Rechargeable battery

It depends what mAH rating the battery is, and yes, if you can find one with the same voltage, but higher mAH (capacity) it would last for longer. What voltage is the battery? Is it a 6V? Could you not just wire the air thing into the mains?

Thank you. "...wire into the mains" - what do you mean? The battery is to remain inside a flexible enclosure that will move (meaning that it cannot be teathered to anything that is not inside the enclosure).

By wire into the mains I meant plug it into the mains, but if you want it to be really portable, you will need a battery. How big is the enclosure? Also, what chemical is the battery, NI-CD, NI-MH, Lithium, or any others which I cant think about now?

Hello Life Suit:,

can you tell us what this 'thing' is you have powered by the battery?

And how long do you need it to last?

Is this air pump used for spraying or what?

Is it something which you carry round on your back or something?

It would help if you could answer some or all of these if possible please?

Take care and keep in touch.................

The battery powers an air-pump (at least a net 64 CFM)

Last: At least 2 hours

Air Pump: Used for pulling in air through a CBRN filter

Something: It is a clear plastic suit and it will be kept in a desk, in a car, at home, in a back pack but not opened or used except when needed.

It is a patent pending inflatable enclosure that will create a protected (enclosed) environment for the wearer in case of chemical, biological, radiation or nuclear poision is in the air.

Could you not have a fan, spins, creating electricity from the motor, and then when it stops working, you know the person is dead?

For long storage life I think you need to look to Lithium batteries. You still have not divulged the voltage to us. But any battery of the same voltage that you can find room for should extend your "run" time. Just wire them parallel to the original battery. With the popularity of Laptop computers, perhaps you could adapt a multiple of batteries from them to do your work. Good luck.

Thanks. There are 5 "C" size hooked together (Propine Battery) - NI-CD (rechargeable). Lasts 25 minutes.

You will want lithium rechargeable batteries Is it 6v? If so, what about 4 Lithium AA batteries - Non rechargeable - They last for ages - http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/4-X-ENERGIZER-Lithium-AA-Digital-Camera-Batteries_W0QQitemZ260278092769QQcmdZViewItemQQptZUK_ConsumerElectronics_Batteries_SM?hash=item260278092769&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14&_trkparms=66:2|65:15|39:1|240:1318

In one application, I am using 4 Duracell Lithium 123 (3v) and they do go "forever" but do not have enought power.

In another application, there are 5 "c" NI-CD and they have plenty of power, but only go for 25 minutes.

I wish I was smarter in this field.

Is it possible to recharge a battery while it is operating?

So you want a higher mAH. Look around for lithium C batteries. Non rechargeables will last long enough. Otherwise, look around for 6v laptop batteries, they could be modded to work for your application. Not trying to nag or anything, but could you confirm what voltage? Are the cells 1.2v each?

Sorry. The 5 "c" battery assembly is made in China by Propine and there is nothing on the batteries as to voltage. You were not "nagging", I just do not have a clue.

C batteries are 1.5 volts each. We do not know how your batteries are connected. Could be 1.5 volts or could be 7.5.

Looks to me that 3 are connected together in series then into the switch with the other 2 connected together in series and into the switch. All 5 have no common connection except at the switch. Make sense to you? Greek to me.

Sounds like 5 Ni-Cd in series, 1.2V each, for 6 volts. Considering the application you are looking at here, you will need to make some more decisions about the battery before anyone can help you select a suitable arrangement.

How long a shelf life does it need to have (Li-Ion rechargeable batteries such as used in laptops are considered "smart" batteries. They have a small microcontroller that is always running inside the battery pack, and this will run down the battery over time, probably less than a year for most). Non-rechargeable Lithium batteries have a very long shelf life, and a pretty good power density, meaning the power/weight ratio is pretty good. As you can imagine, Lead-Acid batteries have a fairly low power density.

Other questions; how much can it weigh? How big? Does it need some agency approvals? (safety stuff).

I don't want to sound pessimistic, but considering the application (life support), I think you have a lot of hoops to jump through, and will need to consult some experts in certain fields to keep from going down the wrong path. I do wish you luck, though. And hope I never have a need for your suit :)

Tom

Have you been able to determine the operating voltage of your motor ?

Motor? Well, came from China, so here are the numbers - hope they make some sense: SRH383SM - 5520P57KR - 02. HB-162 - 104. 10K5D.

That is all there is.

Motor for the fan

Yep, motor for the fan. It was the only number on the motor housing.

Those #s don't mean anything to me. Can anyone translate?

Hello bob c,

how are you?.......................

I searched for all combinations of those figures and got nothing back. Propine (he says are the name of the batteries) comes back as a drug and not much else.

I wonder if he has asked the people like firemen, and police etc, how long they would want to be able to were these things? If he is trying he's damnedest to find a way of extending battery life, but, it may not be necessary?

He said he had another design which does have enough battery time, or that was how I understood it reading it fast as I was getting dressed to go out earlier. I can't quite see a problem here. Would it not be best to go for one spec instead of two?

I will leave it there.

Take care...................

Could he not open some windows? Take care

Propine is a battery mfg in China.

The Life Suit, which I am working on, is intended for innocent victims of a poision gas release (accident or terrorist), where without an enclosure of some kind, they will die or be severely damaged. It is like a life jacket on a boat - one would never use it except in case of an emergency.

The Life Suit is intended to be disposable after use. Not intended, at all, for First Responders. Hazmat suits run about $1,500 each (or more), this is targeted to come in at 5% to 10% of that price.

The battery power is key because it keeps the air blower pulling in air across a CBRN filter (chemical, biological, radiation, nuclear). The longer the battery can keep air flowing, the longer the victim has to get away from the danger, wait for the First Responder, etc. Firemen are not intended users in this case (they are the First Responders).

These suits are intended to be very affordable and save lives - keep people "afloat" so to speak until they are rescued or can swim ashore (get to safety). Hope this is helpful.

Well, I have run out of ideas, but good luck, and I hope to see this on the markets soon. Will it be hitting the UK stores?

Absolutely! Where ever the internet works it will be there (at a minimum). Thanks for your help. All the best.

I have seen disposable hoods that are clear, and are placed over one's head, allowing emergency escape from areas that are suddenly oxygen depleted. They are designed to allow one to re-breathe the same air until escape is possible. They are not very popular for that very reason.

If you plan to market these devices to businesses, price will be an issue, until some regulation mandates them. (At that point, price will not matter as much, but that will be years away I fear.)For that reason, you should try to find a commercially manufactured lithium ion battery. There are a flood of Li-ion powered tools coming onto the market. Milwaukee, Black & Decker- Dewalt, Craftsman, Ryobi are some that come to mind easily.

Try putting a voltmeter on the motor. That should identify the designed voltage. Then go chase a cordless tool battery that is the same, or close.

Another possibility is the camcorder batteries. I do not like these as much,because they are designed to be slow discharged till dead. Tool batteries are designed to be loaded against the work for long periods of time. Another strong battery pack would be the portable radio batteries used by Motorola, Uniden, Icom and others.

But first you need to ID the voltage. You do that, and I will try to help further. Good luck.

Thanks Bob, I will take your advice. In a day or so, I should have the result and I truly hope you will indulge (help) me further. Again, thank you.

What space do you have for battery power?

Space: 4 "D" cells or 5 "C" cells.

Hello Life Suit:

You have had some good advice on the type of possible battery to use and all you have to do is source them. I can't understand why you have two versions of the same suit though, with different batteries in each?

Anyway, I wish you luck and please keep in touch as this sound fascinating!

Take care..................