Connecting a CPAP machine to a battery?

[mileena]

I have been prescribed a CPAP machine for Obstructive Sleep Apnea. How do I run this while traveling if I don't have a generator or battery?

I am thinking of buying a portable jump starter like this:



I already have a 400 Watt inverter which I can connect to it and which I read is sufficient to power the CPAP machine and humidifier from what I have read. Or can I just use my car battery? Otherwise, I need a battery that is portable since I bring it inside to charge, like at a gym or library.

Also, how do you connect the jumper cable clamps of a portable battery with jumper cables of an inverter like below? It is hard to get a good connection.



Thanks for any help!

[MEXICOWANDERER]

Dang! Almost High Enough Capacity For Use With A 12V Humidifier!


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[Sam_Spade]

Bobbo wrote:
Yes, the brick shows 12v output.

Then you should be good to go (plug and play) with an appropriate 12 V cord.

[Sam_Spade]

Atlee wrote:
Well, the shielded cord for 12V Dream Station would not work with CPAP. The digital readout lit up, but then said "in correct power".

Not sure why yet.

In order to use the 12 V cord, you must FIRST have a Dream Station that runs on 12 V. All of them don't; there are different models.

[Bobbo]

Sam Spade wrote:

Bobbo wrote:
the company that makes the CPAP machine makes a cigarette lighter style 12v cord for it.

Check the plate on the CPAP and the "brick" on the power cord to be sure that it really runs on 12 V.

The first one I got did NOT; 24 V. And it looked identical to the next one which does run on 12.......until you look at the spec's.

Sorry it took me so long to get back. Been out of state visiting grandkids. Yes, the brick shows 12v output.

[PatrickA51]

Atlee wrote:
Well, the shielded cord for 12V Dream Station would not work with CPAP. The digital readout lit up, but then said "in correct power".

Not sure why yet.

Atlee wrote:
Thanks for this link. Didn't know they existed. Just bought one online from Amazon. About $5 more but I could get it in 2 days. Time was short because we're leaving for Florida soon.

Tiger4x4RV wrote:
CPAP.com shows a shielded DC (12V) cord for the Dream Station available for $29.95. https://www.cpap.com/productpage/pr-dreamstation-shielded-dc-cord.html

I have an older Respironics System One machine and have used the CPAP.com DC cord for it for years in the RV with no trouble. It uses a cigarette lighter type plug and the regular 12V wiring.

Read the manual on your jump starter carefully. Some of them cannot handle the sustained load of running a CPAP. Here is a link from the Stanley website for the unit shown in your photo. I'm a librarian, good at looking things up, and not an electrician, so I'll leave it to you or your electrical pro to interpret what this manual says about the sort of load your Dream Station will create.

You may need the humidifier. Humidity here in SoCal has often been in the single digits lately and my respiratory system has really appreciated having that humidifier.

I don't know why I missed this, But I have been using that same plug to my older M-Series Respironics, Bi-Pap Machine for some time now in my 2005 Jamboree 26Q RV. I tried using a Battery jumper set up like the OP showed in the very first post. Didn't work. Contact CPap.com and talk to them they do know what they are selling and saying.

[Tiger4x4RV]

Atlee - Was the product from Amazon the correct DC cord for your model of Dream Station?

If you are out of time, perhaps you can run your CPAP with a small portable inverter for this trip. Plug inverter into 12V outlet, CPAP into inverter. I did that before buying my shielded cord and it worked fine.

[Atlee]

Well, the shielded cord for 12V Dream Station would not work with CPAP. The digital readout lit up, but then said "in correct power".

Not sure why yet.

Atlee wrote:
Thanks for this link. Didn't know they existed. Just bought one online from Amazon. About $5 more but I could get it in 2 days. Time was short because we're leaving for Florida soon.

Tiger4x4RV wrote:
CPAP.com shows a shielded DC (12V) cord for the Dream Station available for $29.95. https://www.cpap.com/productpage/pr-dreamstation-shielded-dc-cord.html

I have an older Respironics System One machine and have used the CPAP.com DC cord for it for years in the RV with no trouble. It uses a cigarette lighter type plug and the regular 12V wiring.

Read the manual on your jump starter carefully. Some of them cannot handle the sustained load of running a CPAP. Here is a link from the Stanley website for the unit shown in your photo. I'm a librarian, good at looking things up, and not an electrician, so I'll leave it to you or your electrical pro to interpret what this manual says about the sort of load your Dream Station will create.

You may need the humidifier. Humidity here in SoCal has often been in the single digits lately and my respiratory system has really appreciated having that humidifier.

[RSD559]

ktmrfs wrote:

RSD559 wrote:

ktmrfs wrote:

RSD559 wrote:
And, to get that 12v to 24v power cord is going to put you out about $130. Made of pure silver, I guess.

wrongo.

https://www.amazon.com/Power-Converter-Freedom-Battery-Included/dp/B00UW34KR4/ref=sr_1_fkmr0_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1514480302&sr=8-2-fkmr0&keywords=bps+resmed+converter

that's the one I've been using for years.

$67.

and there are less expensive ones if you want as well.

BTW, often times insurance will pay for the converter as well.

You had me all a'twitter there for a minute. That is the cord that connects their proprietary battery pack to the unit. You could probably rig it to use with a regular 12v battery. But it is still $70!

nope, it will connect to either the battery pack or a 12V cig lighter. when I got mine, it came with both plugs. but, yes it is still $70.

$70 is better than $130. I didn't see the power center plug in the picture.

[ktmrfs]

RSD559 wrote:

ktmrfs wrote:

RSD559 wrote:
And, to get that 12v to 24v power cord is going to put you out about $130. Made of pure silver, I guess.

wrongo.

https://www.amazon.com/Power-Converter-Freedom-Battery-Included/dp/B00UW34KR4/ref=sr_1_fkmr0_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1514480302&sr=8-2-fkmr0&keywords=bps+resmed+converter

that's the one I've been using for years.

$67.

and there are less expensive ones if you want as well.

BTW, often times insurance will pay for the converter as well.

You had me all a'twitter there for a minute. That is the cord that connects their proprietary battery pack to the unit. You could probably rig it to use with a regular 12v battery. But it is still $70!

nope, it will connect to either the battery pack or a 12V cig lighter. when I got mine, it came with both plugs. but, yes it is still $70.

[RSD559]

ktmrfs wrote:

RSD559 wrote:
And, to get that 12v to 24v power cord is going to put you out about $130. Made of pure silver, I guess.

wrongo.

https://www.amazon.com/Power-Converter-Freedom-Battery-Included/dp/B00UW34KR4/ref=sr_1_fkmr0_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1514480302&sr=8-2-fkmr0&keywords=bps+resmed+converter

that's the one I've been using for years.

$67.

and there are less expensive ones if you want as well.

BTW, often times insurance will pay for the converter as well.

You had me all a'twitter there for a minute. That is the cord that connects their proprietary battery pack to the unit. You could probably rig it to use with a regular 12v battery. But it is still $70!

[ktmrfs]

pnichols wrote:

Sam Spade wrote:
Sorry but they don't "do the same thing" at all.

The external ferrite bead does NOTHING to voltage variations or long period "spikes". They are there for RF suppression.

Chokes typically are in series with a power source and do various things, depending on the design, value and application. RF suppression of only one application for them.

Depending upon what frequency one is talking about relative to voltages that are varying (i.e. not DC voltages) ... they both "do the same thing".

Chokes are usually used to dampen out lower frequency voltage variations/disturbances and ferrite beads are usually used to dampen out higher frequency voltage variations/disturbances.

However, I've seen plenty of radio frequency circuits that were using small air-core chokes to dampen out or eliminate unwanted radio frequency disturbances.

Read up again on descriptions describing what ferrite beads are used for and you'll see the word "choke" - used interchangeably with the phrase "ferrite bead" - appearing quite a bit. The main difference in when to use one or the other has to do with the frequency of the unwanted electrical energy that one wants to control.

I haven't cut open the little plastic cylinder in my CPAP machine's power cord to see if it's a small choke or a ferrite bead inside but it could possibly be either, depending upon what type of voltage spikes that the designers wanted to keep from entering the machine.

having been involved in the design of modern power supplies and regulatory requirements, very often chokes, ferrite beads, whatever you want to call them, were used not to dampen any incoming power line spikes, but to dampen internal RF from going back OUT the cord and into the line and violating part FCC part 15 specs or other regulatory requirements on stuffing **** back into the power line or radiating RF to surrounding devices.

Internal design was robust enough to take very high level spikes and interference without any side effects or damage.

[pnichols]

Sam Spade wrote:
Sorry but they don't "do the same thing" at all.

The external ferrite bead does NOTHING to voltage variations or long period "spikes". They are there for RF suppression.

Chokes typically are in series with a power source and do various things, depending on the design, value and application. RF suppression of only one application for them.

Depending upon what frequency one is talking about relative to voltages that are varying (i.e. not DC voltages) ... they both "do the same thing".

Chokes are usually used to dampen out lower frequency voltage variations/disturbances and ferrite beads are usually used to dampen out higher frequency voltage variations/disturbances.

However, I've seen plenty of radio frequency circuits that were using small air-core chokes to dampen out or eliminate unwanted radio frequency disturbances.

Read up again on descriptions describing what ferrite beads are used for and you'll see the word "choke" - used interchangeably with the phrase "ferrite bead" - appearing quite a bit. The main difference in when to use one or the other has to do with the frequency of the unwanted electrical energy that one wants to control.

I haven't cut open the little plastic cylinder in my CPAP machine's power cord to see if it's a small choke or a ferrite bead inside but it could possibly be either, depending upon what type of voltage spikes that the designers wanted to keep from entering the machine.

[ktmrfs]

RSD559 wrote:
And, to get that 12v to 24v power cord is going to put you out about $130. Made of pure silver, I guess.

wrongo.

https://www.amazon.com/Power-Converter-Freedom-Battery-Included/dp/B00UW34KR4/ref=sr_1_fkmr0_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1514480302&sr=8-2-fkmr0&keywords=bps+resmed+converter

that's the one I've been using for years.

$67.

and there are less expensive ones if you want as well.

BTW, often times insurance will pay for the converter as well.

[RSD559]

And, to get that 12v to 24v power cord is going to put you out about $130. Made of pure silver, I guess.