powering car using grid

I wish my car had a power cord so that when I was home I could plug it in and use the car electrical systems, stereo, AC, wipers, lights, power windows, etc. indefinitely while not running the engine and alternator without fear of draining the starter battery.

Please please please give me a solution that would duplicate this missing functionality from my car. How can I plug my car in to a wall socket?

Thanks guys.

I would think a good high Amp 12v battery charger would do what you need. AC probably wouldn't work though since most car AC units run off the engine's accessory belt (assuming you mean Air Conditioning; running engine required), but most everything else you described should work.

buds224 said:

AC probably wouldn't work though since most car AC units run off the engine's accessory belt (assuming you mean Air Conditioning; running engine required), but most everything else you described should work.

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I hear ya... right off the bat, for ac, I need to power the compressor, so I'd need to replace my compressor with an electric one, if I want the ac working without the motor running.

buds224 said:

I would think a good high Amp 12v battery charger would do what you need.

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I don't need to start the car, just power accessories. I don't expect this would be a hugely popular item, but something must exist that doesn't use a battery that would power a car's electrical systems. Every result I get from searching "battery charger" brings up auxiliary/portable batteries with just enough juice to start the car a few times.

Assuming I just disconnect the battery, does something exist that I can attach to the terminals that I could just plug into an outlet that would power the car accessories safely?

night.hoodie said:

I don't need to start the car, just power accessories. I don't expect this would be a hugely popular item, but something must exist that doesn't use a battery that would power a car's electrical systems. Every result I get from searching "battery charger" brings up auxiliary/portable batteries with just enough juice to start the car a few times.

Assuming I just disconnect the battery, does something exist that I can attach to the terminals that I could just plug into an outlet that would power the car accessories safely?

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The idea I was going for on this suggestion was that you could run off the battery (not the engine or alternator) and have a charger that could trickle charge the battery at, hopefully, the same, if not faster, rate of battery usage. It was just theory though.

If there is a direct solution to your question, I hope to hear about it as well.

Somebody with an RV would have the simple answer, where's AZPops..

The AC runs on the engine, not the electricity other than the fan, so, it would be the one accessory you would be w/o.

So, a simple plug in charger that keeps the battery charged would be able to allow everything you wanted except the AC.

Add a small window or wall AC unit that you could also plug in, and you could also be air-conditioned.

night.hoodie said:

I don't need to start the car, just power accessories. I don't expect this would be a hugely popular item, but something must exist that doesn't use a battery that would power a car's electrical systems. Every result I get from searching "battery charger" brings up auxiliary/portable batteries with just enough juice to start the car a few times.

Assuming I just disconnect the battery, does something exist that I can attach to the terminals that I could just plug into an outlet that would power the car accessories safely?

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Chauncey Gardiner said:

One of these should meet your needs.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0009IBJCQ/?tag=cpf0b6-20

You wouldn't need to disconnect the battery cables .... nor should you. :shakehead

~ Chance​

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That's what I was looking for... can be tough to find when a half-dozen completely different products are all called the same thing. Thanks!

night.hoodie said:

I wish my car had a power cord so that when I was home I could plug it in and use the car electrical systems, stereo, AC, wipers, lights, power windows, etc. indefinitely while not running the engine and alternator without fear of draining the starter battery.

Please please please give me a solution that would duplicate this missing functionality from my car. How can I plug my car in to a wall socket?

Thanks guys.

Click to expand...

night.hoodie said:

That's what I was looking for... can be tough to find when a half-dozen completely different products are all called the same thing. Thanks!

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You're welcome. If you don't mind, please tell us why you want to use your car's wipers and power windows, indefinitely, while at home?

~ Chance

Chauncey Gardiner said:

You're welcome. If you don't mind, please tell us why you want to use your car's wipers and power windows, indefinitely, while at home?

~ Chance

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I was merely being clear on being able to have full use of the electrical systems without draining the starter battery. I keep odd hours in a full house with thin walls; I use my car as a workstation and (relatively) soundproof multimedia pod. Eventually, I'd like to have a couple LCD projectors I suspend/mount on the ceiling over the car port, projecting something like what you see at Disney World's Space Mountain, so I can immerse myself somewhere else in the Solar System within the safety of the garage. Also, so I won't need to get up so much, perhaps some kind of funnel attached to a hose to run to the nearest commode. This is still very much a work in progress.

Car theater-wise, you won't be able to outdo a tablet/laptop with good headphones, and this could be a lot cheaper than a projector setup. And any man who has been in a car for more than an hour has grappled with the fluid quandary; it usually comes down to the container of the original form of the liquid..

night.hoodie said:

I was merely being clear on being able to have full use of the electrical systems without draining the starter battery. I keep odd hours in a full house with thin walls; I use my car as a workstation and (relatively) soundproof multimedia pod. Eventually, I'd like to have a couple LCD projectors I suspend/mount on the ceiling over the car port, projecting something like what you see at Disney World's Space Mountain, so I can immerse myself somewhere else in the Solar System within the safety of the garage. Also, so I won't need to get up so much, perhaps some kind of funnel attached to a hose to run to the nearest commode. This is still very much a work in progress.

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Perhaps you could make this more convenient and more conducive to your purposes using a "hot socket" and plug connector for a setup and teardown process that's both quick and silent. I also suspect that there are cheaper options than the source I provided.

You're on your own for the DIY lemonade removal.

idleprocess said:

Perhaps you could make this more convenient and more conducive to your purposes using for a setup and teardown process that's both quick and silent. I also suspect that there are cheaper options than the source I provided.

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Sort of leaning towards... same brand as linked above, but automatic and inboard,
*
Schumacher SE-1-12S-CA, with a port plug

For now, I am enjoying an Optimus 4-inch industrial grade personal metal fan, (A++Recommended!), an offbrand powerstrip, and a garden extension cord, but I do want to find a replacement fully electric ac compressor for my CR-V. My nephew just helped me realize I think I also want some inboard cabling and ports on a completely separate circuit.

idleprocess said:

You're on your own for the DIY lemonade removal.

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I think that also was NASA's suggestion for the Mercury Seven. The indoor plumbing gives me an advantage. Didn't you ever see Dances with Wolves? idky... I bother... incontinence is not funny... something is wrong with me

night.hoodie said:

a replacement fully electric ac compressor for my CR-V.

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Typing this from the interior of my CR-V, it is a rather plesant office space isn't it..

Should also mention: Amazon's Kindle Fire HD 7 tablet is $79 today; 7" is only iPad Mini size, but it is a true HD display..

night.hoodie said:

Sort of leaning towards... same brand as linked above, but automatic and inboard,

*

Schumacher SE-1-12S-CA, with a port plug

For now, I am enjoying an Optimus 4-inch industrial grade personal metal fan, (A++Recommended!), an offbrand powerstrip, and a garden extension cord, but I do want to find a replacement fully electric ac compressor for my CR-V. My nephew just helped me realize I think I also want some inboard cabling and ports on a completely separate circuit.

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I would suggest reading a few basic texts on basic electricity. That would give you the background knowledge needed to estimate your power needs.

The basic idea is OK, but there is a very good chance that you will need to run a much higher capacity power supply (more amps) in order to supply the radio and lights for an extended period. Note that I specified power supply as opposed to battery charger. A charger will boost the voltage to get the correct number of amps flowing into the car, and will level out when it senses the battery is charged. The power supply will provide a set voltage and it will supply that voltage at whatever amps your equipment draws.

The unknown in your setup is how many amps your car is drawing while you are using it for a mobile escape pod. Stock radios can draw 10 or more amps. Interior lights can add another few. Your power supply needs to be able to provide at least that many amps, otherwise your battery will have to provide any extra power above the power supply capacity.

As for AC... several modern hybrids and EVs use electrically powered A/C compressors. That may give you a source for your project. They draw a lot of power. I'd just buy a portable unit ( http://www.amazon.com/dp/B004P8K39G/?tag=cpf0b6-20 ) and make up a dryer hose to pomp the air into a window. You want some fresh air anyway.

Dan

Ideally if you use a stand alone A/C unit like that, try to find one with two hose ducts for outside air. The lower cost ones draw in your nice cool air conditioned room air, run it across the condenser coil, and exhaust it out the single tube. The better ones draw in outside air, run it across the condenser coil, and then exhaust it.

The difference in performance and efficiency is quite large.

HarryN said:

Ideally if you use a stand alone A/C unit like that, try to find one with two hose ducts for outside air. The lower cost ones draw in your nice cool air conditioned room air, run it across the condenser coil, and exhaust it out the single tube. The better ones draw in outside air, run it across the condenser coil, and then exhaust it.

The difference in performance and efficiency is quite large.

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I'll second that. Single-hose units typically operate at negative pressure, pulling a fraction of the air they just cooled over the hot coils. I've had a Whynter ARC-12SD for several seasons supplementing the central AC in my house and it does a fair job of cooling down my second-floor office which gets generous sun exposure in the morning and afternoon.

However, that's in a household situation. The OP might be fine with a simpler single-hose portable unit which pipes the cold side into the vehicle (perhaps with a window cracked to allow the overpressure somewhere to go) and let the hot side figure itself out in the garage. Managing this piping could be a challenge since they're designed to push air out the vents into the room, not into a pipe, hose, or anything with constriction. A window unit would be a bit more ideal from an airflow perspective, but I suspect that arrangement will end up being both noisier and more complex to implement.

Just occurred to me: I use a ~$25 Bluetooth receiver so I can listen to iPhone audio in my CR-V; watching a movie on a tablet this way would give you the full theater audio experience through the car's audio system..

StarHalo said:

Just occurred to me: I use a ~$25 Bluetooth receiver so I can listen to iPhone audio in my CR-V; watching a movie on a tablet this way would give you the full theater audio experience through the car's audio system..

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yes... its really quite easy to do, with either Bluetooth or just plug it in to the aux in on the CR-V stereo... thus the need to make sure I don't drain the starter battery. This is the likely set up for the solo theater experience, tablet + aux audio. Maybe I mentioned the projectors, but I really intended them for their possible contribution to a cheap and easy and sort of background virtual experience (when paired with nice stock footage of places... no enacted drama other than basically documentary stock footage, to give the thin illusion of not actually being in the garage), and not actually using them for a personal drive-in theater.

Have you seen the Cube?