I've got something similar to provide power in the field to a mobile ham radio, that another ham (K5CW) helped put together for me. I picked up a Shuriken brand battery (gel cell), designed to power megablaster stereos in vehicles, and hooked it up parallel with a switching power supply from Radio Shack. They're wired into a Saratoga Powerpanel, and from there to the radio. I can switch between the battery and power supply as needed, and the whole thing fits into an audiophile's "luggage case" designed to carry and protect 33-1/3 LPs. (anybody remember those? lol) I've also got a trickle charger to recharge the Shuriken off wall current when it's low. The Shuriken will power the radio for 6-8 hours in the field depending on how much transmitting vs. receiving I do, and it's no bigger than a motorcycle battery.Russell wrote:So..... I have been mulling over making my own portable AC power supply, by building a box that holds three 12V car batteries, all wired in parallel into a DC to AC inverter.
I went with the Shuriken gel cell instead of a regular auto battery because it can be mounted sideways or even upside down without danger, and it allowed me to mount it sideways in The Box to save space. Regular lead-acid batteries shouldn't be tipped. A lead-acid would have been cheaper but no guarantees that my setup wouldn't get tipped or flung around a bit in a field situation,
I don't know how much/long you'll be able to effectively draw off several batteries before they needed recharging, but as far as my limited knowledge goes, I don't see why you couldn't come up with something that would work. Whether it would be cost effective is another thing!
Good luck & let us know how it works out!
