any suggestions for a power source?

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mchurchf
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any suggestions for a power source?

Post by mchurchf »

I have doing a litho and was asked if I could use a battery power source for the LED's. A 9v battery seems to work but does anyone have any suggestions before I make the wrong move? I'm not sure how long the battery will work.

Thanks in advance

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FixitMike
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Re: any suggestions for a power source?

Post by FixitMike »

It will depend upon how much current the LEDs use.

Here's a calculation for one type of LEDs

A 9 volt battery has about 525 mAhours energy.
A 3528 LED strip uses 5 watts for 16.4 feet at 12 Volts.
therefore it uses 1/16.4 x 5 watts per foot at 12 Volts = .305 watts
At 9 Volts it will use 9/12 x .305x1000 milliwatts/foot = 228 milliwatts = 228mA (This is an approximation, the load is not resistive.)
So a one foot length will last about 525/228 = 2.3 hours. A 6 inch strip will last about twice as long.

At 9 volts, it won't be as bright as with a 12 V power supply, of course.
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FixitMike
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Re: any suggestions for a power source?

Post by FixitMike »

I would suggest something like this instead.
http://smile.amazon.com/HitLights-Recha ... +batteries
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dhellew2
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Re: any suggestions for a power source?

Post by dhellew2 »

The downside to using a 9 volt battery is the low output; in other words, they don't last very long. They have about the same amp hours as 6 AAA [hooked in series to make 9 volts]. AA batteries last about 2.5 times, c-batteries last about 4 times, etc.

Hooking batteries in parallel will more than double the run time. Other factors besides the load affect battery life especially internal battery heat caused by high drain loads.

My lighted lithophanes have a dual power source, 9-volt battery or a 9-volt DC adapter [REALLY CHEAP ON EBAY]. The 9-volt battery will only last a couple of days.

The led's should have the power consumption listed somewhere on the label. You will find different descriptions on the labels from different manufactures; Power = Volts x amps = watts = volt-amps
Ampere-hours = the number of hours the battery will last at the given amp load.

Hope this adds to the help already posted.

Dale
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Leo
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Re: any suggestions for a power source?

Post by Leo »

FixitMike wrote:I would suggest something like this instead.
http://smile.amazon.com/HitLights-Recha ... +batteries
This is an AWESOME lead to portable power for the LED lit stuff.

There are a lot of options available.

Love it.

Thank you for the lead.
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mchurchf
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Re: any suggestions for a power source?

Post by mchurchf »

Thanks guys, I think I will suggest a 12vdc converter power source but if he wants to buy the battery pack it's his choice.

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