Mike, (and others) Thanks for all the comments about the UPS. Can you direct me to a web site showing schematics for items 1 and 2 listed below? Also, if you have any vendors that you've dealt with that are reputable for both the IOTA and the AGM battery, I'd be interested.
I'm also curious about needing a reserve capacity. Suppose the combined system draws, say 20 amps, does one need to increase the IOTA's charging power capacity to say, 30 amps? TIA, Don, KD9PT 1) The better way is to simply use the batteries directly on the repeater - just use a Absorbed Glass Mat battery (also known as an AGM battery) and float it across the repeater power buss. The efficiency goes up, if you are paying the AC power bill your wallet is happier, and you get zero switchover time. 2) A compromise design that I've seen has the repeater power supply and the backup battery diode OR'd to the repeater itself with 75amp stud-mount diodes (from a dead fire truck alternator), with an IOTA brand charger on the backup battery (which was a bank of glass-cased Exide telephone central office style batteries - 5 gallons of electrolyte per cell) So my recommendation, if you have a solid state repeater, is an AGM battery with a IOTA power supply / charger. Don't save money on the charger - a good one will last, a cheap one won't and may take your battery bank with it. A good IOTA power supply / charger is NOT a waste of money and a cheap one is false economy. Mike WA6ILQ !DSPAM:1016,4654b50e966881259319195!
