[miklorsmith]

I'd like to power a standalone burner with a SLA battery as an experiment.  The burner says "12v input", the companion switch mode power supply says "12v out".

Any problems?  I know people connect tiny Altmann products straight to a car battery.  If that works . . .

Thanks in advance.

[TerryO]

I'd like to power a standalone burner with a SLA battery as an experiment.  The burner says "12v input", the companion switch mode power supply says "12v out".

Any problems?  I know people connect tiny Altmann products straight to a car battery.  If that works . . .

Thanks in advance.

There are a few around Seattle that do exactly what you've proposed. Remember that a car battery usually outputs 13+ volts, I seem to remember that 13.8 Volts was in the ballpark. A very well regulated, stiff PS might be even better. Remember that the standalone burner needs to be placed on a platform, preferably with roller blocks for isolation. A really good platform is the one from FIM, they're sold locally, try this  website: www.Kosmic.us

Best Regards,
TerryO

[miklorsmith]

OK, I'm ready to try some battery experimentation.  I was looking at e-bay for a linear supply.  It seems most of the "12v" supplies actually output 13.8 volts.  Is the burner looking for a "true" 12v source or is there a range of acceptability here?

Thanks again.

[Speedskater]

That's how a automobile lead-acid battery works. The 12 volt battery is made-up with six 2 volts cells, but each 2 volt cell really puts out 2.2 or 2.3 volts. What you might do is get two 8 volt golf cart batteries, then you would have 17.6 to 18.4 volts available, which could be dropped to 12 volts with a regulator. But lead-acid battery prices have just increased a lot.

[JoshK]

Does the burner say how much current it demands?  Like on the back?  That is a needed parameter if you are going to build a regulator.   

If you are going to build a regulator though, I'd just build a whole PSU.  I don't really see the point of battery powered regulator in that case.   

The current draw isn't likely to be constant for a burner. You can use a voltage divider to drop the voltage (with resistors and/or caps).  You can always try with 13.8v.  I'd guess it'd be ok, but don't know for sure. 

If you plan to use this as a transport, I think SLA's aren't going to be worth the effort, but that is my guess.

[DaveC113]

Actually, most cars run ~ 14V with the alternator charging the battery. The battery alone is probably ~12.5V.

It should work fine without reducing voltage, but measure just to be sure 

Dave