Q-103: Now that I am using more and more Li-Poly batteries I find that
I am doing far less field-type charging from my automobile battery and tend to
be charging more at home. I would prefer not sitting out on my driveway
monitoring my battery charging. What kind of 115 VAC power supply would you
recommended that will supply 12 volts for charging right in my shop?
A-103: Years ago I bought a heavy duty 12-volt power supply from Larry
Sribnick of SR Batteries Inc. It was rated at 10 amps and has done an excellent
job for me up until the present time. I’m not sure if Larry carries this supply
any longer, but you might check that out at:
www.srbatteries.com.
I noticed recently that RadioShack is offering a heavy-duty, 12-volt DC power supply (#22-510) that is capable of up to 25 amps continuous output. This supply operates from 115 VAC or household power. I would think that a 25-amp supply would handle the needs of most modelers. The price tag of $99.95 makes this quite a bargain.
By the way, the actual output voltage claimed for any of these units is 13.8 volts. That is the average working voltage of a charged car battery. The term 12 volts DC is just an average or nominal number that we seem to use for identification purposes. Rest assured this is the power level we need when replacing the car battery itself.