Running 12v DC equipment on 120v AC (indoors)

I was wondering if anyone is using an "Astron" Power Converter to run their lightbars. Right now, I have a Pyramid PS 36KX (35 amps) and it works great on beacons, but is somewhat under powered for the bars.


To help solve this little delimma, I was thinking of going with a 50 amp Astron, but will the continuous amps of 37 be enough or would it be better to go a little higher with the 70 amp version. However, would the 70 amp model be over kill?


I plan on powering up the following bars: Areodynics (H1 bulbs), Twinsonic, LP6000 and a Jetsonic (not all at once). I know that I can covert the Aerodynic away from Halogen bulbs, but the other bars may need the higher amps.


Also, does the 70 amp version need a 20 amp circuit breaker? I cannot not find the anser to this question on Astron's website.


All help is appreicated.
 
35amps is under power for bigger bars.. prolly about 25 amps continuous .35 surge.. I believe the astron 70 amp is surge and 50 continuous. I have a 75 amp jet stream with 65 continuous and it works perfect for me . I have a lot of high amp bars . And it was cheaper than the Astron
 
I have found there is a big jump in price between 50, 70/75 and 100amp power supplies. Between this site and ebay you should be able to find a good 50 amp supply for well under $150. Once you go to 70 or 75 amps the price can increase considerably. The few 100 amp supplies I have seen were $400 plus. There are a few options when powering lights.... regulated power supplies are by far the safest for you and your you lights. I would carefully calculate the amp draw of your bar and see if a 50 amp supply will suffice. Also be careful and read the specs carefully. Some manufacturers or sellers emphasize the "peak amps" in their ads and listings and try to hide or down play the "continuous" amps. The continuous amp rating is what you need to look at.


elightbars member responderPSE sells a nice 80 amp supply for around $225 I think...


View Profile: ResponderPSE - eLightbars.org


Not sure if this is still for sale... 90 amps


http://elightbars.org/forums/f19/lightbar-collection-power-supply-19073/


there is a 50 amp supply on ebay for $125 OBO





For further info, here is the main 120v to 12v thread....


http://elightbars.org/forums/f13/running-12v-dc-equipment-120v-ac-indoors-8023/
 
John,


One of the bars I am concerned about is that LP6000 you are holding for me. My guess I will need the high amp supply for one of Ryan's Twinsonics.


Rich

JohnMarcson said:
I have found there is a big jump in price between 50, 70/75 and 100amp power supplies. Between this site and ebay you should be able to find a good 50 amp supply for well under $150. Once you go to 70 or 75 amps the price can increase considerably. The few 100 amp supplies I have seen were $400 plus. There are a few options when powering lights.... regulated power supplies are by far the safest for you and your you lights. I would carefully calculate the amp draw of your bar and see if a 50 amp supply will suffice. Also be careful and read the specs carefully. Some manufacturers or sellers emphasize the "peak amps" in their ads and listings and try to hide or down play the "continuous" amps. The continuous amp rating is what you need to look at.

elightbars member responderPSE sells a nice 80 amp supply for around $225 I think...


View Profile: ResponderPSE - eLightbars.org


Not sure if this is still for sale... 90 amps


http://elightbars.org/forums/f19/lightbar-collection-power-supply-19073/


there is a 50 amp supply on ebay for $125 OBO





For further info, here is the main 120v to 12v thread....


http://elightbars.org/forums/f13/running-12v-dc-equipment-120v-ac-indoors-8023/
Click to expand...
 
I am not up on Jetstream brand. Does the 75 amp version need a 20 amp circuit breaker? Nice jump in price from the Jetstream 45 to the 75.


What bars that you have seem to draw the most amps. I am wonder if 75 is over kill and would a 50 still be plenty to run my Aerodynic with 6 rotators with H1 bulbs and end flashers.


Thanks for the help.


Rich


QUOTE=WPD8908;179588]35amps is under power for bigger bars.. prolly about 25 amps continuous .35 surge.. I believe the astron 70 amp is surge and 50 continuous. I have a 75 amp jet stream with 65 continuous and it works perfect for me . I have a lot of high amp bars . And it was cheaper than the Astron
 
Rich M. said:
I am not up on Jetstream brand. Does the 75 amp version need a 20 amp circuit breaker? Nice jump in price from the Jetstream 45 to the 75.

What bars that you have seem to draw the most amps. I am wonder if 75 is over kill and would a 50 still be plenty to run my Aerodynic with 6 rotators with H1 bulbs and end flashers.


Thanks for the help.


Rich


QUOTE=WPD8908;179588]35amps is under power for bigger bars.. prolly about 25 amps continuous .35 surge.. I believe the astron 70 amp is surge and 50 continuous. I have a 75 amp jet stream with 65 continuous and it works perfect for me . I have a lot of high amp bars . And it was cheaper than the Astron
Click to expand...

Rich,


I have a 50 amps power supply and when I power up my 6 rotators H-1 bulb AeroDynic, just like yours, it always kinda "flickers" for half a second then get going well. The bar with flashers take between 21 and 23 amps continuous. So even with 50 amps to take, it's borderline for the power supply to handle the cold start, so to speak.


I'd suggest buying the 75 amps one.


Plus, if you want to power more at the same time someday, you'll have power to spare.


I sometime put a smaller 10 amps power supply in parallel with the 50 amps one and the AeroDynic get going almost instantly, with muuuch less flickering at the start. Still 60 amp, and not a perfect start... So go with 75 :)
 
All this is totally confusing for me, lol. Can someone just tell me what's the best thing for me to get to power my collection (Safest, easiest, cheapest). My wall consists of:


Vector


CTS


LAPD Aero


Smith & Wesson


JetStream


StreetHawk


Edge


MX7000


CA Unirack w/model 17, 2 front dietz reds, and 2 rear ambers.


Thanks!
 
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fedsig7 said:
All this is totally confusing for me, lol. Can someone just tell me what's the best thing for me to get to power my collection (Safest, easiest, cheapest). My wall consists of:

Vector


CTS


LAPD Aero


Smith & Wesson


JetStream


StreetHawk


Edge


MX7000


CA Unirack w/model 17, 2 front dietz reds, and 2 rear ambers.


Thanks!
Click to expand...

FedSig7, check the first post of this thread. All Pros and Cons are listed. It really depends on your budget, I think...


http://elightbars.org/forums/f13/running-12v-dc-equipment-120v-ac-indoors-8023/#post35461


-Safest (on all types of lights): would be the ac/dc converter and batterie


-Easiest: all easy to use


-Cheapest: Batterie charger, booster pack
 
SlickTop Solutions said:
How do you vent the hydrogen gas generated from the charging of the battery?
Click to expand...

I haven't noticed any gasses coming off the battery as of yet. I do only power up the charger when I power up the lights and most of the time the charger is only trickle charging and I let it charge for 10 or 15 minutes after I kill the lights and unplug it. I would not recommend this set up with a non automatic charger. When the battery is charged the charger shuts off. I have yet to smell any rotten eggs or get dizzy doing the laundry etc....now for the coke bottle, aluminum foil etc..that set up is in the bulkhead and the specifics are definitely on another site haha
 
fireball3 said:
Steve, I am interested in your idea!, But why use the battery, plus charger?, Why not connect directly to the charger?.
I use a 20amp power supply 220volts/12volts, but it only supports one bar, barely!


Do you have a solution for high intensity!


Cyril
Click to expand...

I use the battery to power up my LED bars as the chargers are not regulated and will not allow the electronics of the LED bars function properly. Plus you get huge amps from a battery and I have 4 aerodynics hooked up to one battery and 5 whelen bars to another and can run them all at once for a long time...at the same time... ;)
 
emtanderson51 said:
I use the battery to power up my LED bars as the chargers are not regulated and will not allow the electronics of the LED bars function properly. Plus you get huge amps from a battery and I have 4 aerodynics hooked up to one battery and 5 whelen bars to another and can run them all at once for a long time...at the same time... ;)
Click to expand...
Thanks Steve :) ... how much the maximum amperage, I can find commercially?


Cyril
 
emtanderson51 said:
I haven't noticed any gasses coming off the battery as of yet. I do only power up the charger when I power up the lights and most of the time the charger is only trickle charging and I let it charge for 10 or 15 minutes after I kill the lights and unplug it. I would not recommend this set up with a non automatic charger. When the battery is charged the charger shuts off. I have yet to smell any rotten eggs or get dizzy doing the laundry etc....now for the coke bottle, aluminum foil etc..that set up is in the bulkhead and the specifics are definitely on another site haha
Click to expand...


Hydrogen is odorless, you won't smell it, and natural gas is odorless in nature as well. NG companies actually add the sulfer (rotten eggs) smell to make it easier to detect a leak.
 
fedsig7 said:
All this is totally confusing for me, lol. Can someone just tell me what's the best thing for me to get to power my collection (Safest, easiest, cheapest). My wall consists of:

Vector


CTS


LAPD Aero


Smith & Wesson


JetStream


StreetHawk


Edge


MX7000


CA Unirack w/model 17, 2 front dietz reds, and 2 rear ambers.


Thanks!
Click to expand...

Look for a good quality 12VDC power supply, 50 AMP or more. Tripp Lite and Astron are two of the best.


Do not use a battery indoors, as you have several factors to deal with including outgassing of hydrogen gas if/when overcharged, as well as the potential for a nasty explosion if shorted.
 
emtanderson51 said:
I use the battery to power up my LED bars as the chargers are not regulated and will not allow the electronics of the LED bars function properly. Plus you get huge amps from a battery and I have 4 aerodynics hooked up to one battery and 5 whelen bars to another and can run them all at once for a long time...at the same time... ;)
Click to expand...

SlickTop Solutions said:
Hydrogen is odorless, you won't smell it, and natural gas is odorless in nature as well. NG companies actually add the sulfer (rotten eggs) smell to make it easier to detect a leak.
Click to expand...

Steve, when you take risks with your battery inside your home !? :eek:
 
cyrix9445 said:
I've used an SLA battery from a UPS to power up some lightbars inside my house... dunno if I would have a car battery inside though.
Click to expand...

+1


Sealed is the key; nothing to vent.
 
What I did was make a plywood box, housing an old PC powersupply, with about 52amps on ONE(1) single 12V rail. I mounted the powersupply in the box and ran the AC cord out of the box. I took a SPST switch and connected one end to ground on the powersupply and the other end to the GREEN wire on the 20 pin motherboard connector(someone earlier mentioned jumping the purple wire to ground, that is a 5v wire and jumping that is not good...) This way, I can cut the powersupply on and off at my leisure. I took 3 cigar lighter sockets and mounted them in the box, wiring them to a 12v lead from the power supply. I also ran a 12v "hot" post and a ground post on top of the box with alligator clips so if i needed something besides a cigar socket, i had it. You can also use the 3.3v and 5v leads if you choose to.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Could you tell us what kind/brand of PC power supply can give you 60 amps?


Biggest I've seen so far is around 30 amps... That would be nice!
 
 
Jtsou said:
Well i used this one:

Newegg.com - CORSAIR Enthusiast Series CMPSU-650TX 650W ATX12V / EPS12V SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Compatible with Core i7 Power Supply


Oops, i thought it was 60 but its 52A


70a: Newegg.com - CORSAIR Enthusiast Series TX850 V2 850W ATX12V v2.31/ EPS12V v2.92 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified Active PFC High Performance Power Supply


80a: Newegg.com - COOLER MASTER Silent Pro RSA00-AMBAJ3-US 1000W ATX12V v2.3 / EPS12V v2.92 SLI Ready 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified Modular Active PFC Power Supply


104a: Newegg.com - OCZ ZX Series 1250W Fully-Modular 80PLUS Gold High Performance Power Supply compatible with Intel Sandybridge Core i3 i5 i7 and AMD Phenom


Etc, etc.


Once you get past 650w, the prices are rediculous.
Click to expand...

Hey! Is a very good alternative as power supply!


:duh: I had not thought of, Thanks ;)


Cyril
 
Back in a previous life, I was a communications technician for the state police ( they shall remain nameless). They had a Federal Junior Beacon Ray they set up at the range for nighttime shooting. After the went to the 184 speaker light, they wanted tis for the range. They purchased an Astron 50 amp power supply and sent it out. But, it would not work with the light. After a little research I discovered that the incandescent inrush current exceeded the capacity of the power supply. GE says it is about 80 times the nominal current. Simple fix, delay the current limit. I did this for others that wanted a light bar inside for show.


Lightbars that have strobes or leds do not need this modification and you can even use a switching power supply (The Astron RS-50 is a HORSE). Check at places that sell communications equipment. If you know someone that is a ham radio operator, we have flea markets that hams sell used equipment for less than new. I got my RS-50 for $25.00 when the original owner went to a switching power supply.


Please, fuse all power leads at the power supply, a 50 amp power supply will burn the insulation off of vehicle wire very fast and the fumes are toxic.


Personally, I want a Federal 183 light in Hawaii 5-O blue and a Jetsonic.
 
acousticman said:
Back in a previous life, I was a communications technician for the state police ( they shall remain nameless). They had a Federal Junior Beacon Ray they set up at the range for nighttime shooting. After the went to the 184 speaker light, they wanted tis for the range. They purchased an Astron 50 amp power supply and sent it out. But, it would not work with the light. After a little research I discovered that the incandescent inrush current exceeded the capacity of the power supply. GE says it is about 80 times the nominal current. Simple fix, delay the current limit. I did this for others that wanted a light bar inside for show.

Lightbars that have strobes or leds do not need this modification and you can even use a switching power supply (The Astron RS-50 is a HORSE). Check at places that sell communications equipment. If you know someone that is a ham radio operator, we have flea markets that hams sell used equipment for less than new. I got my RS-50 for $25.00 when the original owner went to a switching power supply.


Please, fuse all power leads at the power supply, a 50 amp power supply will burn the insulation off of vehicle wire very fast and the fumes are toxic.


Personally, I want a Federal 183 light in Hawaii 5-O blue and a Jetsonic.
Click to expand...

What is a Federal 183 light in Hawaii 5-0 blue?? Do you mean a 3 bulb 173 rotator, or a 4 bulb 174 oscillator, or a 4 bulb 184 flat top rotator?
 
shues said:
Wow, that's rather worrisome.
Click to expand...

Sealed batteries need to be treated with the same care and caution as a regular wet cell battery with they exception of care and feeding of electrolite/distilled water. They can still explode if shorted, still outgas hygrogen when overcharged, and still possibly explode if overcharged too fast.
 
I use something similar to this to power my rotator lightbars, its also good for testing mechanical sirens. I wouldn't use it on strobes though, and certainly not with an LED lightbar.


ASO6001A.jpg
 
So just to confirm....it is perfectly okay to use a 70A battery charger to directly power halogen flashers/rotators but not okay for strobe power supplies and LEDs?
 
No, not really. But halogen rotator bars are all electrical. There's no touchy electronics as in strobes or LEDs. You can say that halogen rotator bars are more forgiving as a result.
 
shues said:
No, not really. But halogen rotator bars are all electrical. There's no touchy electronics as in strobes or LEDs. You can say that halogen rotator bars are more forgiving as a result.
Click to expand...

So battery charger on 70a turbo charge without connection to battery can be used to power halogens (rotators/flashers/steady burns) without significant risk to motors/flashers/etc.? I'm sure it's just my incompetence, but I don't think I fully understand your response here.
 
I 26 said:
So battery charger on 70a turbo charge without connection to battery can be used to power halogens (rotators/flashers/steady burns) without significant risk to motors/flashers/etc.? I'm sure it's just my incompetence, but I don't think I fully understand your response here.
Click to expand...

Some halogen flashers don't like the non-regulated battery charger power.
 
JohnMarcson said:
Some halogen flashers don't like the non-regulated battery charger power.
Click to expand...
The flashers in mx7000s do not like to be run off of them. Smart pods in vectors also do not like them. Some strobe bars will not like them either. Most led lights can be run off of simple transformers that plug into household items, such as a pager charger plug or laptop charger. Check the ratings on them, my laptop charger is rated for 19v @ 4 amps. This is plenty for testing and setting up flash patterns on led light heads before installation.
 
ryan81986 said:
Will a small battery charger power an older edge bar or does it have to be a regulated power supply?
Click to expand...

Depending on what it has in it, you might get away with a 300-350 watt computer power supply.


I have run an older Edge with 4 strobes and 2 flashing halogens on a computer p/s
 
theroofable said:
The flashers in mx7000s do not like to be run off of them. Smart pods in vectors also do not like them. Some strobe bars will not like them either. Most led lights can be run off of simple transformers that plug into household items, such as a pager charger plug or laptop charger. Check the ratings on them, my laptop charger is rated for 19v @ 4 amps. This is plenty for testing and setting up flash patterns on led light heads before installation.
Click to expand...

Make sure to check the rated input voltage of your LED light or other device before trying this, many electronics that are designed for 12-14 volt operation will be damaged by 19 volts. Some lights are designed for a broad input voltage range, but not all...


Many sirens also don't like to be run off a battery charger alone. I was charging a very dead battery on one of our trucks with one of those big battery chargers on wheels, flipped on the master switch and the siren started making some awful noises! A lot of car battery chargers don't rectify the AC current very well, so you end up with some very unclean DC power which generally isn't good for electronic devices. A good (not dead) battery in parallel will help filter the power, but a proper DC power supply is always best if at all possible.
 
Outdoor Ed said:
A good (not dead) battery in parallel will help filter the power, but a proper DC power supply is always best if at all possible.
Click to expand...

Absolutely! A suitable battery in parallel does a reasonable job of cleaning up the power.
 
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