Make Rechargeable Battery Pack?

[jeebowhite]

Hi guys, random question... Does anyone know if there is a way to take rechargeable batteries and turn them into a rechargeable pack? I want to turn a device requiring batteries into the equivalent of a mains powered device.

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[AdeMk1]

Depending on what batteries you use you would need quite a few to run a mains powered device, unless you use an inverter then you could run it off a 12v motorbike battery.

What are you wanting to run off the battery?

[BigD]

Funny you should mention - I was reading this on Instructables quite recently. Personally I don't have the balls to try anything like this, but, knock yourself out.

http://www.instructables.com/id/How-to-Make-AC-Powered-Batteries-for-your-DC-Pow/

By the way - obviously it goes without saying that you'll be doing this entirely at your own risk. The only thing I would add that I didn't see mentioned in the guide, is to make sure to use a REGULATED power supply. An unregulated one (which will be cheaper) will almost certainly fry whatever it is you're trying to give power to.

[stef123]

James I used to make up battery packs with cells, soldering them up with metal plates across the terminals... Not sure on your application though..

[jeebowhite]

Would have helped if I explained more lol.

Looking to make a home made pack for a camera so I can plug it in to charge in the car. It's weird but I fancied looking into it.

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[AdeMk1]

Why not just use a 500w 12v to 240v Inverter for the car & charge them with the house charger?

Or am i over simplifying it?! :p

[Turvey]

Or even....

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/31irDuPUPYL.jpg

plus

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/410wOGvSPSL._SX342_.jpg

Obviously making sure you get the correct lead ;)

[Incontro]

Why not just use a 500w 12v to 240v Inverter for the car & charge them with the house charger?

Or am i over simplifying it?! :p

Good advice, I would also highly recommend one of these, you can plug in just about anything.

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[FOCA]

Would have helped if I explained more lol.

Looking to make a home made pack for a camera so I can plug it in to charge in the car. It's weird but I fancied looking into it.

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Ford OC mobile app

Its possible to get combined mains/ 12 chargers for some cameras -

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Battery-Charger-for-Canon-LP-E8-EOS-700D-650D-600D-550D-Kiss-X4-X5-X6i-X7-/231010317596#ht_5147wt_1164

this is smaller, tidier, neater and more efficient than using an inverter

If you use an inverter you are converting the 12v into 240v AC, then the mains charger converts the 240v AC into a low DC voltage - an untidy/ inneficient (each stage is not 100% efficient) way of doing it as you already have a 12v DC supply in the car

If the camara has a socket for a PSU a DC - DC step down converter could be used

If you let me know the make/ model of camera and the (DC) voltage i could probably come up with something

[jeebowhite]

thanks for your advice guys! and no your not over simplifying it, but yes, you are :D

Basically I have a digital camera that I want to use as a rear view dashcam... Basically the thing only runs on three AAA batteries, no mains input, so I cant just plug it in to a cigarette lighter. The USB doesnt power the device, as it just reads when the thing is switched on.

The easy answer is to buy another dashcam and fit, but I dont have the capital for that. so the plan was to take three run of the mill rechargeable batteries, do some cheap magic, and then plug them into the camera. Then, find a means of connecting them to a power source. Then I can just turn the device on, it runs on the batteries, and the 12v input then charges the batteries as they are being used!

Also this would help if I could do it for other similar devices, so I dont need to keep taking the darned batteries out to charge them, just plug them in by some means! :p

Its lazy, and the cheap way around of doing it, but I wanted to see if it was possible, achieved previously, or if I was looking at an impossible situation. I anticipated the latter, but wondered if there was some way to do it! :p

[AdeMk1]

No problem James, I understand what you mean now!

I thought you just wanted to charge a battery pack from the car, not actually run it from the car :)

Must be some simple way of doing it, all you need is a 4.5v feed (I know a USB port is powered at 5v so thats not too far away) and some way to connect it to the camera.

Maybe some pics of the battery compartment in the camera would help.

[FOCA]

thanks for your advice guys! and no your not over simplifying it, but yes, you are :D

Basically I have a digital camera that I want to use as a rear view dashcam... Basically the thing only runs on three AAA batteries, no mains input, so I cant just plug it in to a cigarette lighter. The USB doesnt power the device, as it just reads when the thing is switched on.

The easy answer is to buy another dashcam and fit, but I dont have the capital for that. so the plan was to take three run of the mill rechargeable batteries, do some cheap magic, and then plug them into the camera. Then, find a means of connecting them to a power source. Then I can just turn the device on, it runs on the batteries, and the 12v input then charges the batteries as they are being used!

Also this would help if I could do it for other similar devices, so I dont need to keep taking the darned batteries out to charge them, just plug them in by some means! :P

Its lazy, and the cheap way around of doing it, but I wanted to see if it was possible, achieved previously, or if I was looking at an impossible situation. I anticipated the latter, but wondered if there was some way to do it! :P

No problem - you just need a 12v to 4.5v DC-DC converter (3 batteries = 1.5v x 3 = 4.5v, as A has said)

If the camera is only to be used on the car, no need to bother with rechargeable batteries - just wire/ connect the output of the convertor directly to the battery compartment of the camera (making sure the polarity is correct and it the right terminals, of course)

dc- dc converter (various voltages including 4.5v) -

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/DC-DC-CONVERTER-CAR-12V-TO-1-5V-3V-4-5V-6V-7-5V-9V-/260723590586?pt=UK_BOI_Electrical_Components_Supplies_ET&hash=item3cb45645ba#ht_3905wt_1141

[jeebowhite]

Good plan there FOCA, thanks for your feedback as well Ade! might bear it in mind! might not bother as its only £20 for another dashcam, or I could be paying half of that for a gamble on something that isnt really going to do the job as well! :)