Battery Setup questions.


 
N

NateSebold

TVWBB Member
Hey All,

I was intrigued by the blower issue that Kevin raised and Bryan helped out with and I realized that my battery pack setup was not working correctly not enough power from AAs so I am thinking of wanting to fix this while being as versatile as possible.

Possible battery uses for Heatermeter:

Car tailgate using 12v car battery or cigarette adapter.

Camper using 12v camper battery.

So I am looking at the following options:

Cigarette adapter:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07YN6TYL6/?tag=tvwb-20

I suppose I also could re-purpose some old phone chagers and dc barrel connectors and usb cigarette adapters for free but that amazon item seems good right?

The barrel is the right dimension and the power output is good right?

Battery connection:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07JB4SVY8/?tag=tvwb-20

Presumably I could use that and just alligator clip to any battery I might use (car, marine camper battery, or one of the smaller 12v batterys on amazon for like 18$)
I wonder would I also need to buy a 2amp fuse to use instead of those 20amp or 25amp when using the heatermeter to prevent damage to the heatermeter. Can we imagine a scenerio where it would try and grab more than 2amps of power. (Blowers and all probes and wifi dongles and servos).

Thanks,
Nate
 
I suppose you could get away with that, but seems like a lot of things with wires to lug around. You could use a portable jump pack with the 12v output, but I went with something small and is easy to recharge (the talentcell that was cited). By the time you buy all these parts to reinvent something that works already and is only $37 with everything you need, I'm just questioning reasoning here.

I could see the battery connection adapter being a nice backup solution, but I wouldn't be lugging lead acid packs or Li-Ion packs of questionable quality around.
 
I use a battery to power my heatermeter. Just like the dc source without any noise or ripple or harmonics you get from switching power sources.
This is my battery setup. I use the Cabelas battery and I have a Battery Tender charger for my charger. This like is a good price for battery and charger if you want lead acid battery
https://www.cabelas.com/shop/en/cabelas-rechargeable-12v-battery
This is similar to what I use for the cable setup
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07YN6TYL6/?tag=tvwb-20
And this what I used to connect battery to cable. This is similar to what I use. I connect to battery with female connectors you can get anywhere
https://www.ebay.com/itm/12-24V-DC-...549118?hash=item2f49bc6ffe:g:50UAAOSwk3lfVvm9
So you can get a battery setup for about $40-$50.
 
I see the benefits of both setups. Kevin's is much more like what I currently have.. basically a battery pack that plugs directly into the heatermeter. I can recharge the AAs. I just didn't realize it only kicks out 500ma instead of 1 and that is causing me to not get full fan power.

Tbh when I need battery I am probably more likely to be tailgating so I can just use my car battery, or when I am camping and then I can just use my camper battery. So I wouldn't even have the expense of buying the battery.

I guess the rain solution is another factor here. It is far easier to get Kevin's set up underneath a rain shield for me than it would be if there were a car battery.

I already have a trickle charger for my camper battery so that cost is already sunk. So if I did buy that Cabela's or similar type small 12v charging would be no problem.
 
I use batteries from dewalt drill 20V max battery packs with a 12v adapter. Just need to make sure to remove the adapter from the battery or it will kill them due to the adapter poor design.
 
I'm contemplating using a trailer breakaway battery. This would be easy to set up, and they're easy to charge.
 
GSpinelli said:
I use batteries from dewalt drill 20V max battery packs with a 12v adapter. Just need to make sure to remove the adapter from the battery or it will kill them due to the adapter poor design.
Click to expand...
TBH, Dewalt's own 20v to 18v nicad adapters do the same. I usually try to pull my batteries for storage anyway. I looked at getting one of these as it's a handy solution too.
 
JKalchik said:
I'm contemplating using a trailer breakaway battery. This would be easy to set up, and they're easy to charge.
Click to expand...
if you have one laying around not doing anything & want to try it, sure, but anything lead acid is a bit of a luggable & can bust open if dropped or something similar. those batteries tend to drift off indefinitely voltage wise as they drain, so it would be below 12v & keep going. at some point it'll impact HM performance. I don't know how tolerant the HM would be of this. you also wouldn't be saving any money having to buy all the parts over other solutions. If you want something flexible with multiple uses, a multifunction jump pack would be a good bet. It'll cost more but always comes in handy tailgating or camping anyway. Mine has 12v power points, air comp, 120v inverter & USB to charge your phone. It also has a voltage readout. The only reason I didn't use mine for this is I wanted something compact that would stay with my grill here at the house & would be easy to plug in on longer cooks if the battery gets low.
 
I have at least 2 spare trailer batteries. I even have a barrel connector sitting here, and I've got the spade connectors in the garage, I just need to solder/crimp it all together. I also have the battery out of my Heep that would also work (alligator clamps.)
 
Sorry I am a little late to the party, but when I've done battery-based cooks I just use 2.1mm barrel jack alligator clips and an old UPS battery like this and will run for [a couple] days. 12V lead-acid battery voltage is perfect for running HeaterMeter straight from the lugs, although the circuitry isn't automotive grade when it comes to tolerance on how noisy the voltage can be if the car is running.
 
not to hijack this thread, but I have a similar question... I understand that the 12v battery out of a ups would be great, but I just got a free power bank that I have no use for other then maybe powering the heater meter for some cooks. I need to order a usb to power adaper and am lookign at this one, would it work? or is there a better option? the power bank has usb, micro usb, and usb-c output, I think the usb or a usb c might work best....

CableDeconn USB to 5.5 mm/2.1 mm 5 Volt DC Barrel Jack Power Cable​


or maybe

zdyCGTime Type-C USB-C Male to DC 5.52.5mm Power Plug Extension Charge Cable for Apple New MacBook​

Amazon.com: zdyCGTime Type-C USB-C Male to DC 5.52.5mm Power Plug Extension Charge Cable for Apple New MacBook: Industrial & Scientific

Buy zdyCGTime Type-C USB-C Male to DC 5.52.5mm Power Plug Extension Charge Cable for Apple New MacBook: USB Cables - Amazon.com ✓ FREE DELIVERY possible on eligible purchases
www.amazon.com

here is the link to the power bank I got....
www.decogear.com

8000mAh Power Bank with Wireless Surface Charging - Deco Gear

The ideal solution for active users, the Deco Gear Wireless Power Bank packs the power to help you get through the day and bring your cell phone to full charge.
www.decogear.com www.decogear.com
 
Tim Loftus said:
not to hijack this thread, but I have a similar question... I understand that the 12v battery out of a ups would be great, but I just got a free power bank that I have no use for other then maybe powering the heater meter for some cooks. I need to order a usb to power adaper and am lookign at this one, would it work? or is there a better option? the power bank has usb, micro usb, and usb-c output, I think the usb or a usb c might work best....
Click to expand...

The specs on that power bank don't say if it supports the various output voltages of USB-C, and the regular ports are just going to put out 5V, which isn't enough to run a HeaterMeter unless you direct solder to the 5V lines on it. Even USB-C PD is only 5/9/15/20V which is odd they didn't include 12V in the spec. You could get a 5V to 12V boost converter and add that too, but at that point it seems like a lot of parts to buy that will add up to being more expensive than just getting a 12V battery probably. :(
 
A bit late to reply, but I run my HM off a 12V automotive battery, using these:
1) https://www.jaycar.co.nz/cigarette-lighter-socket-to-battery-clips/p/PP2007
2) https://www.jaycar.co.nz/fused-cigarette-lighter-plug-to-2-1mm-dc-plug/p/PP2008

I've read most standard car batteries have 40-60 amp hours in them. So, if the HM pulls 2 amps, a full auto battery should be good for 20-30 hours. I've never managed to run my battery down - and of course if you're not using a marine/deep cycle battery, you've got to be a bit careful with discharging it too much or its lifespan will be reduced.

I eventually charged it after several weeks of regular HM use, but no idea how run down it actually was.
 
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