Anyone seeking electronics help?

Look in to some low wattage solar system kits, they should have everything you need included to setup what you're looking for I think. If you have some bucks you could convert to as much solar as possible and use less off the grid and even sell your unused back to the electric company.

 

People do it all the time actually. It is costly no matter how you look at it. Its an investment that will pay you back over a long period of time.

 

I agree that it is alot of money but If I can screw mt powercompany out of a few hundred dollars a month I will try it. ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D

 

I realized that after I made the recommendation, this is the stuff I use for massive server/UPS systems. Its expensive but its the best you can buy IMO.

Lets start this way : Take all the systems you could do without during a power outage, IE: MH, VHO, T5 or even high draw LED systems. Power heads might not be needed as well, you could still keep water flowing by keeping your return pump on backup and making sure you dont loose siphon (if you backup your pump make sure you create a water level kill switch kinda device)

Also, when using your own batteries, lets make sure we dont use any "spillable battery", A non spillable lead acid battery would be best. Another tip, never place a battery on a floor, especially concrete.

Taking non critical things out will significantly reduce the cost and prolong the run time of the backup.


Another thing that UPS backups do, is clean voltage, it uses the batteries to keep voltage drops and spikes from going to your devices, this really isnt necessary outside the computer world.. except for the surge suppression portion. So there is another cost reducer.

Thoughts?

 

Amen to that! Let me know if you do make the investment, if you see a product or kit that you like, I will do my best to assist.

This really isnt my area, but to put it bluntly, electricity is electricity.. I can figure it out ;D

 

Goin out of town for the next 5 or so days, if someone else needs help or has an idea please post and/or PM and Ill help ya out when I get back

 

I agree with you - those server backup units are pricey - but they look like the best option available - especially with what you mentioned about the AC/DC conversions and their inherent dangers!

I feel as though I can run bare bones with just my pump and a single 300 watt heater.

That still puts me at an intermittent load of 115 - 415 watts.

Do you think I could get away with killing the return pump and just running a single PH pointed at the surface with say a backup airpump? Those air pumps cant draw more than a few watts can they? Like maybe 10 watts?

If so, then I can manage to run with just the single powerhead at about 15 watts plus the heater and air pump - that would cut me down to a constant draw of about 25 watts and a intermittent or surge draw of up to 325 watts.

That seems manageable. . . .

 

With that small a load, how long do you want power...

 

This was a great gesture by the original poster to help others! My intention is not to hijack the thread, but to help him out a bit in perhaps narrowing down his request list. A bit of insight: electronics as they relate to our hobby is of upmost importance, but backup power is a bit more complicated. Some of this has been covered in this old thread, but for those information-hungry folks, here's a brief synopsis.

Backup power has come a long way; but one thing has not changed: high inductive loads like motors, and halides--can exhaust a backup power device in minutes. The common UPS we see on sale at CompUSA or Best Buy are for computers mostly, and are made more to prevent shutdown (data loss) than to sustain operation. A computer can remain on for hours or more on a UPS if you're checking email or writing a Word document. Unfortunately, if you're watching a DVD, or playing a game that spins the hard drive full-time, that backup time decreases fast. Furthermore; the devices we utilize in our tanks draw much more than computers, and, well. . . .you get the idea.

The take away here; is to be aware that expectations should not be too high when it comes to backup power currently.

Ever see the $59 inverter at the auto parts store? Ever hear the adage, "you get what you pay for?" Motors really do need a pure sine wave (that squiggly line on the graph). The cheaper inverters create a chopped, sawed-off, square, truncated, or otherwise diminished form of sine wave that works fine for many applications, but is pretty bad for a motor. Without an exhaustive explanation, a motor loves a true sine wave. Ever see an inverter for $699? That's the one. By the time you've purchased that inverter, you'd have little money left for clothing or food!

Powerhouses and industrial settings that rely on temporary backup power utilize inverters; but they have rooms dedicated to batteries, and these batteries are changed out every few months, and said batteries are on full-time AC trickle chargers just to keep them in shape. Furthermore, as a poster above asked about--solar uses similar technology. Another consideration is there is specialized circuitry involved to kill "house power" during a power failure, and allow the inverters to do their thing. Solar systems work on this principle. Panels turn light into voltage, and this voltage charges batteries that supply inverters. These systems are VERY expensive, and probably cost prohibitive for most of us aquarists.

In conclusion, the OP mentions that he can assist with schematics and electronic control; so if you have a question about a wiring diagram, by all means ask--but you might be asking for more than today's technology offers when you ask the question, "how can I run my tank off a battery if a hurricane hits my neck of the woods.

Let's not kill gemini with stray bullets, all.

 

You put it better than I did

Messing with creating these sorts of things can be.... Interesting to say the least.

I'd rather be safe than sorry, some of the things I a comfortable doing would be downright dangerous for folks that are experienced elsewhere.