Power converter for Kenwood TS-520S - HomeBrew Forum at eHam.net

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Power converter for Kenwood TS-520S	Reply
by VO1XA on January 26, 2002	Mail this to a friend!
I am trying to find out if anyone has plans for a power converter for a Kenwood TS-520S so I can run it from a battery. A few years ago someone e-mailed me the specs but I have lost them. Thanks in advance, Brad VO1XA

RE: Power converter for Kenwood TS-520S	Reply
by WB6BYU on January 28, 2002	Mail this to a friend!
If nothing else, look for the schematic of a Heathkit HP-13 mobile power supply, or maybe you can find a used one.

RE: Power converter for Kenwood TS-520S	Reply
by WB2WIK on January 29, 2002	Mail this to a friend!
I've used an ordinary UPS (Best Power model 0325-1000U, rated 1000VA, weighs 35 lbs) to power TS520S's and similar hybrid rigs with great success. They seem to be well filtered enough to not cause interference to the receivers, and the AC power supplies in the rigs don't object to the waveform provided by a decent UPS. Advantage is "plug & play" operability with any AC-powered transceiver up to a few hundred VA. This particular model, which is quite small and portable (including its built-in battery) will power the TS520S for about a day of "receiving" with the filaments turned off, or half a day of receiving with intermittant transmit operations (heaters turned on), or about 1 hour of continuous transmitting at full power. Once plugged into an AC power source, it recharges quickly and is ready for service again. WB2WIK/6

RE: Power converter for Kenwood TS-520S	Reply
by WB6BYU on January 30, 2002	Mail this to a friend!
All in all, it may be easier just to get an AC inverter that will handle the current draw, and use the built-in AC power supply. An inverter in the 500 watt range would probably be adequate. (The TS-520 only put out about 60 watts on the original DC supply if I recall - you may be able to get by with a smaller inverter if you don't load it up to full power.)

RE: Power converter for Kenwood TS-520S	Reply
by WB2WIK on January 30, 2002	Mail this to a friend!
Re: Power inverter The reason I recommended a UPS, rather than just an inverter, is that UPS's are mostly intended to power computer systems, and for that reason they are well filtered and provide something close to a sine wave. Power inverters vary a lot from model to model, but some of those that I've purchased were literally unusable for ham radio equipment. I purchased a "1000W" inverter from Fry's Electronics a couple of years ago, and, while it powered things like electric drills okay, and was nearly satisfactory for a portable TV set receiving a strong signal, running ham gear from it was pure folly -- too much conducted noise. I tried a variety of outboard filter techniques, including stacked ferrites, but never got the thing under control. The Best Power (Enterprise-class) UPS's have internal, shielded filtering. 73 de Steve, WB2WIK

RE: Power converter for Kenwood TS-520S	Reply
by KE4DRN on January 31, 2002	Mail this to a friend!
Hi, check out Jan 99 issue pg 64 of the ARRL QST Magazine for Amateur Radio. Photos and instructions for adapting a surplus UPS to charge batteries. Many ups are discarded when a larger ups is needed or the batteries are worn out. Just add two banana jacks and an extra fuse to back of the ups and you can plug in larger sealed lead acid battery or remove/switch out the battery and plug into the 12vdc from the car to run the kenwood. 73 james

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