is good!

Next test was plugging in my battery tender that I am also reviewing, and it went right to work analyzing the big 100Ah Energizer battery, then went to charging it. I let it go overnight and came back in the morning to see it had topped off the battery and the tender was doing its thing to keep the AGM fully charged and ready.

A couple days later came the solar panel testing. Once again, everything performed exactly as designed. One note to make would be that whatever solar charging system must have its own charge controller since one is not built into the power box.

Finally came the AC power test. I plugged in the MFJ power cord, turn it on, and up comes the MFJ power supply just as it is supposed to. I dialed in the right DC voltage (13.4) to the PWRgate and all was good…no blown fuses and power coming out just as designed.

Then came the “switch” test. I put a load on the power box made sure the AC was working just fine and that the battery was standing by. Then I turned off the AC power. The PWRgate auto-switched from the AC power over to the DC power from the battery without any interruption of power. I did notice the power dropped from 13.4v to 13.2v. But that is to be expected when running off of the battery.

Everything worked exactly as I had planned and hoped it would.

Next test will be draining the batteries from 10 Baofeng UV-5RA radios. Then I will use a variety of DC charge adapters hooked into the Baofeng charging bases to see how long it takes to charge up all 10 batteries and the draw-down on the 100Ah AGM battery.

Then I will draw-down the 100Ah AGM battery and hook up the AC power to see how long it takes the PWRgate to bring the AGM battery back online and back to full power. But in the meantime, I leave the MFJ power supply on and it will keep the 100Ah AGM battery fully charged and ready to go.

Stay tuned for more testing results and another idea or two!!!

AA & AAA Battery Chargers

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note: I started working on this article back in 2017 but due to the “crash” it got put on hold. I finished this article over the last couple of weeks.

What I was looking for in a AA & AAA battery charger was two-fold, ability to charge AA & AAA batteries; 1) using 110vAC power when it is available, 2) using 12vDC power for emergencies or field use. Of course, using the same actual charger, just changing the charger’s power supply. And the 12vDC option could come from a power box, solar charger, battery, vehicle accessory port, etc.

You may be asking why both voltages…legitimate question. I want the capability to charge my batteries under normal conditions and as quickly as possible…hence, 110vAC power capability. But, if the regular utility power goes out I want multiple ways to be able to charge my batteries; 1) using my portable Honda generator (110vAC), 2) 12vDC power available through car batteries, 3) my various portable power box, 4) solar panels.

“Redundancy” being a priority to me. The old “Two is one, one is none, three is a good start” mentality.

Mission Statement –

“Ability to charge standardized field operation batteries via 110vAC or 12vDC power.”

Requirements & Restrictions –
  1. Must be able to operate on 110vAC power for extended periods of time without damage to the unit or the batteries.
  2. Must have the capability to operate on 12vDC without modification to the unit.
  3. Must be able to charge AA and AAA rechargeable Ni-MH and Ni-CD batteries.
  4. Must have sufficient safety features to prevent damage to the batteries, the unit, or the area around the unit.
Test Units –
  • FrePow 8-slot
  • Tenergy TN160
  • Foxnovo F08
  • AccuPower IQ-338
  • BlueTech AV-1000
  • MaximalPower FC1000
  • Ansmann PL8
  • SunLabz SL00056

Each unit was tested against the Mission Statement, Requirements & Restrictions, and comparing features; price was not so much of an issue. Units were tested recharging batteries via 110vAC and 12vDC. The 12vDC test was done via a 110vAC -> 12vDC power supply to ensure no variation in power such as solar power fluctuations or 12vDC battery charge level or condition. The purpose of the testing was to test the charger unit itself not a solar panel / charger combination. I did test with a 12vDC solar panel test just to ensure compatibility and that it would in-fact work. These test units all ranged from being able to charge 4 batteries – 16 batteries.

FlePow –

No longer available – Testing results not included.

Tenergy TN160 –

Compact, sleek, and good looking unit. Nothing fancy about this unit and no frills or thrills. Both size batteries (AA &  AAA) were easy to insert and were held steady in the charger tray. Each charging station assessed the batteries individually and began charging within 5 – 6 seconds. The LCD screen was easy to read and made sense without any directions or instructions needed.

From the manufacturer:

  • 12 channels PWM switching fast charger with MUC control; accurate voltage detection ensures no over-charging and under-charging
  • 12 independent charging channels for individual charging and detection: AA & AAA, NIMH/ NICD can be mixed when charging. AA & AAA, NIMH/ NICD can be mixed when charging.
  • 8 hours safety timer ensures extra safety.
  • Over-heat, over-current, short-circuit, & reverse polarity protection, (mechanically) ensures that charger and batteries will not be damaged when users insert batteries with reversed polarity.
  • Large LCDs indicate charging status.
  • Charger comes with refresh function
  • Input: 100-240v AC (Works Everywhere in the World).
  • Suitable only for 1.2v AA/AAA NIMH/NICD batteries.

I really like the automatic protection built into this unit, especially the safety timer that shuts down the unit after 8-hours of operation. During testing the batteries never got hot and that is a really good thing. Heat is what damages batteries more than just about anything (operating environment) else. The unit won’t recognize damaged or fully discharged batteries which isn’t particularly good.

Foxnovo F08 –

This thing is a hunk of plastic and electronics, there is nothing sleek or compact to it. There is no fancy LCD screen to look at, simply a series of flashing status lights. When I was inserting the batteries (AA & AAA) it wasn’t the easiest thing to do. First off you have to move the spring-loaded negative contact manually to get each battery to seat in the charging cradle. And here is the stupid part…the positive contact is this little “nub” piece of metal. If you look at the positive contact on a battery it too is a little “nub” of metal. Try putting two little “nubs” together and see how that works for you! It was fairly easy to bump one battery while inserting another. Bumping a battery more than just a minimal amount and the positive “nub” contacts decontacted. Yes, decontacted is a word I made up. Once the batteries were all in-place they were fine.

From the manufacture:

  • Capable of charging 8 batteries of different sizes, types and capacities at the same time; Each of the eight battery slots charges independently
  • LCD indicators lights shows the charging process of every batteries
  • Automatically identifies Li-ion, Ni-MH and Ni-CD rechargeable batteries.
  • Automatically detects battery status and selects the appropriate voltage and charge mode. Automatically stops charging when complete
  • Come with a US-plug adapter for indoor use.
  • Adopts negative voltage control technology to improve charge efficiency.
  • Excellent features of heat dispersion and reverse polarity protection. Protect opposite connection and short circuit, 0 voltage alarms
  • Compatible with batteries: Li-ion 26650, 22650, 18650, 18500, 18490, 17670, 17650, 17500, 16340, 14500, 10440, Ni-MH and Ni-CD A, AA, AAA, C, SubC

Here’s where this unit is way cool…charging time. And no, there wasn’t any noticeable battery heat indicating that the higher charging rate was damaging the batteries.

And then there are additional cool features to this charger; 1) charges a long list of Li-ion batteries, 2) charges C, SubC, & D size batteries. That makes this unit considerably more versatile than the other units tested. If you are wondering about the Li-ion feature I can tell you that is will recharge the rechargeable version of the CR123A (RCR123A). The CR123A is a popular battery for flashlights and weapons’ optics.

The testing showed that the unit charged all the batteries of different brands and sizes in record time. It only took the unit a matter of 2 – 3 seconds to analyze the batteries current charge and begin the charging process. There is no fancy LED screen to indicate much of anything. There is a series of four lights that shows current charge. They flash to indicate that charging is taking place at a specific level (25%, 50%, 75%, & 100%). When the battery is fully charged all four yellow lights glow steady.

Periodically a blue light will flash in the upper right-hand corner on the face of the unit. I have absolutely no idea what that means. So you wonder why I didn’t refer to the instructions. Ah, there aren’t any. Yup, no instruction guide of any kind with the unit. I searched all over the Internet looking for a user guide and nothing. But, fortunately the unit is pretty simple to use…so instructions aren’t really needed.

AccuPower IQ-338 –

This unit is sleek, compact, and way more intelligent than me. Yeah, surprising…right? Seriously, this unit has a ton of options for you and your batteries. The batteries fit in this charger like a glove, very nice engineering. The LCD screen is easy to read and back-lit as well.

From the manufacturer:

  • Fast Charge Li-ion or NiMH/NiCad Rechargeable batteries including most common 18650 size.
  • Test Li-Ion & NiMH/NiCad cells for actual capacity.
  • Automatic selection of NiMH/NiCad or Li-ion chemistry cells.
  • For use with the following: NiMH/NiCad: A, AA, AAA, sub-C, C-baby size
  • Li-ion: 26650, 22650, 19650 (protected 18650) 18650, 17670, 18490, 17500, 17355, 16340 (RCR123A), 14500, 10440
  • With the new AccuPower IQ338 charge or test most round cell batteries. Automatic selection of NiMH/NiCad or Li-ion chemistry cells. Includes the most common 18650 cells, can accept cells up to 70mm in length. Easy to use, easy to program, informative display.
  • Four independent channels programmed individually.
  • Easy to read large Backlit LCD display.
  • Digitally displays battery information.
  • Adjustable charging rate from 300 to 1000 mA.
  • Three modes of operation:
    • Charge
    • Fast Test
    • Nor Test (Normal Test)
  • Delta Peak full charge detection for NiMH/NiCad cells.
  • 4.2V full charge for Li-ion cells. CC/CV charge profile.
  • 12V input powered and can be powered by an optional car adapter.
  • Worldwide voltage switching power supply.
  • Automatic detection of different battery type. NiMH/NiCad Vs Li-ion.
  • Thermal sensors to protect against overheat and overcharge.
  • USB charging socket. Supplies 5V 1000 mA.

So I figured out that this unit is actually a computer that also charges batteries. OK, on a more serious note, this is a great charger. However, it only has four slots for batteries. I wanted the ability to charge more batteries at one time than just four so I took some time and looked online to see if it has a bigger brother. It does, but the bigger brother is not the IC-338 with more slots, it appears to be a carbon copy of the Tenergy unit.

And unlike the Foxnovo unit, the AccuPower unit does come with instructions…very, very good instructions. It explains how to take advantage of each unit feature.

I like this unit, just wish it handled more batteries at one time. But…I really like this unit.

The latest version of this charger is the AccuPower IQ-338XL. The “XL” evidently added more battery size capability and higher charge rate which lowers the charge time.

BlueTech AV-1000 & MaximalPower FC1000 –

You might be wondering why I am grouping these two chargers together for review purposes…GREAT QUESTION!

Simple answer…they are the same unit other than a different name on them. Although there are two units being tested, I will refer to them as “unit” for the purposes of this article. I will only refer to the MaximalPower FC1000 unit since it is the only one of the two that is still readily available.

The unit solidly built, sleek, and compact. Good feel to it. The LCD was clear and easy to read.

From the manufacturer:

  • FC1000 Intelligent AA/AAA Charger and Capacity Tester with USB charging port
  • Battery charger for NiCd and NiMH AA and AAA rechargeable batteries
  • Features 4 function modes: charge, discharge, refresh, and test
  • Overheat-detection to prevent over-charging
  • 4 separate LCD displays for simultaneous readouts

The unit worked as stated in the description. I liked the fact that is displayed the individual “mAH” of each battery in the LCD display. It was also nice to have a USB charger as well, especially a 1A USB charger. Only being able to charge 4 batteries at one time was a drawback. Unfortunately I couldn’t get real excited about this charger.

Ansmann PL8 –

Nice basic “brick” recharger unit. Has overcharge protection but I didn’t see any smart overheat protection, but it does have a built-in time shutoff to help prevent overheating. The 500mA charging current helps charge your batteries quickly, but it completes the charging cycle in a “trickle” mode to help ease the potential heat buildup problem.

From the manufacturer:

  • For 1-8 AA/AAA (NiMH/NiCd) cells
  • Discharging of the batteries before charging is possible, Multi-coloured LED indicators show the battery status for each charging slot
  • Individual supervision of each cell, Multiple over-charging protection per cell and Automatic cut-off (-dV) & Trickle charging
  • Faulty cell detection / accidental alkaline insertion detection
  • Reverse polarity protection

Single use battery detection (i.e. alkaline batteries) prevents any chance you might accidentally try to charge the wrong types of batteries. There is a “discharge” capability to reset the battery’s memory to a fresh state. I like units with the more informative LCD displays, but this unit’s flashing light display of this charger unit gives you all the information you actually need. The USB charging port is a nice little extra.

Going back to the “trickle” charge feature. One of the nice things regarding this feature…self-discharge offset. You can leave the batteries in this charger and the trickle charge feature will keep them fully charged but not overcharge them. That will offset any self-discharge of your rechargeable batteries. And I really like that each charging port is individually monitored and each battery “smart charged” individually to its own capacity.

I would love this charger if it had 12vDC power capability but it only runs off 110vAC. And that gives it a “fail” compared to my mission statement. But, if you are looking for a 110vAC only unit…this is a great option.

SunLabz SL00056 (MOSL00056) –

This unit suspiciously looks a whole lot like the Tenergy TN160…with 4 additional battery bays.

From the manufacturer:

  • 16 INDEPENDENT CHARGING SLOTS – Allows you to mix and charge AA / AAA / NiCD / NiMH 1.2v rechargeable batteries.
  • SMART AND SAFE – Accurate voltage detection ensures no over-charging and under-charging.
  • Reverse polarity protection and 8-hour shut-off timer ensures extra safety.
  • LIGHTED LCD DISPLAY – Intelligently shows the charging status of each rechargeable battery.
  • 1 YEAR WARRANTY
  • SAFETY WARNING: The charger should not be plugged into an outlet with batteries for extended periods of time to prevent damage. Remove the charger from the outlet once the batteries are charged and use the recommended charging times in the manual.

Each battery is charged individually based on its own state of charge. There is “discharge” capability to reset the battery’s memory to a fresh state. Nice to clear battery memory and revitalize batteries.

I don’t like that you can’t leave the charger plugged in with batteries in charger. So this tells me there is no overheat protection…and the potential for battery damage. I don’t like that this charger gets batteries fairly hot. As long as you monitor the charging process this is a decent no-frills charger. And it charges 16 batteries at once!

Comparison Chart –

Summary –

Let’s clear up one thing right off the bat…The FlePow and the Tenergy chargers are made by the same company in China, SunLabz.. SunLabz simply does what’s called “private label” manufacturing. In addition to SunLabz selling their own chargers they market them to other companies such as Tenergy who then sell them under their brand.

The ability to charge the other types and sizes of batteries could prove to be a real benefit in long-term emergencies and disasters. In terms of grid-down, the ability to recharge the rechargeable CR123a batteries (RCA123A) could prove really valuable. It should be noted that I am NOT a proponent of the CR123a batteries (rechargeable or standard), I only use and recommend AA & AAA batteries.

I can’t recommend the FlePow unit because it is no loner readily available.

I can’t recommend the Foxnovo unit, it simply cooks the batteries with too much heat and is no longer readily available.

I don’t recommend the Maximal unit because…well, I just couldn’t get excited about it…something just seemed off about it.

The only reason I don’t recommend the Ansmann unit is it doesn’t have a 12vDC power option. If I was only going to use AC power this would be my #1 choice.

I liked the Tenergy unit but it is a “private label” charger unit made by SunLabz. This is a unit I use and would buy again. And yes, I put the SunLabz unit in this same category. These are not high-end chargers…but solid and get the job done.

The hands-down winner is the AccuPower IQ-338 unit!! But, I would NOT buy it. I would buy the newer version AccuPower IQ-338XL to take advantage of more battery options, etc. The only drawback is the number of batteries it charges at one time…4. But this is simply the best charger…my “go to” charger.

However………….if I was only going to use AA & AAA and an occasional C battery…AND I needed to charge more than 4 batteries I would go with the AccuPower IQ-312. That bad boy can charge up to 12 batteries at one time. It is also 4.7 star rated on Amazon. If I wanted a 16 bay charger for AA & AAA batteries and an occasional 9v I wouldn’t hesitate to go with the AccuPower IQ216.

So I own and use the Tenergy charger, the AccuPower, and the HiTech IC1012. I didn’t test/include the HiTech IC1012 in this article because the technology is 7 years old and the unit is no longer available.

Are there other good units out there? Yup! Should you buy any of them? No idea! I can only tell you my experience and what I use…and I am happy with my choices…they are all still working and doing a good job.

If you are interested in buying any of the chargers I use I will provide the links to Amazon. If you click on the link I provide I might make 1% or 2% as a finder’s fee from Amazon. Hey, every little bit helps in this day and age. If you don’t use the link that’s no issue. I hope you find that battery charger that you need and that it serves you well.

AccuPower IQ-338 $47.24 <click here to buy on Amazon>

AccuPower IQ-338XL $53.45 <click here to buy on Amazon>

AccuPower IQ-312 $37.97 <click here to buy on Amazon>

AccuPower IQ216 $32.30 <click here to buy on Amazon>

Tenergy TN160 $47.99 <click here to buy on Amazon> (you also get 12 Premium Tenergy AA rechargeable batteries)

SunLabz SL00056 $44.99 <click here to buy on Amazon>

 

 

Baofeng UV-5RA : Hypario Battery Case for AA batteries

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Article first appeared in June 2015

I am a huge Baofeng UV-5R handheld radio fan! Yes, it is a Ham Radio, but it is also much, much more and I love Baofeng UV-5r handheld radiothe little radio. It is a dynamo! The radio is a great size, packed full of features, reliable, and more than anything else EXTREMELY affordable. You can read more about my review of the Baofeng UV-5R radio here < UV-5RA review >. This post is dedicated to the Hypario AA battery tray for the Baofeng UV-5A radio.Baofeng UV-5RA AA battery case

The very first thing I noticed about the battery case was IT DOESN’T FIT !  Yup, the battery case didn’t fit the radio. And the improper fit prevented the battery case from “clicking” into place correctly on the radio. But I had read the reviews and dealt with other Baofeng radio after-market equipment before. I knew what to do.

I got out my diamond files and my pocket knife and proceeded to whittle down the offending plastic. It doesn’t take long to remove a sufficient amount of the plastic that is prevent the proper seating of the battery tray. I suggest you just work at it slowly, taking a little plastic at a time and testing for the “click” often.

Baofeng UV5RA AA battery trayIt took me about 5 minutes of whittling and I was good to go.

Next issue that I noticed was no seal around the two pieces of the battery tray itself. So this battery case is NOT waterproof. I would expect the tray to be moderately water (rain) resistant at best. And from what I can tell, there really isn’t a good way to improve its water resistance. Well, there might be one way…using silicone seal around the whole thing where the two pieces come together. But then the functionality of the unit would drop significantly when it came time to swap-out batteries.

The next step was to test the AA battery fit in the battery tray. I am a big believer in Duracell batteries and not that long ago I bought a bunch of Duracell Quantums that were on sale. So I fetched 6 and they went right in and fit snugly.

Baofeng UV-5RA AA battery trayThe picture of the battery tray with the batteries installed appears to the right. Do you notice anything wrong? Well, you might think the batteries are running the wrong way vs. facing the alternate opposite direction. But, that is not what I am referring to. Look again, and think “operational.” There are six Duracell Quantum AA 1.5vDC batteries in the battery tray to power the Baofeng UV-5RA radio. A radio that runs on 7.4vDC power. You there yet?

Six 1.5vDC batteries delivers 9volts of power. Yup! That is about 22% more voltage than the original Li-ion battery that comes with the radio. Fortunately, the radio didn’t start smoking when I turned it on. The radio’s battery charge indicator did show a full charge. Go figure!

Option 1

Option 1

So the problem is over-voltage to the radio which I confirmed with my multimeter. There are three primary options to overcome this problem. First option, if the grid is down, is to make a “fake” battery that simply passes the current through or around the battery to the other in-line battery without adding any additional voltage. For instance, a wooden or plastic dowel rod cut to size with a wire that makes contact with the battery tray on one end and the battery on the other end. That reduces the number of 1.5v batteries to five batteries providing 7.5 volts, which the UV-5R can run on just fine.

However, I think that option is a bit clunky and could pose other problems in the field but if the grid Baofeng UV-5R -AA battery case UltraCell AA Size Dummy Batteryis down you can make this option. Now, a more commercial option a “dummy battery” that you can buy. I like the UltraCell AA Size Dummy Battery. You just slip one of those into the battery tray in place of a regular alkaline AA battery and you now are only using 5 1.5 vDC AA batteries for 7.5 vDC. Your Baofeng UltraCell dummy battery with battery caseUV-5RA will operate for 3 -4 days of light use with good quality batteries, to 1 – 2 days with heavy use or poor quality batteries.

 

I think Option #3 is a very viable option and gives a depth of operational capability…use Baofeng UV-5R AA battery casestandard rechargeable AA batteries. Rechargeable batteries have a DC voltage rating of 1.2 – 1.31 vDC. So six of the rechargeable batteries in theory provides 7.2 – 7.86 vDC to your radio. And yes, you are losing approximately .2 – .3volts per battery but I don’t see it being an actual noticeable difference while in the field. But using rechargeable batteries vs. alkaline batteries can result in shorter use time. All things being equal, alkaline batteries will last longer.

I did test the charging cradle that came with the radio. It charges at 8.37 volts when hooked up to the 110vAC wall outlet. The charger cradle information states that its output is 8.4 volts. The .03 difference is absolutely nothing to worry about. The radio can be left on and used while in the cradle and charging. So I am making an educated guess that the upper end of the vDC range is about 8.4 – 8.5 vDC. But I can’t find any actual technical documentation on that.

But DO NOT USE the charging base with a cigarette car adapter powering the charging cradle. Well, you can if you know for a fact that the cigarette car adapter is only outputting 10 vDC maximum. The charging cradle will burnout and maybe burn up with the direct voltage from your vehicle which is 12 – 14 vDC. The vehicle voltage needs to be stepped down to 10 vDC before it goes into the charging cradle. I have ordered an adapter that should work, but I will test it and put a review up when it comes it.

I like, and primarily use, Duracell and Tenergy rechargeable batteries. Nickel–metal hydride rechargeable batteries are made specifically to work with electronic devices. AA batteries are rated in mAh (milli Amp hours), which is a rating of how long the battery will provide power at a certain draw/drain level. Don’t worry about the actual details of how long a UV-5RA radio will last between a 1500 mAh battery and a 2800 mAh battery. Just know that the 2800 mAh battery will last considerably longer. So the higher the mAh rating your rechargeable battery has the longer your radio will stay operating.

I would suggest a minimum rating of 1500 mAh on your rechargeable batteries. My AA Tenergy batteries carry a 2600 mAh rating and have a great price point.

Don’t forget “redundancy” when it comes to rechargeable batteries. “Two is one, one is none, three is a good start.” is a standard rule in my preparedness efforts. To keep my batteries charged I have:

  • Multiple AC wall charges with sensor and conditioner capabilities to prevent over-charging. I use these for normal daily non-grid-down operations.
  • I have two large-quantity AC chargers to “bulk” recharge a number of batteries at one time.
  • I have two SolarAid SolPad7 solar battery chargers.
  • I also have two GoalZero battery charger packs that can hook up to my GoalZero Boulder 30 solar panels.
  • And yes, I have the Honda EU2000i generator to run the AC chargers as well, if an when that might be needed.

Go ahead laugh…I know you want to. But I think that having rechargeable batteries without a way to recharge them is a little silly. And my OCD demands that I have multiple ways to power the chargers…as well as multiple different chargers. OK, so I am snickering a little bit too right about now. But if I am going to preach preparedness and share that information with you, then I better be practicing what I am preaching.

Warning3Now, there is also a warning with this battery tray…DON’T USE THE RADIO’s CHARGING CRADLE! The UV-5RA comes with a charging cradle. But that unit is to be used only with the battery that is supplied with the radio. That unit is not intended to be used to charge rechargeable batteries in a AA battery tray/case like the one in this review. You need to recharge the batteries with chargers that are specifically designed to charge NiMH rechargeable batteries.

Bottom line – Buy this product!

Just remember that you will have to whittle a little bit of plastic to make it fit correctly. But you will be very happy with the added capabilities to use different batteries in your radio. Batteries that can be recharged in a more standard way than the original BL-5 batteries that come with the radio. The BL-5 battery that comes with the radio is not a standard battery that would be easily recharged via solar. And in a situation where standard utility electric power may not be available, it is good to have solar options. Yes, “standard” options that match your other power requirements. Namely, AA and AAA batteries.

 

 

Do you have enough candles stored away?

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emergency candles for disasters and grid-downnote: article first appeared in August 2015

I have a number of preparedness friends that talk to me about their generators. I listen patiently and allow them to go on and on about how their generators can run their house, run their air conditioning or run their freezer for some number of days. I invariably ask the question, “Then what?”

They seldom have a good answer.

My point is, why have a generator for household needs? There are some exceptions but I consider those exceptions to fall mostly into the medical category. The most notable exception would be battery charging. And battery charging only when your solar charging system can’t recharge your batteries. And I am only talking batteries to run your Ham radios, handheld radios or power boxes to run mobile radios. And, maybe your AAA & AA battery chargers that already aren’t solar powered.

What the heck am I really saying and what does that have to do with candles?

OK, I am not a fan of generators unless they have a very specific purpose and a very, very limited mission. Example: powering a Ham radio. I am not a fan of generators for general purpose electric generation and certainly not for “lights.”

Read this : TRAP – Generators can get you unwanted attention. < click here to read the brief article >

Hence my tie to candles. I am a big believer in candles.Candles for emergency lighting

I firmly believe that you can use candles for 99% of your true lighting needs during emergencies and disasters. And for grid-down I am not sure you have any viable long-term alternatives. So how many candles do you have stored?

First of all let’s define the two levels of candle needs; 1) short-term for emergencies and disasters, 2) long-term for grid-down.

Short-term needs are pretty easy to meet. Calculate the maximum number of days you feel an emergency or disaster could knockout the power. Then figure how many hours each day that you would need light from those candles. You would have to figure-in the activities requiring the candle light (i.e. reading). Then take the number of hours per day of need X the number of days expected. Take that number and add 50% to it for a margin of error and unexpected issues.

If you expected a 3 hour per night need and you expected the power could be off for a maximum of 10 days then you would need 30 hours of candle use. But, then add in the 50% margin of error and that number bumps to 45 120 hour emergency candleshours of need. Now just go buy the right sized candle with the appropriate expected burn time. You can buy 115 & 120 hour emergency candles out on the Internet for $8 – $12. So you should be able to meet your needs easily and economically.

Sound pretty simple, yes? And it is.

Emergency candles come in one basic form, so-called “paraffin.” But paraffin comes in two basic forms in relation Candles at hobby lobbyto emergency candles, liquid and solid. You are probably most familiar with solid paraffin candles, just walk into Hobby Lobby.

Liquid paraffin is actually more efficient when it comes to lighting. But don’t confuse “liquid paraffin” with “solid paraffin” at all. While theoretically they are both hydrocarbons, you can’t make traditional candles out of liquid paraffin. and you can’t make liquid paraffin by melting candles. Liquid paraffin is actually highly refined kerosene. It is referred to as lamp-oil in many places.

But between the two, it is mostly cost that drives the purchases. Then storage capability. Get the most burn-time for your hard-earned money for candles you can safely store.

Couple thoughts:

  • Watch for garage sales, estate sales or church rummage sales. Sometimes regular everyday candles can be bought for a fraction of the cost of those in stores.
  • Keep an eye on “dollar stores.”  They sell some pretty big candles for $1 from time-to-time. Just buy one of the big candles, take it home, and test it for burn-time. Go back and buy as many as you can if you get good burn-time out of them.
  • Candle-03Some of the preparedness websites regularly have both kinds of emergency candles on sale. https://www.foodinsurance.com/ has them onsale for $5.59 when you buy 12. That is 1200 hours of candle light for $67.00
  • I bought and use ReadyCANDLE from https://www.foodinsurance.com. They are inexpensive when bought on sale and ready to use when needed. They give out lots of light and they are not the hassle of a regular candle.

However, what about long-term “grid-down” needs?  That becomes whole new ball game when you can’t continue to buy regular or liquid candles. In a future post I will go into detail about making your own candles with nothing special other than what you already will have on-hand. But for now, think in terms of homemade candles…

Candle-08

Candle-07emergency candles made out of crisco

 

Portable Power Box – Part #1

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note: first appeared in July 2015

I am not a Ham radio “geek” but I do have a couple Ham radios and I like using them. One thing for certain, when an emergency, disaster, or “grid-down” strikes…radios will be essential. I mean “essential” not because they are a radio, but because communications will be absolutely necessary in those situations.

Along with the actual radio you have to have a quality antenna for your rig, that should go without saying. But what about power?

 

As with all my equipment I define a mission. The mission for this project is:

“Provide sufficient power to allow the limited use of a radio for at least 15% of any given 24-hour period. During which transmission power usage will be approximately 40% of that time period.”

Notice that the time period required to keep the radio operational is less than four hours of actual run-time. That may not sound like a lot but it could be significant when available power is at a premium. Stated in a little more “plain English” I want to be able to run my radio about 3.5 hours per day. And of that run-time I want to be able to transmit almost 1.5 hours. Based on the calculations stated in the mission, I need a 34 ampere hour capacity battery and the capability to recharge it.

And while I may have generator capability available to recharge the unit, I want it to be solar rechargeable. But, I don’t want it “tied” to a solar panel set-up. I want to be able to interchange whatever solar system I have or can come across to recharge the unit.

I also don’t want it overly complicated and not “multiple-mission” capable. This unit is strictly for powering a Ham radio and the ability to recharge it via generator or solar. Can it do other things? Of course. But those are side-benefits.

Here goes with the components –portable Power Box in a .50cal ammo can

For the storage box that will house everything I am going with a military surplus .50cal ammo can. It is a good size, very sturdy, and air/water tight. But most importantly it just seems to be the right size.

Once I picked out the box itself I was able to start looking into batteries. Obviously I wanted a “deep cycle” battery vs. a “cranking amps” battery. And the best/cost effective deep cycle batteries on the market right now are AGM style batteries in terms of how long they will keep a charge up. I won’t go into AGM details or why it is better; that’s way too technical for the scope of this article. That will be the focus of a later article just on that subject. But for now just know that I went with a deep cycle AGM battery. I wanted as many ampere hours as I could possibly get, but the box space was my limiting factor.

I spent probably 10 hours online looking at different battery manufacturers reading about the dimensions of different batteries and other details. I thought I had a battery identified correctly and ordered two. They arrived quickly, appeared to be solid, quality batteries. And of course, as you might guess, they didn’t fit.

I had rounded up the width measurement of the box, and the batteries had a very small lip on them that was not included in the technical information of the battery stating the actual width. Combine the two very small variances and the batteries would not fit side-by-side in the box I had planned. Fortunately, they were the same batteries that I had identified for another project so all was not lost. So, hours more searching online till I finally gave up. Good news is we have a Duracell Ultra battery 12v 35Ah AGM, model # DURA12-35CBatteriesPlus store in town so I grabbed the box and headed to the store. Ten minutes later I was walking out the door with a great battery, the Duracell Ultra 12v 35Ah AGM, model # DURA12-35C.

I was pleasantly surprised to have 35Ah capacity in such a small package. And remember that, based on my usage requirements, I needed a 34Ah battery or larger. You never know when the extra 3% capacity will be the one transmission you get out before the battery dies. Yeah, sorry a little melodramatic but you get my point.

 

So here are some technical facts on the DURA12-35C:

  • AGM technology (absorbed glass matt)
  • 12vDC SLA (Sealed Lead Acid) Battery Battery
  • 35Ah
  • U1 Group Size battery
  • Handles offer easy lift & carrying
  • Speedy connection with 6mm female threaded terminals
  • Size: 7-3/4″ L x 5-1/8″ W x 6-1/2″ H

Now here is a point of the box design that I struggled with just a little bit. I wanted to keep the integrity of the box intact. In other words I don’t want anything going through the box walls. That will keep it water and air tight. But I need to be able to have a set of Anderson Powerpoles to hook up a line to the radio and I need a set of Anderson Powerpoles to connect the solar charging unit to the box to keep the batteries charged up. And I want a voltmeter to keep track of the battery.

I have seen over the years that the more points you have that are vulnerable, the more likely you are to have a failure. So every breach of the boxes integrity is a potential failure point. But there is also the convenience factor as well; the box has to be easy to use.

Anderson Powerpole Chassis Mount for 2 Powerpoles Sets (4 conductors)This is where compromise and trade-offs come into play. I decided to go with the Anderson Powerpole Chassis Mount. This gives me a sturdy mounting system for two sets of Anderson Powerpole PowerWerx.com supplier of Anderson Powerpolesconnections (power out, charging in). The Anderson Powerpole Chassis Mount is available through Powerwerx.com

While the box is no longer water or air tight, I think it will fall into that category of “good enough.” While it won’t keep water out, it will resist rain. And while it isn’t airtight, it will keep most of the dirt and dust out. I am thinking that when I complete the install I will look for ways to seal it up on the inside to make it more resistant to rain and blowing dirt/sand.

To track the battery voltage condition I went with the Powerwerx Panel Mount Digital Volt Meter. It has a nice blue Powerwerx Panel Mount Digital Blue Volt Meter for 12/24V Systemsdisplay and I’ve used them before. Again, available through Powerwerx.com PowerWerx.com supplier of Anderson PowerpolesNice little high-quality units. But this volt meter will be mounted inside of the box not mounted on the exterior. To do that I would have to drill a 1-1/2” hole through the box sidewall and I am just not ready to make that size failure point.

I will have to fabricate a couple of “hold-downs” to keep the battery in-place. I will also have to fabricate a panel on which to mount the volt meter. I will integrate them just to make everything sturdier. And I will probably have to do a “bolt-through” or two to make it all stable. But I will try to keep those integrity breaches to a minimum.ATC Style Fuse Holder 10ga with 1/4" Ring Terminals and Anderson Powerpoles

To protect the electrical circuit I will use a Powerwerx ATC Style Fuse Holder 10ga with 1/4″ Ring Terminals and Anderson Powerpoles. The fuses are common, readily available and I can even pinch them from a vehicle if I need to.

There is a wildcard as far as interior components are concerned, LVD (low voltage disconnect). Overly discharging an AGM battery seriously reduces its life span (number of charging cycles). So you only want to draw it down to a certain voltage level. Based on the voltage stats of the Yaesu FT-8900R radio, the radio can operate down to about 10 volts before it shuts off. However, that is too much battery discharge under normal conditions for an AGM battery. Refer to the chart to see how the “depth of discharge” can serious reduce the number of times you can recharge the battery.

AGM battery discharge volts state of chargeAGM battery depth of discharge cycle chartNow, I can do one of two things to overcome that challenge:

1) Monitor the volt meter for a reasonable discharge depth, say 12.32 volts. And when the battery hits that level I manually turn off the radio till the battery is recharged.

2) Use a LVD unit that will automatically turn off the radio when a pre-set voltage level is reached. And it will also turn the power back on to the radio when it reaches a safe charge level once again. I am evaluating several different LVD units; one reasonably priced, the other is considerably more expensive. You can guess which one is probably better suited for this application. But I will provide more when my testing is done and I’ve made a final decision.

So that is it, no more guts for the power box than what I have outlined above other than the wiring. I will be using all Ham In The Box - Anderson Powerpole10g wire to ensure that the maximum current can be carried throughout the system. And, I want to make sure that I don’t overheat anything and burn it all up. As for connecting the wire to components I will once again be using Anderson Powerpole connectors for everything. This gives me a whole lot of options and flexibility. And most of all, when things get bad I can pull different pieces of my projects out to repair other more critical equipment. And I can do it with a minimal of effort, damage, and installation effort.

Solar Power –

I have already decided on two solar charging options:

Option #1 – A single panel system from GoalZero, Boulder 30 panel with the Guardian 12v charge controller. Goal Zero guardian 12v charge controllerThe charge controller has a built-in PWM Lead-Acid and supports up to 90W solar panels. It also has LED Status lights for the charging status and battery. Some technical specs on the panel –

Rated Power: 30WGoalZero Boulder 30
Open Circuit Voltage: 18-20V
Cell Type: Monocrystalline
Weight: 6.5 lbs
Dimensions: 21″ x 18″ x 1″
Optimal Operating Temp: 32-104 F
Certs: CE, FCC

Options #2 – A Glow Tech dual panel, portable system 60 watt folding solar kit, with folding stand, and integrated charge controller. Features of the Glow Tech system:

•   High efficiency monocrystalline solar panelsGlow Tech solar Power Box 60 watt folding solar kit, w/folding stand, charge controller
•   Suited for flooded, gel, AGM, or calcium batteries
•   Low iron tempered glass resists breakage
•   Durable folding frame, so you can tilt the panels toward the sun
•   Built-in PWM charge controller
•   Bonus! Includes fabric storage bag
•   Spring-loaded carrying handle
•   Solar panels are weatherproof and sealed to withstand the elements
•   Includes cables pre-wired for easy hookup
•   25 years warranty on the solar panels

Technical Info:

•   Rated Power Output:   60WGlow Tech solar Power Box 60 watt folding solar kit, w/folding stand, charge controller
•   Optimum Operating Voltage [Vmp]:   17.5V
•   Optimum Operating Current [Imp]:  3.43A
•   Open Circuit Voltage [Voc]:  21.7V
•   Short Circuit Current [Isc]:   3.82A
•   Normal Operating Cell Temp [NOCT]:  47±2°C
•   Maximum System Voltage:  1000 vDC
•   Series Fuse Rating:   10A
•   Operating Temperature:  -40°C to +85°C
•   Application Class:  Class A
•   Cell Technology:   Monocrystalline Silicon
•   Folded Dimensions (approx.):   22¼” x 17¾” x 3″
•   Unfolded Dimensions (approx.):  43″ x 18″
•   Total Weight (approx.):   19lb 7oz