the regulators I noted in the schematic can handle the full 12V direct from the battery. Besides, cutting a battery gets crap into the acid/water and will shorten the charge life of the battery. On a note slightly the same, keep the batteries warm. it helps them last longer. about 90 - 100 deg F should be about right (figured this out when I was in the local electric car team. the car was US champ due to my endless testing of the batteries for performance and of course the driver was a big help.) I am currently trying to figure out a way to get duel supply (V+ and V-) from a single set of batteries. doing so would help in charging. somebody mentioned taping the 12VDC output of a generator to take over and charge the batteries when the power fails. I'm not sure if this would work or not. in order to charge a battery, the charge supply must have a slightly higher voltage than the battery. I think most chargers are around 13 or 14 volts. check with the manufacture of the generator for more information concerning this. -Travis >From: CapAAVSO@....... >Reply-To: psn-l@.............. >To: psn-l@.............. >Subject: Re: Gas Generator recommendations >Date: Tue, 8 May 2001 21:54:02 EDT >MIME-Version: 1.0 >Received: from [216.100.224.130] by hotmail.com (3.2) with ESMTP id >MHotMailBCC1F5FA00994004310CD864E08210090; Tue May 08 19:27:14 2001 >Received: from imo-m08.mx.aol.com (unverified [64.12.136.163]) by >sys5.webtronics.com (Rockliffe SMTPRA 4.5.4) with ESMTP id >for ; Tue, 8 May >2001 18:56:15 -0700 >Received: from CapAAVSO@......... imo-m08.mx.aol.com (mail_out_v30.10.) id >x.9c.e2d0ad5 (3986) for ; Tue, 8 May 2001 21:54:03 >-0400 (EDT) >From larry_cochrane@.............. Tue May 08 19:28:41 2001 >Message-ID: <9c.e2d0ad5.2829fd3a@.......> >X-Mailer: AOL 4.0 for Windows 95 sub 114 >Sender: psn-l-request@.............. > >In a message dated 5/8/01 11:44:13 PM GMT Daylight Time, >travis5765@........... writes: > ><< Re: the direct battery powered computer: ............ > > A computer generally has 4 power sources. +12VDC, -12VDC, +5VDC, and >-5VDC. > all sources are needed to run the computer. > >> >Hi Karl and Travis, > >What do you think of this idea: > >1) buy three 12 volt deep charge RV-marine batteries. > >2) Cut into the middle of the top of one battery to find the lead crossover >terminal that connects the six 2.1 V individual cells in series (wear eye >protection in case you accidentally short something out and make >fireworks). >Test the terminal you uncovered with a voltmeter to make sure there is 6.3 >V >to either of the two normal terminals of the battery. If it is the right >crossover solder a heavy copper wire to it to make it into a center tapped >12-volt battery that is a dual +6.3 V -6.3 V power supply. Hook a 5V >voltage >regulator to each 6.3 volt leg and now you have the regulated +5V and -5V >required to run the computer The center tap should go to neutral on the >computer. > >3) Connect the other two 12V batteries in series and their center to >neutral >on the computer. Put a 12V regulator on each 12.6 V (when fully charged) >battery and you have the plus 12V and minus 12V regulated power required by >the computer. > >4) Connect three battery chargers, one to each 12V battery. These should be >the type that automatically shut down so they don't overcharge the >batteries. >I have one from Sears that puts out 5-Amps on the high setting. > >5) Hook a 12V DC/120V AC inverter to any one of the three 12V batteries to >run your monitor and seismo. Now if the California Independent System >Operator (ISO), shuts your power grid down your computer and seismo won't >even know about it and you won't miss that big one. (Murphy's law almost >guarantees this will happen;-). > >Of course you will need a gasoline or propane powered generator if the ISO >turns you off for long stretches of time. If you are optimistic about >California's electrical power problem being solved in the near future don't >bother getting the generator :-). I live in a rural farm county in New >Jersey >but our power grid gets overloaded too. Another bigger problem we have here >is ice storms and big wind storms that blow trees down across the power >lines >and leave us without power sometimes for days until the work crews get >things >fixed again. I live on top of a mountain and last summer lightning zapped >my >modem and also the modem in my fax machine despite the power line surge >protectors that supposedly also protected the phone lines (read the fine >print on these things and you will see that lighting surges are the one >thing >they don't guarantee to protect you from! ). It cost me ~$150 to have new >modems installed and if had built the independent battery system described >above I would have saved the modems (if I had remembered to disconnect the >phone lines). I welcome your thoughts and comments on the above. > >Best regards, >Cap >__________________________________________________________ > >Public Seismic Network Mailing List (PSN-L) > >To leave this list email PSN-L-REQUEST@.............. with >the body of the message (first line only): unsubscribe >See http://www.seismicnet.com/maillist.html for more information. _________________________________________________________________ Get your FREE download of MSN Explorer at http://explorer.msn.com __________________________________________________________ Public Seismic Network Mailing List (PSN-L)
Larry Cochrane <cochrane@..............>