Backpacking, Hiking and Camping - the PowerAdd Pilot Pro

General Discussion on any topic relating to CPAP and/or Sleep Apnea.
rayers2861@gmail.com

Re: Backpacking, Hiking and Camping - the PowerAdd Pilot Pro

Post by rayers2861@gmail.com » Thu Feb 19, 2015 11:09 pm

Based on the good results I read on this thread, I bought a PowerAdd from Amazon this week and thought I would give it a try with my Transcend II travel machine. The battery arrived with 61% charge and charged up to 100% in just a few hours, and I found that one of the adapter plugs was a perfect fit for the machine. But as soon as I plugged it in (even before I tried to turn the machine on) I got a series of alternating green/yellow blinks on the Transcend display and the machine will not power up, with or without ramp. Any ideas how I can make this work so that I don't have to buy the $350+ P8 weekend battery from Somnetics? I have Amazon Prime so at least I won't be out anything if I have to return the PowerAdd battery.

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TangledHose
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Re: Backpacking, Hiking and Camping - the PowerAdd Pilot Pro

Post by TangledHose » Thu Feb 19, 2015 11:18 pm

The Transcend does not operate on 12 volt power.....I think it's something like 19 .2 Volts, you'll have to purchase the Transcend DC power adapter and then it will work just fine.

https://www.cpap.com/productpage/transc ... -revA.html

I use my Transcend with a 12volt battery with this adapter, works well, just an extra step.

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Last edited by TangledHose on Thu Feb 19, 2015 11:40 pm, edited 2 times in total.
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Re: Backpacking, Hiking and Camping - the PowerAdd Pilot Pro

Post by OkyDoky » Thu Feb 19, 2015 11:24 pm

I saw where Transend is 19 volt and my Respironics is 12 volt. You might be able to use the battery by switching to 19 volt. That's what I have to use when I use it on my computer. When you use a higher setting though you will probably have less run time on the battery.
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rayers2861

Re: Backpacking, Hiking and Camping - the PowerAdd Pilot Pro

Post by rayers2861 » Fri Feb 20, 2015 11:27 am

Is there a way to change the voltage setting on the PowerAdd? The display on my battery reads 9V. I tried to plug it into my 12v RemStar II machine and it didn't work with that one, either. The display on the PowerAdd kept flashing "9V," which I imagine meant the battery was telling the stupid human that you can't plug a 9V device into a 12V device and expect it to work.

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Re: Backpacking, Hiking and Camping - the PowerAdd Pilot Pro

Post by OkyDoky » Fri Feb 20, 2015 11:36 am

rayers2861 wrote:Is there a way to change the voltage setting on the PowerAdd? The display on my battery reads 9V. I tried to plug it into my 12v RemStar II machine and it didn't work with that one, either. The display on the PowerAdd kept flashing "9V," which I imagine meant the battery was telling the stupid human that you can't plug a 9V device into a 12V device and expect it to work.
Yes, There should have been some instructions but they are very minimal. you hold down the power button until the 9v flashes. Then let up and hit it again it will go to 12v, hit again 19v, again 20 volt. Just leave it at what ever setting you want and it should stay.
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rayers2861

Re: Backpacking, Hiking and Camping - the PowerAdd Pilot Pro

Post by rayers2861 » Fri Feb 20, 2015 12:12 pm

Great info -- I set the battery to 12v and the RemStar started right up. I tried the Transcend just to see if it would work on the 19V setting and it powered up immediately as well. Happy Happy!

rayers2861

Re: Backpacking, Hiking and Camping - the PowerAdd Pilot Pro

Post by rayers2861 » Mon Feb 23, 2015 12:04 pm

Just got back from a camping weekend with the PowerAdd, and it worked great. It was still at 71% charge after 8 hours of sleep using my Transcend II set at 11 with no ramp, and even though I forgot to turn off the battery it still had 59% charge when I went back to sleep the following night. After another full 8 hours of sleep it was at 17% -- enough juice left to charge up my cell phone a little before I drove home. After I got home I plugged it in and it was fully recharged to 100% after 7 hours or so. I should mention that I kept the Transcend and the battery under my blankets with me to reduce the cold drain on the battery and to avoid breathing the colder, drier winter air. I was in a cabin with a fireplace so it didn't get terribly cold; your mileage may vary if you are using the battery in a tent with a much lower outside air temperature.

Having a dependable battery so that I can use my machine when I am camping will be a huge game-changer for me, and I deeply appreciate all the advice and support from the good folks on this thread.

Rusty

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OkyDoky
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Re: Backpacking, Hiking and Camping - the PowerAdd Pilot Pro

Post by OkyDoky » Mon Feb 23, 2015 12:16 pm

Glad you had a successful camping trip.
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Re: Backpacking, Hiking and Camping - the PowerAdd Pilot Pro

Post by raftergirl » Thu Mar 05, 2015 11:20 pm

After reading through this entire post, I was hopeful that I might find a less expensive light weight way to power my cpap on weekend paddling trips. I got the PowerAdd Pilot, charged it to 100% and connected it to my cpap machine as described earlier in this thread. It was set to 12V, and the humidifier wasn't attached. The cpap wouldn't turn on at all.....nothing, nada, zippo. I have a 12V battery set-up for my machine that I use while whitewater rafting and it works perfectly. I was hoping that this battery would work for two night kayak touring trips. No dice. Sending it back to Amazon.

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Re: Backpacking, Hiking and Camping - the PowerAdd Pilot Pro

Post by OkyDoky » Fri Mar 06, 2015 8:56 am

raftergril,
After I read your post last night I thought I had better checkout my battery again. I hadn't charged it in a couple of weeks but it was at 96% so I put it on my machine and started it up without humidifier. I forgot to set the ramp, and it started at 15/11 pressures and then ran for 8.24 hrs wit 49% left this morning.
I don't know why yours says 100% and won't start but it does seem that it is a gamble to get a good one of these batteries.
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Re: Backpacking, Hiking and Camping - the PowerAdd Pilot Pro

Post by Finster63 » Fri Mar 06, 2015 12:49 pm

Yep - take advantage of Amazon liberal return policies and swap it for a different one...

For me, it was worth the hassle to swap until I got one that worked.
Home: ResMed S8 Escape II
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Re: Backpacking, Hiking and Camping - the PowerAdd Pilot Pro

Post by raftergirl » Sat Mar 07, 2015 9:21 am

Any other ideas on something I did wrong? When I hooked it all up and pushed the power button on the battery, it reads 100% 12V, but the display goes off after a few seconds. It only stays are for a few seconds, whether it's hooked up the the cpap or not. The cpap doesn't come on at all. Is there a sequence of powering up that I'm doing wrong?

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Re: Backpacking, Hiking and Camping - the PowerAdd Pilot Pro

Post by OkyDoky » Sat Mar 07, 2015 9:42 am

raftergirl,
I turn my battery on to check my charge then plug the end of the connector cord that came with it into the DC out side then plug it into the CPAP and my screen lights up. Then I push my CPAP on. I used mine for the second night last night. Started out with 49% and woke up with 07%. It is charging from my car jump starter battery now to see how long it will take. I usually will be charging from a running auto but just thought I would try it this way.

I'm not sure I have an answer for you. Are you sure you have the right plug and it says 12 volts? Even if it says 12 volts run it through the different ones until you get back to 12 volts. Have you tried it to see if it would power anything else? The same plug works on my one of my HP computers and not the other. You just have to make sure the volts are the same. You might see if any of the plugs work with something you can charge up.

If all fails, return and try a second one. I guess I got lucky with a working one on the first try.
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Re: Backpacking, Hiking and Camping - the PowerAdd Pilot Pro

Post by Sleeprider » Sat Mar 07, 2015 10:11 am

OkyDoky, what are you using to charge from 12 volt sources?

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Re: Backpacking, Hiking and Camping - the PowerAdd Pilot Pro

Post by OkyDoky » Sat Mar 07, 2015 10:34 am

Sleeprider wrote:OkyDoky, what are you using to charge from 12 volt sources?

I had emailed Poweradd for plug size but they never responded so I started looking on what I had. I have a Toshiba T215 notebook that has the same size plug. When PR suggested a boost converter and CaponLoki suggested a Dell one I wasn't sure a Dell plug would work so I found this Toshiba one that works. http://www.amazon.com/dp/B003WVML9M/ref ... ZXPGPJ0CC9
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