Portable Power Pack…for an Iron?
It is complete. I’m calling it ‘The Bomb’, because (a) it looks like a bomb and would get a second and third look from airport security, and (b) it is truly ‘da bomb’. Wow, I just raised some flags at homeland security with that sentence.
Above is a 12V, 10Ah NiMH rechargeable battery, connected to a 180W pure sine-wave DC/AC power inverter that spits out 120 volts of beautiful, clean, AC power via either a 3-prong receptacle or USB port. Two inline fuses (20A) offer backup protection for the inverter (even though I think only one is necessary). Originally, I built the pack with connectors from a local electronics shop, but they didn’t seem very secure and placed exposed wire of opposite polarity in close proximity. The connectors heated up quickly, as did the wire to the inline fuse. New Anderson connectors and 12 gauge inline fuses (all rated to 30A) arrived in the mail yesterday. I swapped out the connectors, fired it up, and started plugging in random appliances after confirming that my Alien Bee would work.
I’m really stoked about the versatility of the set-up. If I blow a fuse and don’t have a replacement, I can disconnect the fuses and plug the battery directly to the inverter. The battery can be disconnected and replaced with a cigarette plug, the battery charger powered by my car battery, and the battery charged on the road. Should all of my camera batteries die, I could plug the ac adapter for the camera into the inverter and power my camera…very badass electronics, at least in my opinion. I haven’t weighed it yet, but according to the manufacturer’s specs the whole unit should come in just over 4.5 pounds. It all squeezes into my hip camera bag…oh yeah, I can walk around the house now with a hot iron.
I must admit that this idea is not original. I stole it from Tim Kemple.
Hi - why the two fuses? You only need one.
Comment by VOLT — August 23, 2009 @ 12:33 am