I am looking for a power supply for a CPAP breathing device so I can
go camping away from normal electrical power.

The device is an Aria lx produced by Respironics Inc.
100-200 VAC, 50/60 Hz/ 12VDC
Class I Type BF
Current Consumption:  AC 1.0 A max/ DC 3.0 A max
Continuous operation.

The device has a 12 volt socket.  I need something that can be used
repeatedly for at least 3 consecutive nights of maximum 8 hours.  I
contacted the manufacturer by email but they declined answering my
question.
Charging the power supply from an in-car 12V socket is an option.
I use a tent for camping and, even if it was practical, would be
adverse to using a gas producing supply like an automotive battery,
not to mention the possibility of acid spills and the effects of
repeated depletion.  Weight may also be a factor, for although
travelling by car, I am a senior and find weights over 40-50 pounds a
problem.
Power supply must be available in Canada.

Dear sarnian-ga;

Thank you for allowing me to answer your interesting question.

I?m confident that what you are looking for is called an ?inverter?. I
have some workable options that you can use and if nothing else, they
will give some ideas for products you can shop for locally that can
get the job done:

Here is a 125W DC-AC Power Converter that allows you to plug in and
operate any normal household appliance. (US $24.95)

GADGETS TV.COM
http://gadgetstv.com/te-449.html

The CPAP machine can easily operate from this power plant and in the
morning you can run your car for a few minutes and restore any power
drained from your car battery so the process can be safely repeated
the next night without risk of running your battery down.

. . . . . . 

Here are some other alternatives:

TRIPP LITE POWERVERTER: With one of these little miracles you can plug
in anything in your car that you can plug is and use at home. All
you?ll need is a common extension cord to run over to your tent from
your car?s cigarette lighter.

Froogle
http://froogle.google.com/froogle?hl=en&lr=&safe=off&tab=wf&scoring=p&q=12v+power+converter+appliances&pid=4741622183727235768

Talk about lightweight and convenient? Here?s another one that?s small
enough to carry in one hand. It has an input voltage range of 11-15
VDC  (as a 12 VDC yours fits the requirement) and even has a 3 prong
plug-in if you need that.

VOLTAGECONVERTERS.COM
http://www.voltageconverters.com/itemdesc.asp?CartId={DAC41974-8387-4EA0-9A65-01BDE9E24A21EVEREST}&ic=AED75

Here?s one on ebay for less than 20 bucks. It?s a palm size device
that plugs directly into your car?s DC outlet and, VIOLA! You have
instant electricity!

EBAY
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=5727715646&category=79816

I hope you find that my research exceeds your expectations. If you
have any questions about my research please post a clarification
request prior to rating the answer. Otherwise I welcome your rating
and your final comments and I look forward to working with you again
in the near future. Thank you for bringing your question to us.

Best regards;
Tutuzdad-ga ? Google Answers Researcher



INFORMATION SOURCES

Defined above


SEARCH STRATEGY


SEARCH ENGINE USED:

Google ://www.google.com


SEARCH TERMS USED:

ELECTRICITY

CONVERTER

INVERTER

12V

AMP

AC DC

---

Request for Answer Clarification by sarnian-ga on 25 Apr 2005 11:09 PDT

Thank you for your efforts.

Your answer did not address the question.  My CPAP does have a 12V
socket and obviously does not require an inverter because it is
designed to run (as stated) on DC.  Of course it would run on my car
battery, but I indicated my concern about battery depletion. 
Automotive batteries are not designed to run continuosly for long
periods to low discharge levels.  Eventually it would be destroyed. 
Also, It's nice to be able to start your car in the morning!  Are you
sure my car battery could supply enough power for three nights of 8
hour use, and still be able to start in the morning?

I indicated I could charge the POWER SUPPLY from the in-car 12V in-car
source as an option

---

Clarification of Answer by tutuzdad-ga on 25 Apr 2005 11:41 PDT

I am sorry. I misuderstood and thought you had a household CPAP device
that needed AC from a DC source.

Perhaps a Statpower XPOWER-1500 60 AMP Hour DC Power Pack with 1350
Watt Power Inverter would be more appropriate:

XANTREX
http://www.dsmiller.com/html/Electronics-Mobile-Audio-Power-Inverters-XPOWER-1500.htm

With this device (easy to move about with a handy pull cart) you can
power up your CPAP (yes, even a DC) overnight and if necessary
recharge it using your car or a convenient AC source somewhere off
site during the day. This particular one is rather expensive but you
can find them under $300.

FROOGLE
http://froogle.google.com/froogle?q=dc+power+pack&hl=en&lr=&safe=off&tab=wf&pid=4734922047632409429

Here is a long lasting DC power plant that is designed primarily to
run baseball pitching machines, but it aklo works for any 12v DC
equipment. It too is rechargeable at an off site AC outlet.

FROOGLE
://www.google.com/froogle?q=P%26L+Sports&btnG=Search+Froogle&pid=4720142455281108611

If you want to bring along your own 12v batteries (other than the one
already in your car - like a deep cycle marine battery for example) to
make sure you don't drain your car battery, these cables are designed
specifically to power up CPAP machines from 12v batteries:

CPAP.COM
http://www.cpap.com/productpage.php?PNum=9

CPAP.COM also has a long lasting power pack that can run a CPAP for 7 hours
http://www.cpap.com/productpage.php?PNum=89

I hope this helps in view of my earlier misunderstanding.

Regards;
tutuzdad-ga

Could I tag onto this question with something similar?
I use exactly the same CPAP machine and fly alot overseas.  I'd like
to be able to plug this in to the airplane's power plug beneath the
seats or in the arm rests.  How might I do this so I can use my CPAP
on long flights?
Again, exactly the same AC and DC power configuration as the last guy.
 Thanks so much for any help you can give me!