Electronic Device Help

[Gramaisc]

At 5 volts that's standard computer power my advice is a call into Maplin

Option 1 http://www.maplin.co.uk/p/maplin-12w-acdc-multi-voltage-power-supplyused-b51qj

Option 2 http://www.maplin.co.uk/p/maplin-6w-smps-acdc-multi-voltage-power-supply-xx09k

Hope that helps

For both of those he still needs a mains supply, so he might as well just use the supplied unit....

.. his real problem is wanting a battery prime energy source with sufficient capacity..

 

[bpelectric]

Right so at that power requirement he could get away with a 6 volt motor cycle battery maybe
Then most car battery chargers have a 6 volt setting for recharge

 

[Gramaisc]

Right so at that power requirement he could get away with a 6 volt motor cycle battery maybe
Then most car battery chargers have a 6 volt setting for recharge

Great idea - forgotten all about 6 volt lead acids - that could be the way to go. He only needs about 12 to 15 amp hours, too.............

Just needs to sort the plug and hope the extra volt or so causes no issues - should be OK.

 

[bpelectric]

Most these days are the sealed for life type so no worries over spills

Jelly filled instead of liquid acid

Cost maybe around £10 to £15 he only needs the smallest

 

[Gramaisc]

Most these days are the sealed for life type so no worries over spills

Jelly filled instead of liquid acid

Cost maybe around £10 to £15 he only needs the smallest

True, maybe best charged out of the house, if using an old-style car battery charger, though...

 

[bpelectric]

I agree with you on that one

 

[Gramaisc]

Probably get away with - avoids the cost of a proper SLA charger - if he's got an existing car charger with a 6V setting...

 

[wmrcomputers]

I've used a motorcycle battery myself for a similar task a couple of years ago.

Anyway, now you have us all curious! A video of santas head playing at the top of an outdoor Christmas tree maybe? Or am I the only one here with such wacky ideas?

 

[highguyuk]

At 5 volts that's standard computer power my advice is a call into Maplin

Option 1 http://www.maplin.co.uk/p/maplin-12w-acdc-multi-voltage-power-supplyused-b51qj

Option 2 http://www.maplin.co.uk/p/maplin-6w-smps-acdc-multi-voltage-power-supply-xx09k

Hope that helps

Many thanks for the reply, but I'm looking for a battery supply and getting rid of the charger which I already have...

 

[wmrcomputers]

Only go the route of a 6v bike battery, unless you can find something else 5v with a reasonable AH (amp hour) rating. You're wasting your time hoping to run it off AA's etc as they just wont last as you hope for them to. I'd guess at a set of 4 AA batteries running it for 30 minutes max - and that's using duracell!!

 

[Gramaisc]

If it really takes 2A, then he needs a bare minimum of 12Ah for a 6 hour run - AAs will require running several sets in parallel to achieve that sort of capacity.

It would be nice to measure what it really consumes, to see what capacity you actually need to have...


It was so much simpler with the old-style photo albums - where you just turned the pages over.

 

[wmrcomputers]

It is likely to use around 1.5 amps.... I'm quite confident in saying that, as otherwise it would only be sold with a 1A power supply in the first place to reduce costs. 1.5 amps isn't alot to suck from household mains and would only cost coppers per week, but from a 6v battery that's a hell of a wack!

 

[Gramaisc]

It is likely to use around 1.5 amps.... I'm quite confident in saying that, as otherwise it would only be sold with a 1A power supply in the first place to reduce costs. 1.5 amps isn't alot to suck from household mains and would only cost coppers per week, but from a 6v battery that's a hell of a wack!

That would bring his capacity requirement down to 9Ah, which would be easier to achieve..

In order to be pedantic, 1.5A via a 5V transformer stepping down from the mains would, indeed, cost bugger all to supply from the mains - but, "1.5A sucked (direct) from the mains" would equate to 345W and would cost you a tiny bit over a third of your unit cost for every hour...

Just so people don't start invoicing wmrcomputers for their unexpectedly large electricity bills.

 

[wmrcomputers]

I did think about that as I wrote it, but didn't want to get over pedantic! lol

 

[Gramaisc]

I did think about that as I wrote it, but didn't want to get over pedantic! lol

Well, somebody has to.....

 

[wmrcomputers]

 

[highguyuk]

I'm so confused right now :-( I really did think it would just be "by ones of these *with a link*)".

The digital photo frame was given to me free and the OH and I had an idea to use it on her craft stall when she attends shows. So, attaching it to car batteries etc. to run isn't a solution that's suitable. For the cost of the solution to powering such a little screen, it would probably be cheaper to buy http://www.dx.com/p/g7pro-7-0-dual-...ooth-tf-dual-camera-black-328700#.VGqK7PmsU10 for £30 delivered which runs for 6 hours!

 

[wmrcomputers]

Unfortunately yes it probably would.

The problem is that most cheap photo frames are actually older LCD technology meaning they are lit by a cathode tube - drawing much more power. LED screens used in tablets and newer laptops are actually still LCD screens, but lit by LED lighting so therefore use far less power.

I recently replaced someone's old LCD laptop screen with an LED one, and one of their first comments was that they thought I had replaced the battery too as it was lasting substantially longer.

 

[Gramaisc]

That's a cheap a solution as you'll find - unless you spot a nearby socket at the shows....

 

[wmrcomputers]

Where are the shows? I've done computer markets before and there's always usually mains access available if you ask and provide your own extention lead if needed. Alternatively, if it's an outdoor thing then she would surely be able to run it from the car with a suitable cigarette socket transformer like this