Looking for non-CPAP device for occassional use

[alansanmateo]

So, I can connect the ResMed S9 directly to a car/car battery using the $90 cig. kighter plug

Can I connect the $$$ ResMed battery to a solar panel to recharge them??

[Sleepster]

As far as I know, no you cannot. Maybe two car batteries connected in series. My understanding is that ResMed machines operate on 24 volts DC. If I had one it'd be easy enough to verify. Just look at the power brick and read what's written on it.

Phillips Respironics System One machines, on the other hand, do run on 12 volts DC. But even so I wouldn't connect mine directly to a car battery. I purchased the cable recommended and sold by the manufacturer. It has two large, what appear to be inductors, in the cable. It also has two inline fuses.

[SuperSleeper]

So, I can connect the ResMed S9 directly to a car/car battery using the $90 cig. kighter plug

Can I connect the $$$ ResMed battery to a solar panel to recharge them??

I'm not sure what "$90 cig lighter plug" you're talking about, but you may wish to read my review of the ResMed 12/24 volt DC Converter for S9 units, here:

http://www.apneaboard.com/forums/Thread-...-old-forum

That may be the unit you're talking about perhaps?

With that converter, you can connect an S9 CPAP to the car battery, but one problem is that if you run the CPAP for 8 hours using a standard automotive battery, it's likely to drain it down enough that by morning, you may not be able to start the car, and deep discharges will damage a standard car battery. You really need a separate Marine (deep cycle) battery for the CPAP machine that is not also being used to start a car. Deep Cycles are made to be discharged deeper than standard 12 volt car batteries.

[archangle]

As far as I know, no you cannot. Maybe two car batteries connected in series. My understanding is that ResMed machines operate on 24 volts DC. If I had one it'd be easy enough to verify. Just look at the power brick and read what's written on it.

Phillips Respironics System One machines, on the other hand, do run on 12 volts DC. But even so I wouldn't connect mine directly to a car battery. I purchased the cable recommended and sold by the manufacturer. It has two large, what appear to be inductors, in the cable. It also has two inline fuses.

The "$90 cigarette lighter plug" converts the 12V to 24V, although it will run off of 24V as well. You cannot use a standard battery to power a ResMed machine without the ResMed DC converter. You cannot even do that if you wire two 12V batteries in series to get 24V.

If you're talking about the $700 ResMed Power Station II, it does not require the $90 ResMed DC converter. It's a lithium ion battery. Lithium ion batteries should ONLY be charged with the specified manufacturer's power supply or failure, or even fire may result. You cannot charge it with a solar panel.

If you are talking about a lead acid battery like a car battery or "gel cell," yes, you can charge that with a solar panel, but it may take a rather large solar panel system to keep it charged. You also have to have a large enough battery to make it through a few cloudy days in a row. Long term, you need a "charge controller" between the batteries and the solar panel or you'll get a short lifetime on your battery.

[Sleepster]

You cannot use a standard battery to power a ResMed machine without the ResMed DC converter. You cannot even do that if you wire two 12V batteries in series to get 24V.

Do they run off 24 volt AC?

[archangle]

You cannot use a standard battery to power a ResMed machine without the ResMed DC converter. You cannot even do that if you wire two 12V batteries in series to get 24V.

Do they run off 24 volt AC?

No, it's 24V DC, plus a mysterious third wire that sends some sort of information about what kind of power supply the machine is attached to. The CPAP machine will refuse to operate in some circumstances if you have the wrong supply. For instance, if you have the humidifier and heated hose, but have the 30W power supply, it will refuse to operate.

If you hook 24V DC to the power plug, I don't know what the machine will do if you don't feed the correct signal on the third wire. I suspect it's designed to only operate with a ResMed approved power supply, but I don't know anyone who's actually done the experiment. I don't know if the signal is a simple voltage, or if it's something like a coded data signal.

I'd be really interested if someone with an oscilloscope or other tools would check it out and see what it really does.

The connector is also proprietary. I don't know if you can obtain the connector other than cutting one off a ResMed power supply.

[alansanmateo]

Grr. This is not simple.

The solar panel kit I have does have a controller on it.

I would like to charge the ResMed battery by connecting it to my camper via a cigarette lighter plug. The camper has a battery on it. I would also connect solar panels to the camper.

But if the ResMed battery must be charged from AC, then I am out of luck. I may need to buy the double Res Med battery. Ugh.

(But I can charge my iphone from my camper, when the camper battery is being charged by the solar panels.....

I trust you that I can't charge the ResMed battery with the solar panels.)

Your thoughts are much appreciated.

[alansanmateo]

FYI, it IS correct that the ResMed battery unit MUST be charged via plugging in to AC - it can not be charged via DC

but there are LiON solutions that CAN be charged via DC

[cat_lover]

The supplier I'm looking at doesn't carry the 10 day starter pack. They sell the 30 day supply for $75 US.

Since this isn't covered by insurance, you can use any supplier. If you google "Provent 10 day" you will find suppliers that do.

My son loves Provent -- for the first time in years he is not yawning all the time, less irritable, more resilient. His problem is sleep fragmentation though, not desats, and he is not a mouth breather, so Provent is a more natural fit. He is scheduled for a Provent polysomnography in a few weeks, so we will have objective data afterwards.

Still, I love your idea of oxymetry + Zeo. I am tempted to purchase a Zeo myself so that we coud see his sleep architecture is from night to night, and correlate to how he's feeling the next day.

If you do a case study on yourself and are able to keep your mouth closed, please publish. Do include enough info about your situation (CPAP pressure, desats, ....) so folks will know if the result likely applies to them.

You have extra challenges due to your high CPAP pressure and the fact that you require a chin strap. With your CPAP pressure, I do not know if the Provent will give you enough back pressure to keep your airway open; it will be interesting to see. And also, with Provent you exhale through your mouth while awake, and with a chin strap that does not work. On the one hand, if your mouth exhalations are a result of the high CPAP pressure, with PROVENT that might well disappear. On the other hand, if you do need the strap, you could train yourself to do meditation breathing -- i.e. inhale and exhale slowly, exhaling on a count of 7, so you would not feel the restricted exhalation while awake. It is relaxing; my son says that this focus on slow breathing helps him fall asleep.

[cat_lover]

But I am not familiar with one using the same [Provent] for more than one night - the glue on the strip would normally not hold for a second application.

We easily get two nights on Provent; sometimes I get three. No magic required.

The adhesive is very strong. If I clean your nostrils well beforehand, and am careful to store the Provent patches with adhesive up (or attached to the original backing), the glue is usually still adhesive enough.

And the glue on one of the two patches is not fine, I only need to replace that one. I feel a gap within seconds of putting both on and slowly exhaling through both nostrils. At that point I either adjust one to get rid of a gap, or remove the ill-sticking Provent patch and use a new one for that nostril.