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Battery Power for Audio System

As some of you know who've read my prior posts, I have a solar powered home - no "street mains" power. I have been using a 12vdc battery bank to power my David Berning MicroZotl, which has a 12vdc power input. Very clean result. However, my Sony DVP-S9000ES SACD/CD/DVD player cannot use 12vdc power input, so I have been using my Trace power inverter to power that. It has been causing a low level "buzz" in my system. I have now found a new "perfect sine wave" inverter made by Studer-Revox that I have just ordered to see if this fixes the problem. It has toroidal transformers, MosFet outputs, and digital control circuit. It's made for powering portable audio/video recording equipment. Seems like a good bet. I will report on the performance of this product next week, after I take delivery of this unit. This could well be the answer to the mains problems that many are experiencing. I know that several high end mfrs. have known about the superiority of a battery powered system for years. Some have even produced some. The Berning I have works better, more efficiently and quieter on battery than on mains supply. If you have a normal mains supply, you can use a charger to keep the batteries full, and just unplug it when you listen, to keep the line noise out of your system. If I have the success I expect, I will give full details on what to do. The expense is no more than that of many of the power conditioners already on the market. Any comments or questions?
twl
gregm
3,409 posts
 
VERY interesting, Twl! I for one will look forward to your impressions with the new device.
On subject, I have toyed with the idea of using a very large battery supply unit, a model that's used in subs (the marine -- not audio -- version). I had been told (unverified) that such units can be had factory direct at around $1k... Cheers!
twl OP
3,251 posts
 
Greg, I'm not familiar with that type of battery that you mentioned, but I'd like to know about it. I am using a bank of 6 volt Trojan T-105 golf cart batteries in a series/parallel circuit that gives a 12 volt output. These are excellent batteries for this application. They are designed for deep cycling and frequent recharging, and they have a long life expectancy with <50% frequent discharge. They are about the same size as car batteries, but with a much heavier plate structure. They are 220 amp/hrs each. I design solar systems and know firsthand that they work very well over the long term in many customer's home systems that I have designed. One good thing about them is the size is manageable to transport by hand, and you can get the capacity you want by setting up a bank of them.
gregm
3,409 posts
 
T, they're 110/230 V, 120 - 240 Amp rating, generator/ mains rechargeable. They have a limited life (¬ 12 months use) before a relatively cheap service is needed. They can output hi voltage (230V) and lower DC -- but only last about 12 hrs before recharge is necessary. They are extremely uncommodating and ugly. Purportedly, I would need three of these to keep my system from going hungry!

Solar power is fascinating; I met a crazy chap (ex Siemens) who's working on prismatic panels, accelerators, & accumulators to increase efficiency. He claims that he can improve the power generation from the usual 7% to around 35%... If you wish I could try and establish some link and you could exchange notes...
I'm mind-boggled with what you have achieved: living off solar power! Cheers!
twl OP
3,251 posts
 
Greg, the typical solar panel now provides about 13%-15% efficiency levels. The prisms, reflectors and such have all been tested for years now. The problem is the solar cell encapsulation materials can't handle the added heat of the additional reflected and focused light for long. It then yellows and loses efficiency. If you've ever used a solar reflector oven(I have), you'd know how hot the focused sunlight can get. My simple 2'x2' flat reflector oven reaches 400 degrees in 15 minutes. A large one would get to 600 or 700 degrees in just as short at time. So, it sounds good, but doesn't work in practice, yet. But, prices are coming down and the technology is tested and reliable. It is viable for small applications like this audio project and ham transmitters, as well as houses and cabins and RV's.
gregm
3,409 posts
 
Interesting, T, thanks! The only solar power benefit I'm getting at the moment is hot water!
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