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Thread: Long term solar charging for my CPAP.

  1. #11
    Join Date
    Jun 2012
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    Quote Originally Posted by lordmorgul View Post
    Do some research on what ham radio battery and solar setups typical use in customized ammo boxes. I’d recommend a 12V LifePo4 battery setup with a solar charge controller, AC charger option for when you have fuel for generator, and an inverter to run the AC or better yet construct a DC input for the machine. You may want to have one used normally and a second machine configured for 12V if you’re looking for the duplication for redundancy and alternatives for power source in a disaster.

    I have setup a 50Cal ammo box with 3 10Ah LifePo4 batteries inside that have internal battery management system electronics (3 so there is redundancy if one fails others get recharged without the failed one). To that box I added a Bioenno solar charge controller, Thornwave Labs PowerMon for Bluetooth charge and use monitoring, USB outputs, 12V outputs, 120W Bioenno solar panel (suitcase style two panels folded together). This is heavy so not a back-packing setup, but it will work great for camping, emergency radio Comms, charging laptops and cellphones, etc.

    Once you’ve setup one of these the advantage of being able to reconfigure, replace batteries, insert other adapters, etc is way better than the product being offered by GoalZero or other solar generator companies. They are making commodity products and selling on trend, they will not stand up to hard use, and some are using either Sealed LeadAcid, AGM or Li Ion batteries rather than the far superior and safer LifePo4 technology.


    Andrew - Lancaster, CA
    NRA Life Member, CRPA member, Calguns.net contributor, CGF / SAF / FPC / CCRKBA / GOA / NAGR / NRA-ILA contributor, USCCA member - Support your defenders!
    Almost no cpap machine can run with only 30amp hours backing it up all night. There is virtually no setting for cpap machines that are only going to require 1-2 DC amps per hour. Most cpap machines are around 1 to 2 ac amps. Ac amps are roughly 10 to 1 DC amps. This set up could work for maybe 5 percent of cpap machines settings out there. This isn't even accounting for heat and humidifiers which most use. I have set up systems for cpap machines regularly and not one would be able to run 8 hours on this set up.

  2. #12
    Join Date
    Mar 2018
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    Quote Originally Posted by jstone View Post
    Almost no cpap machine can run with only 30amp hours backing it up all night. There is virtually no setting for cpap machines that are only going to require 1-2 DC amps per hour. Most cpap machines are around 1 to 2 ac amps. Ac amps are roughly 10 to 1 DC amps. This set up could work for maybe 5 percent of cpap machines settings out there. This isn't even accounting for heat and humidifiers which most use. I have set up systems for cpap machines regularly and not one would be able to run 8 hours on this set up.
    The battery size was not a suggested as the right answer, the approach was. Yes an analysis of total load necessary to meet the desired safety, margin, and cloudy day overage to make it sustainable is needed. Also, batteries built this way are expandable infinitely, just more boxes. More batteries is better than bigger batteries.


    Andrew - Lancaster, CA
    NRA Life Member, CRPA member, Calguns.net contributor, CGF / SAF / FPC / CCRKBA / GOA / NAGR / NRA-ILA contributor, USCCA member - Support your defenders!

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