Good to know! I have cables with an inline 40A fuse and on/off switch. I'm looking forward to trying this supply out
!Running 12v DC equipment on 120v AC (indoors)
- Thread starter mixerbd699
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I use 8 gauge wire coming out of the power supply terminals. One caveat, the 100 amp rating may be a bit inflated. It will run a couple or even several bars at once depending on type and draw, but you can push it (I have) and cause the supply to burn out. I can turn on a wall of flashers on various bars and it doesn't strain it a bit.Good to know! I have cables with an inline 40A fuse and on/off switch. I'm looking forward to trying this supply out
Mine will only be for testing lightbars, beacons, etc, etc. Won't be tied into a bunch of stuff
. I got it for the internal protection measures that my old 50 amp Pyramid (betraying bastard, now stuck in 24V
) didn't have.
Depending on how big/type of bar, The Powermax series seem to be a good choice.
I made this with the supplies I am using. Has some info on a few various supplies too.
Jennifer,
I have tried using two battery chargers for a MX7000 project I am working on and both underpowered the bar horribly. One had 85A start assist and the other 50A start assist. I am thinking that since they are newer somehow without a battery inline, they don't detect the need for higher amps. I hooked the bar up to my diesel pickup with jumper cables and it came to life at full brightness and rotor speed. I am concerned that the "smart charge" features of the Powermax might do the same. I've been watching your video and seems you have good luck with that supply. I am going to be using a Unitrol 8000 series controller to manage the different lights on the bar, as that is the same brand of controller I had on my police car with the MX7000 in the 90s. I am thinking of wiring myself instead of carting it down to the radio shop.
In summary, questions are:
1) Do you think the Powermax is the way to go to fully pull the load of a MX7000 with all lights?
2) Since I am using a switch box that uses pigtails for the 1-2-3 slide switch instead of terminals, are crimp connections ok or should I use some other type connection to connect each wire together (example: Outside rotors only for switch position 2 using the corresponding pigtail from the controller.)
Thanks!
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I use the Powermax extensively and have six or seven of them for my collection. I enjoyed your video, and noticed that you mentioned that the Powermax supply you have fluctuates in power output after awhile. It is a three stage charger and is made to do that for battery maintenance. The newer supplies have a small switch on the side to either used the supply for three stage battery maintenance, or to have steady 12v output. The older Powermax chargers do not. You probably already knew this.
Yes, I only run it in constant output for powering lights. Mine does have the switch to put it into charge mode too. Mine has the 3 stage in charge mode but some have 4 stage too. It starts to fluctuate when nearing capacity but part of the load varies (like with using flashers). Otherwise just using rotators/steady load runs great.
Glad ya liked the video. Lots of different power setups out there so I just wanted to share mine.
As you can see, chargers do not make good power supplies.
The powermax are typically a power supply/charger combo in one. They have a recessed switch to pick from one of the 2 modes. They come in a range of outputs so bigger is better for power hungry bars. A fully loaded MX can draw over 50 amps. I have been very happy with mine for running lights and using as a charger.
As for the connections, you should be fine with a good crimp and quality connectors. If the connection doesn't get warm/hot then you should be good. The cheap amazon connectors are likely to give you issues. Menards/Home Depot carry decent ones.
I got my Powermax in and it is working out great. The only minor negative is that it does not have an on/off switch.