12/24Vdc RV refrigerator... How am I going to get it running?

[l3lackEyedAngels]

One of my co-workers just gave me a mini-fridge intended for an RV, camper, or truck. The previous owner of his house left it in the basement. We have no idea if it works, but with a little bit of modification, I was able to get my fermentation vessels to fit inside. Anyway, now I have a fridge to which I don't know how to supply power.

A sticker on the back says "(DC 12/24V = COMMON USE)" and that there is a 10A fuse. Two wires come out of the unit, one red and the other black, and they connect to a plastic plug, or harness. I suppose I could power this fridge with a car battery, but I'd rather not. I want some sort of AC to DC converter that I can plug into the wall. I just don't know what exactly to buy or make, or where to get what I need. Any advice out there? I could test the fridge with a car battery but in the mean time I would appreciate your suggestions for powering the fridge from the wall.

Thanks!

 

[k1v1116]

It sounds like an old computer power supply might do the job, 12v at 10A is 120watts most PC power supplies should work for that. the wiring sounds simple enough too.

 

[Slipgate]

I suspect you will need a large output AC/DC converter - here is one example used for R/C car battery charging.

http://www3.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin/wti0001p?&I=LXEG98&P=ML

 

[david_42]

Most PC power supplies will put out 15-20 amps at 12 volts, so one should work just fine. If you have a surplus electronics place nearby, you can probably buy one for a few bucks.

I wouldn't recommend buying any kind of battery charger, as the output probably won't be filtered.

 

[Slipgate]

Most PC power supplies will put out 15-20 amps at 12 volts, so one should work just fine. If you have a surplus electronics place nearby, you can probably buy one for a few bucks.

I wouldn't recommend buying any kind of battery charger, as the output probably won't be filtered.

The battery charger like the one I linked is filtered. R/C batteries are VERY expensive and almost all battery chargers do filter the power. But probably pricer than a P/C power supply.

 

[RodfatherX]

You need to get a hold of a multimeter, and test its actually amperage. If the fuse is rated at 10 amps it is probably actually pulling 8 amps or maybe even 6. If you have a lil bit of soldering know how, you can actually put together a power supply a lot cheaper than you can buy it.



Edit*

Actually thinking more about the last time I built a 12v PS it is probably something you do not want to tackle for you 1st project. You do have 120v AC to somewhat mess with. Probably not worth the risk or time.


Rather than buying a $115 PS or other pricey PS, just sell the one you have on craiglist, or give it back to the person who gave it to you. And use the money to buy a used fridge on craiglist or spend a bit more and buy a new one.

 

[Chriso]

Whaddaya talkin about??? Computer power supplies are $40 or less!

www.newegg.com

Here's One

 

[comp]

Whaddaya talkin about??? Computer power supplies are $40 or less!

www.newegg.com

Here's One

don't think a power supply has the amp output

 

[Chriso]

Then look instead of thinking.

Output +3.3V@28A, +5V@30A, [email protected],+12V@15A, [email protected], +5VSB@2A

@ the OP, if the one I posted seems a bit too chintzy for ya, I recommend this one - FSP is a good brand, I'm using a couple of their supplies right now.

 

[comp]

Then look instead of thinking.

Output +3.3V@28A, +5V@30A, [email protected],+12V@15A, [email protected], +5VSB@2A

@ the OP, if the one I posted seems a bit too chintzy for ya, I recommend this one - FSP is a good brand, I'm using a couple of their supplies right now.

true i looked at the box my new supply came in and it showed different mA ratings,,,he11 i ain't buying a new battery charger now :rockin::rockin:

 

[Philip1993]

One note about RV refers. They work off absorption and run in long alternating "cooling" and "preparing to cool" (reset) cycles. This means a few things; Most notably that the on/off temp swing is pretty wide. But more importantly external thermostatic controls may not function well because you can interrupt the supply of energy the cycle, but you cannot start/stop it instantly like a compressor driven unit. They are also not known for getting things particularly cold. For example: In ours, we pre-chill the refer 24 hours prior to usage. All things that will spoil quickly (eggs, milk) are put in there already cold. If you put 20# of room temp food in there it may be 24 hours before it's all refrigerated. Basically, it keeps things cold but doesn't do a great job of getting them cold.

On the good side, if you dig into the schematics you will probably find that it will run off DC, 120VAC, and propane.

Here's another link: Details about the absorption system

 

[comp]

thanks ,,,,more to read