sourcing batteries for Transcend, preferably generic

[ger365]

Thank you!

Another idea is to use power banks that are designed for running / charging laptops.

(This forum just blocked my link, so please look for B011BGPUSI on Amazon.)
This battery is 32Ah (vs 5.2Ah for Transcend's PS8 battery), and includes a bunch of laptop plugs. Hopefully one of them fits my CPAP? If so, does that mean I can go backpacking for a whole week!?
The top review is from a CPAP user!

There's a slew of very similar battery products out there. Just look up "power bank for laptops."

I'm not sure what I'd set the voltage to. My AC adaptor says 18V 1.67A, but the PS8 battery is reportedly 14.4V. I can't find device voltage on the device itself or in the documentation.

I'm wondering if power tool batteries can be adapted to power the Transcend. At Home Depot, I see a 2-pack of 18V, 4AH Lithium batteries for US$99. They match the voltage on Transcend's AC adaptor and exceed the amperage shown (1.67A). The P8 on the other hand is $250-300 each. I realize I'll have to attach a plug somehow, get the polarity right, etc. And as Tacoma mentioned, the P8 is only 14.4V. And, the P8 seems to be lighter. But do people see an obvious flaw in what I'm thinking?

I love the idea...
But, ignoring limiting devises to protect the devises...one shows max. draw and the other max. capability. So high current draw may give you 2 hrs per battery...lower settings on blower will give more time. ALL of them "fudge" on the specs...
There are now solar backpacks to charge electronics great for cell phones...but I wouldn't put my life in their hands.
So does the P8 do 6-8 hrs?
Wish someone could send me schematics for the converters so I study them and maybe give others a cheaper way of doing 12/24 volt...
I am the first to admit I'm not the brightest bulb in the chandler...

Guessing again...I am told my apap must us factory adapter to use 12 vt or it won't work. So with that in mind, I think you may get 3 1/2-4 nights with one battery. This has come up a number of times and no one gives data on how things went for them...huhh. Good luck

[Grover64]

Hi

I am in the process of setting my Transcend for use with batteries. This is what I am in the process of doing (once the gods of ebay give up all the equipment).

The machine works on a voltage range of between 14 to 19volts DC. The current that it draws will depend on the volume of air being used, however the supplied power pack is rated at 18 volts DC (that is what the Straight line over the dashed line symbol means, DC). and has a current of 1.67 A. So in theory if the machine drew more than 1.67 A the power pack would not last long. So any power that is required to be deliver must be in the 14 to 19v DC and with the capability to draw 2 Amps (always better to round up).

Most battery packs available easily (that means ebay from China) are Lithium Ion and are 12v DC. So that doesn't fit our need so I need to convert 12v to 14 - 19v. As it has been said before on this forum laptops have a battery that is in this range. As such there are commercially available converters that take the 12v and take it up. Typically these are available in switched increments of about .5 or 1 volt. On ebay they are around AUD 15.00. This then helps by having a device that can be plugged into a car cigarette socket and power the CPAP. The device comes with several plugs and you MUST make sure you get the polarity + and - correct.

On ebay you can find several battery packs in Li-Ion 12v in several sizes. I chose to buy 2 x 5000 mah (5 Amps) packs that came with 240v chargers for approx AUD 35.00. What I will do is use these packs either one at a time or parallel so I can have 12v at 10 000mah (10 Amps).

The tricky bit is the plugs. So you can get all you need for well under AUD 50.00 but you will have to get plugs made up so the batteries can have a cigarette socket on them. This is not rocket science but if you don't know what to do then you will need a hand.

Once I have finished I will post pictures if anyone is interested. Lastly I did think of the 18v cordless drill battery but the issue is the charger is big and bulky and making a plug system would be difficult. By using the 12v system you can even use one of the cigarette lighter USB adapters and charge other things form you batteries. Also light commercially available solar solutions to charge 12v systems can be easy to find (and cheaper).

[PoolQ]

I was just looking on Ebay today. searched for 19VDC power bank. There is one with lots of adapters for plugs. Just FYI

[Grover64]

I was just looking on Ebay today. searched for 19VDC power bank. There is one with lots of adapters for plugs. Just FYI

PoolQ I had a look and I think I saw what you were talking about the one I saw was about AUD 113.00 and had multiple DC voltage output up to 19V and a shed load of adapters for use with laptops. That item would do the job but just doing some rough calculations it would last about 4.5 hours if you were using it at 19V (based on the rated 85W/hrs as stated).
It says it is a 23000 Amp/hr battery but that would be at 5V not 19V.

Having said that it maybe what someone could use easily and as it has other voltages and 5v settings it could be used to charge other pieces of equipment.

[jmann_au]

Hi, have read your article with interest and was wondering if you've made any progress?

Hi

I am in the process of setting my Transcend for use with batteries. This is what I am in the process of doing (once the gods of ebay give up all the equipment).

The machine works on a voltage range of between 14 to 19volts DC. The current that it draws will depend on the volume of air being used, however the supplied power pack is rated at 18 volts DC (that is what the Straight line over the dashed line symbol means, DC). and has a current of 1.67 A. So in theory if the machine drew more than 1.67 A the power pack would not last long. So any power that is required to be deliver must be in the 14 to 19v DC and with the capability to draw 2 Amps (always better to round up).

Most battery packs available easily (that means ebay from China) are Lithium Ion and are 12v DC. So that doesn't fit our need so I need to convert 12v to 14 - 19v. As it has been said before on this forum laptops have a battery that is in this range. As such there are commercially available converters that take the 12v and take it up. Typically these are available in switched increments of about .5 or 1 volt. On ebay they are around AUD 15.00. This then helps by having a device that can be plugged into a car cigarette socket and power the CPAP. The device comes with several plugs and you MUST make sure you get the polarity + and - correct.

On ebay you can find several battery packs in Li-Ion 12v in several sizes. I chose to buy 2 x 5000 mah (5 Amps) packs that came with 240v chargers for approx AUD 35.00. What I will do is use these packs either one at a time or parallel so I can have 12v at 10 000mah (10 Amps).

The tricky bit is the plugs. So you can get all you need for well under AUD 50.00 but you will have to get plugs made up so the batteries can have a cigarette socket on them. This is not rocket science but if you don't know what to do then you will need a hand.

Once I have finished I will post pictures if anyone is interested. Lastly I did think of the 18v cordless drill battery but the issue is the charger is big and bulky and making a plug system would be difficult. By using the 12v system you can even use one of the cigarette lighter USB adapters and charge other things form you batteries. Also light commercially available solar solutions to charge 12v systems can be easy to find (and cheaper).

[Grover64]

jmann_au

I haven't made any progress at the moment as the batteries etc haven't arrived. The Easter Bunny must have held up the mail. As soon as I do I will post pictures etc. BTW I am an accredited designer and installer of stand alone power systems and a new CPAP user so hope I can help others as I have got a lot of help form this forum. I thought maybe I had mild OSA but I had a sleep study a few weeks back and my AHI was 65 and O2 levels falling to 72%. So I have had a big wake up.

Anyway mate will let you know as soon as I have a solution that I can photograph.

Cheers

[Moojar]

jmann_au

I haven't made any progress at the moment as the batteries etc haven't arrived. The Easter Bunny must have held up the mail. As soon as I do I will post pictures etc. BTW I am an accredited designer and installer of stand alone power systems and a new CPAP user so hope I can help others as I have got a lot of help form this forum. I thought maybe I had mild OSA but I had a sleep study a few weeks back and my AHI was 65 and O2 levels falling to 72%. So I have had a big wake up.

Anyway mate will let you know as soon as I have a solution that I can photograph.

Cheers

Hi Grover, I am also keen to hear of your progress.

I am currently looking for something to take my Transcend "off grid" for up to two weeks at a time. Best option I have found so far for a Luddite like myself seems to be the 'goal zero sherpa 100' power pack kit (with 20w solar panel, and USB / 12v / laptop / AC inverter output), combined with the Transcend P8 battery. Total retail for the Sherpa kit plus the P8 battery is close to AUD 1100.00 though.

The P8 ("multi night" battery) has a storage capacity of 5.2 amp hours, and the Sherpa 100 has a capacity of 8.8 Ah. I should not fully deplete the P8 in one night, so I guess that means I will have spare juice in the Sherpa for phones, tablets and a LED light.

I could charge the P8 directly from a solar panel I guess, but prefer to use the intermediate "recharger".

So, as I say, keen to hear of your progress...

[Moojar]

^

Just to follow up / pass on some information, I have purchased a 'portable power kit with 20w solar' from pocketpoweraustralia dot com dot au. At AUD380 currently, it is less expensive than just the Transcend P8 battery alone (which sells for AUD395+ in Australia, equivalent to around USD300). Plus as the kit includes a variety of plug adaptors, one of which fits the Transcend, it saves me from purchasing the Transcend 'cigarette lighter' 12V adaptor.

The website is not easy to navigate, but the kit can be found in the 'solar panels and accessories' section.

The photo on the site has a (skinny) fellow holding a Transcend Auto CPAP machine hooked up to the kit. I had a few questions and spoke to the seller, who tells me the guy with the Transcend Auto reports getting two nights use out of a full charge. Once I receive mine I will simulate "off grid" use for a few nights and report the results.

Cheers.

[pl99]

I just bought a laptop power bank from Amazon, and would like to report on powering my CPAP for 4 nights on my camping trip! First, an update — I switched from Transcend to Respironics System One 560. While I loved the portability of Transcend, my Kaiser doc gave me a WatchPAT test with it which showed my RDI at 12 and Oxygen saturation < 90%. With Respironics, my RDI was near 8, O2 > 94%. I also find the Respironics much more comfortable to use; sometimes I even forget it’s on. For car camping, bringing the Respironics was a no-brainer.

Onto camping — I successfully powered my Respironics for 4 nights using the Intocircuit 32,000mAh power bank, no humidifier, no heated tube, etc. Overnight lows were in the 40sF (maybe 5C). I kept my CPAP and power bank in the car truck as much as possible. It was moist, but luckily didn't rain when the machine was in my tent at night. I was averaging about 7-8 hrs per night sleep. My pressure readings with Respironics are comparable to those I reported earlier with Transcend. According to my Kill-a-Watt meter, my Respironics peaks at around 15W except when I have the mask off (i.e. air blowing freely) which then registers a 33W reading. Doing the latter tripped my power bank completely, so it’s probably best practice to put your mask on before turning on the CPAP. But, it was easy enough to turn the power bank back on even after tripping it.

If you’re in the market, look up “laptop power bank” on Amazon or similar and scrutinize the reviews a bit. I got mine for US$120. Be sure the power bank can put out the voltage required by your CPAP (eg as indicated on the included AC power adaptor). My CPAP takes 12V. I also wanted my power bank to feed my Mac Book Pro, which is listed as 16.5V. My power bank outputs 16V, which seems satisfactory. I get a bit more than one laptop charge with it. Unfortunately, my Transcend takes 18V… and their branded battery is rated 14.4V. I was not able to find a power bank that outputs those voltages. Perhaps 16V might work with Transcend also -- haven't done that experiment yet.

Intocircuit provides a mixed bag of plugs designed to accommodate various devices, including most PC laptops and (probably) your CPAP. There are USB ports for phones, which seem to draw about 10-15% for one full charge. There is no Mac plug included. I purchased an "i-smile T-Head Power Bank Male Connector for MagSafe 2" separately, which works like a charm.

See you on the trails!

[natyprueba]

bunter.

I got very bad experience with generic batteries. I have bought them for : laptops, smart phones, tablets, portable hand tools, photo cameras, etc.
I only got an advice: do not fall for generic batteries "Made in China", because in the majority of the cases the specification printed in the batteries are wrong, and they last half the time that they are suppose to last.
I think that you must pick your batteries carefully. You got the habit to use a CPAP machine, if for any trouble you must sleep with out your machine, or your machine stops after 3 hours of use, you will have a very bad sleeping night and nobody around you will understand why.
If you got enough money to go as far a New Zealand and stay over there for a vacation, you must not think to save a few bucks in one item that you need as bad as food.
I am sorry for telling my thoughts, I did not pretended to be rude, but I was.
Note: I remember something else. The portable battery break out. All the batteries manufactures say that their batteries don't have memory and don't need a break out. That is not true. In a brand new portable battery you need to charge it @ 100% and used and discharge it until around 5%. You must repeat this process 3-4 times, better not do it in the same day.
Enjoy your trip.
Ralph.

Ralph.