I bought this guy to power my HF radio, plus whatever else when I'm out and about. I like it a lot! Yeah, it's $220 but it has a built-in inverter, charges your cell phone, flashlight, etc. Quite versatile.
What's your budget?
There are plenty of solutions for what you want to do, if you want to pay for them. Your application isn't anything new. It's been done in the telecom industry for over a century.
Have you reviewed the various options on Amazon? They seem to have lots of things that may be suitable. A lot depends on your flexibility, does it have to support the Lithium chemistry? Does it have to NOT have a battery charger? Frankly the thread is getting a little confusing (and I'm not being a wise a$$ here.)
Just to clarify, what you want is something without a battery charger, can switch an external charger in and out of circuit without interruption, and can handle 30 amps (of battery draw), is that correct? If it is, the chemistry of the battery might not matter since it is just switching the battery vs. line power.
Thanks
Joel
What is the maximum continuous current capacity of your power supply?When the main power is up the power supply powers the radio and the battery charger only charges/maintains the battery.
That's exactly what the PWRGate previously mentioned does. The AC powered supply will also do the battery charging via the Super PWRGate so you can leave the 'battery charger' block out. You just have to adjust the power supply output voltage up a little so the battery charging port can put out the right voltage for the bulk charging phase. 14.15V is what I use onto the partially charged battery. You'll have to set the power supply a little higher than that. Mmckenna mentioned that some time ago. It really isn't hard and trust me, nothing on the radio side even knows the power went off.
The only caveat is that you can't pull more than 30A thru the PWRGate.
I also like to think that my situation is not unique and that something does exist for what i want to do. I have no clue on how much it may cost so i can't give a realistic budget. I would be more than glad to see some suggestions.
What is the maximum continuous current capacity of your power supply?
At a commercial site, something like this would be a good choice:
12V DC, 24V DC and 48V DC Rack Mount Integrated DC Power System | 11 Amps to 40 Amps | Battery Back-Up | IPS Series | Newmar Powering the Network
Integred DC Power System Series (IPS) by Newmar Powering the Network: 12, 24 and 48 VDC, 11-40 Amps, Rackmount DC Power System with Built-in Battery Back-Up. The Integrated Power System (IPS) is a unique multifunction power supply which incorporates built-in battery back-up and numerous power...www.poweringthenetwork.com
12V DC | 95 Amp to 200 Amp | 1,140 Watts - 2,400 Watts | Scout Rackmount DC Power System | N+1 Redundant Rectifier Shelf | Newmar Powering the Network
Scout Rackmount DC Power System by Newmar Powering the Network: 12V DC, rackmount N+1 Redundant Rectifier Shelf with output rating of 95 amps to 200 amps or 1140 watts to 2400 wattswww.poweringthenetwork.com
Why do you think that your power supply can't charge the battery(ies)?
Lol, the fact that you need to call them for a price says it all. It sure looks heavy duty and all but probably way too expensive and overkill for my scenario. I just need something that i will use in my basement once in a while. Worse case i will buy/make a power cable for my radio and make the switch manually.
1- The recommended charge current for that battery is 30A and the maximum charge current is 60A.
2- The charge method for that battery is CC-CV i don't think the power supply as the "smarts" to do that
3- I don't think the Astron RS-35M as been designed to be a lithium battery charger.
Have you thought about going about this with a battery as your primary power source? When I first started out with CBs in the 70's that's how I did it. I used a car battery as the supply and charged it periodically. I didn't have the luxury of a smart or trickle charger. I'm not sure I'd go this route with a car battery in the house but in a garage or a remote shack it might be an easy alternative.
Something like this is likely what you are looking for UPS Controller Turn Off On Switch Dual Power Supply Automatic Switching Module | eBay
You could also build one yourself for about the same cost.
This could be done with gel cell batteries, potentially sitting outside the line of sight, for the visual appeal.No the battery will not be my primary power source. My operating position is in the basement of my house and it is also my work office so i spend many hours there, i don't want to sit beside a car battery all day long