ACDC converter

[AnthonyO]

Can anyone please help.

Dismantled an old office PBX system the other day and came up with a
couple of chunky AC mains converters to 12volt (exact specs say Input
240v 0.8A 50hz Output 12V 3.4A / 12V 4.7A CT)

I thought I'd use one to power a Car Tape/Radio for my sons' bedroom ( I
have a number of older ones lying around) just for fun. He loves lying
around listening to old Cliff Richard tapes - sigh, hope he grows out of
it.

But of course output is AC.

How can I convert? And if I can - would that be a correct supply for a
car radio/cassette?

Answers in simple english please - or even a part number from Maplin ;-)

Thanks a lot.

Ant

 

[CFoley1064]

I thought I'd use one to power a Car Tape/Radio for my sons' bedroom ( I
have a number of older ones lying around) just for fun. He loves lying
around listening to old Cliff Richard tapes - sigh, hope he grows out of
it.

But of course output is AC.

How can I convert? And if I can - would that be a correct supply for a
car radio/cassette?

Answers in simple english please - or even a part number from Maplin ;-)

Thanks a lot.

Ant

It will be fairly difficult to get from your 240VAC to 12VAC transformer to the
13.8VDC supply you will need for the car radio. You would need a bridge
rectifier, a big capacitor, and some kind of regulator to keep the output DC
voltage in the range you want. You would also need some kind of overcurrent
protection to protect the transformer, and ditto for the radio. It might be
easier to just buy a solution.

In the Maplin A - Z listing for their website, look under Power Supplies (Radio
Communication). There are a number of fixed-output 13.8VDC supplies available
in a variety of current ranges. Pick one that will supply more current than
your radio/amp needs, plug it in, and you're good to go. For a "standard" car
radio, the Palstar PS-04 should be sufficient. It's good for 4 amps, and will
reliably drive a car radio with small speakers. If you've got a heavy-duty amp
and lotsawatts, try the Palstar PS-15. Both have foldback current protection
(you won't be popping fuses all the time).

Good luck.
Chris

 

[AnthonyO]

cfoley1064@aol.com (CFoley1064) wrote in
news:20030918140116.23450.00000952@mb-m19.aol.com:

I thought I'd use one to power a Car Tape/Radio for my sons' bedroom (
I have a number of older ones lying around) just for fun. He loves
lying around listening to old Cliff Richard tapes - sigh, hope he
grows out of it.

But of course output is AC.

How can I convert? And if I can - would that be a correct supply for a
car radio/cassette?

Answers in simple english please - or even a part number from Maplin
;-)

Thanks a lot.

Ant

It will be fairly difficult to get from your 240VAC to 12VAC
transformer to the 13.8VDC supply you will need for the car radio.
You would need a bridge rectifier, a big capacitor, and some kind of
regulator to keep the output DC voltage in the range you want. You
would also need some kind of overcurrent protection to protect the
transformer, and ditto for the radio. It might be easier to just buy
a solution.

In the Maplin A - Z listing for their website, look under Power
Supplies (Radio Communication). There are a number of fixed-output
13.8VDC supplies available in a variety of current ranges. Pick one
that will supply more current than your radio/amp needs, plug it in,
and you're good to go. For a "standard" car radio, the Palstar PS-04
should be sufficient. It's good for 4 amps, and will reliably drive a
car radio with small speakers. If you've got a heavy-duty amp and
lotsawatts, try the Palstar PS-15. Both have foldback current
protection (you won't be popping fuses all the time).

Good luck.
Chris

Thanks a lot - you've been a great help.