YOUR VINTAGE CAMPER
(FROM OLD COMPUTER POWER SUPPLY)
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Recently,
there has been some discussion about batteries and 12 volt dc power
for various 12 v dc items in a vintage camper. A battery is easy enough
to get as well a convertor to give you the 12 v dc power when connected
to an a c source and can also charge your battery. Of
course there is a cost involved in either one of these. If you
have a vintage camper and would like a power source for some 12 v dc
items, a relatively good inexpensive one can be made from an old
computer power supply. If you need
this for when you are at
a campground connected to a c power, then you really don't even need a
battery, so this could be a good way to get the 12 v dc power
inexpensively. And, these power supplies are regulated very good
and can offer various voltages other than 12 v dc. Also, you can find
different wattage power supplies, which the higher the "wattage rating"
the more dc amps of power will be available. So, look around if you
need a certain amount of dc power ie: a 120 watt rated power
supply will provide 10 amps of dc power. If you need 20 amps of
dc power, then you would need a power supply rated at 240 watts or
higher. If you keep in mind the basic formula of : (volts)
12 vdc TIMES (dc amps needed) will = (wattage needed)
ie: 12 vdc X 20 amps = 240 watt power supply needed.
If you are not an electrician but are handy, this is probably something that most of us can do fairly easy. I have an old power supply and had this idea in mind, but I am giving credit to Ken for coming across this very good web site to Convert a Computer ATX Power Supply to a Lab Power Supply. You can find these power supplies in various places as there are lots of old computers around : ie: Goodwill store, friend or in local ads. Being an electrician I am familiar with doing this, but I am giving credit to the above linked web site for a lot of good information. The web site above is a very good "HOW TO" on doing this conversion to a power supply. It is written well with pictures and other associated links.
If you are not an electrician but are handy, this is probably something that most of us can do fairly easy. I have an old power supply and had this idea in mind, but I am giving credit to Ken for coming across this very good web site to Convert a Computer ATX Power Supply to a Lab Power Supply. You can find these power supplies in various places as there are lots of old computers around : ie: Goodwill store, friend or in local ads. Being an electrician I am familiar with doing this, but I am giving credit to the above linked web site for a lot of good information. The web site above is a very good "HOW TO" on doing this conversion to a power supply. It is written well with pictures and other associated links.
Below
is a picture
of the power supply and if 
you
are interested in making one of these power supplies, you should goto
the web site and read the article a couple of times to make sure you
understand how to do it. There are a couple of things about
computer power supplies (I or Ken did not know) that you need to know
before you begin. Most computer power supplies are made to
operate with a "load" and if you just try to turn it on and use the 12
v dc, it will probably just shut back off. The web site article
shows and explains the use of a "load resistor" to make your
power supply work correctly. Second, some power supplies may use
control wire(s) to indicate "power on/power good" and maybe a wire to
"sense" the power is on for proper operation. The web site
article explains this very well and how to connect them so your power
supply will work correctly. You can make this for just 12 v dc
power or if you have needs for the other voltages available, the
article explains how to do this well. I think if you are
handy and read the article and follow how to do it, you can get a good
inexpensive power supply for your vintage camper. Good luck !
There are various ways to connect the power supply in your vintage camper. One way would be to use a multiple dc power port and then just connect the power supply 12 v dc wires to a cigarette lighter plug to plug into the 12 vdc power port. Then you plug your dc items into the power port.
Another way would be permanent wiring. You would need to have a terminal strip to connect all your dc items too and then the power supply would be the 12 v dc source to this strip. It could be that simple or you could have a switch to turn the power supply on and off and also incorporate fuses or circuit breakers for each 12 v dc item you have connected. It all depends on "how" you want it and how much money and time you want to spend doing it.
For me, I currently use a portable power supply which I plug into a 4 outlet power port. I have my overhead light wired and plugged into this power port. My tv/dvd can run on dc power and I plug it in to this power port as well. I have a cb that plugs into this power port too. My thermo electric cooler would use the last port, if on battery. I have plans to use the power supply and a deep cycle battery to plug into this power port, depending on where I am camping. In the primitive mode will be battery and at campground, the power supply. I am tinkering with the idea of the power supply to charge the battery as well and I will add more if this is accomplished.
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Web page created by Larry Bush: March 09.2007 --- Edited: 3.12.2008
Serro Scotty ~ Vintage Campers ©
All Rights Reserved
_________________________________
you
are interested in making one of these power supplies, you should goto
the web site and read the article a couple of times to make sure you
understand how to do it. There are a couple of things about
computer power supplies (I or Ken did not know) that you need to know
before you begin. Most computer power supplies are made to
operate with a "load" and if you just try to turn it on and use the 12
v dc, it will probably just shut back off. The web site article
shows and explains the use of a "load resistor" to make your
power supply work correctly. Second, some power supplies may use
control wire(s) to indicate "power on/power good" and maybe a wire to
"sense" the power is on for proper operation. The web site
article explains this very well and how to connect them so your power
supply will work correctly. You can make this for just 12 v dc
power or if you have needs for the other voltages available, the
article explains how to do this well. I think if you are
handy and read the article and follow how to do it, you can get a good
inexpensive power supply for your vintage camper. Good luck !There are various ways to connect the power supply in your vintage camper. One way would be to use a multiple dc power port and then just connect the power supply 12 v dc wires to a cigarette lighter plug to plug into the 12 vdc power port. Then you plug your dc items into the power port.
Another way would be permanent wiring. You would need to have a terminal strip to connect all your dc items too and then the power supply would be the 12 v dc source to this strip. It could be that simple or you could have a switch to turn the power supply on and off and also incorporate fuses or circuit breakers for each 12 v dc item you have connected. It all depends on "how" you want it and how much money and time you want to spend doing it.
For me, I currently use a portable power supply which I plug into a 4 outlet power port. I have my overhead light wired and plugged into this power port. My tv/dvd can run on dc power and I plug it in to this power port as well. I have a cb that plugs into this power port too. My thermo electric cooler would use the last port, if on battery. I have plans to use the power supply and a deep cycle battery to plug into this power port, depending on where I am camping. In the primitive mode will be battery and at campground, the power supply. I am tinkering with the idea of the power supply to charge the battery as well and I will add more if this is accomplished.
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Web page created by Larry Bush: March 09.2007 --- Edited: 3.12.2008
Serro Scotty ~ Vintage Campers ©
All Rights Reserved
_________________________________