Travel CPAP Experience, Plans, Batteries, Testing, Modification etc.

[Nezil]

Finally, I also bought a couple of travel bags for all that those pieces. First up, a mesh bag to hold the tubing:



This goes in the top of the bag I bought. A Peak Design’s Everyday Sling 6L. Here’s how it looks with the tubing removed:



And all closed up:

[Woot!]

I am curious about the performance of the omni mobile you are using. Can you estimate how many hours you are getting? And if you are at a higher or lower pressure? I am about to buy one and I am trying to reinforce my decision not to buy the Pilot-24.

Thanks,

[Nezil]

I am curious about the performance of the omni mobile you are using. Can you estimate how many hours you are getting? And if you are at a higher or lower pressure? I am about to buy one and I am trying to reinforce my decision not to buy the Pilot-24.

Obviously the Pilot 24 is well tested with CPAP, but I'd be surprised if it was designed from the get go to for the purpose. It's more likely a re-purposed high capacity battery pack that happens to have pass through charging and 24v DC output. That's not a criticism, I do think it's probably a great product and the specifications are good. It's 95 Wh capacity is higher than that of either Omni Power products that I've tested, but so is the price.

I posted a totally separate thread on my testing of the Omni Power battery packs here: viewtopic.php?f=1&t=177872&p=1333768#p1333768. It's probably worth reading the whole thread, but I'll try and summarise my findings here too:-

• The Omni 20+ has a stated capacity of 71.040 Wh. My measurements suggest that this capacity is slightly over-stated and the battery is in fact equal to between 66.0 and 69.8 Wh. This is within 7%, so not too bad.
• The Omni Mobile 25,600 has a stated capacity of 92.160 Wh. My measurements suggest the this capacity is slightly over-stated and the battery is in fact equal to between 87.7 and 89.2 Wh. This is within 5%, so not too bad.

I found that my ResMed AirMini set to APAP between 7 and 10 cm H2O (averaging 10 cm) used ~31.5 Wh for 8 hours of use. You should therefore get 2 nights from either battery, but the Omni 20+ would be nearly empty by that time. The Omni Mobile 25,600 has greater capacity, it will comfortably run for 2 nights, but probably not 3.

[Woot!]

Thanks, I have a hard time with some of the stated mfg spec's on most products. I read your other post but wanted to see if your calculations were proven in actual use. It is so hard to calculate battery discharge with so many variables. If I get 7-8 hours on the battery at 16cm constant I will be happy. With the ratings listed at 6.3w-27w draw I will just have to give it a shot and see.

Thanks again,

[Nezil]

Thanks, I have a hard time with some of the stated mfg spec's on most products. I read your other post but wanted to see if your calculations were proven in actual use. It is so hard to calculate battery discharge with so many variables. If I get 7-8 hours on the battery at 16cm constant I will be happy. With the ratings listed at 6.3w-27w draw I will just have to give it a shot and see.

Well you're at 16, which is higher than me... I could give it a try just to see the current draw and let you know. That might give you something better to go on than simply a guess. I do think you'll be OK with either battery, but I'll get back to you with some numbers if you can wait for a bit.

What mask are you using by the way, because that can make a difference. I should have said that my data was with a DreamWear Nasal cushion mask and without the HumidX unit. If I'm going to try to simulate your power consumption, I should try to get as close to your situation as I can. For reference, I have the DreamWear Nasal Cushion, which can be used with and without the HumidX holder, the DreamWear Full Face which vents too much to use with the HumidX holder and so can only be used without, and the ResMed N20 which can only be used with the HumidX holder.

I don't think I could sleep with 16 constant; I went to APAP 7 ~ 12 from 12 constant because I didn't like it. My doctor was pissed that I'd changed the settings initially, but after doing an overnight oxygen test he gave me the all clear. I'm not judging you at all, we all need something different, just telling my story is all.

[Woot!]

I just modified to a temporary setup and have a nightmare to calculate air flow to the mask itself. I am currently using the standard 6ft of 15mm air mini hose, I pulled off the twist and pressure fit it into a 3ft piece of regular 22mm hose and sealed it shut with a flexible self-vulcanizing silicone tape that sealed it air tight. Then it is a regular hose end to a Mirage Quattro full face mask. I tried/have the airfit F20 and it pinches the top of my nose and feels like it restricts airflow, so that's why the quick put together crazy setup. I have the EPR off and a constant 16cm of pressure. So yeah, it has some variables. I am working toward something like you did, but I am just getting started with it.

It took a long time to get used to 16cm and only could with a full face mask. I have had several machines and I have tried the bipap and exhale pressure relief settings but I like the cool constant flow on the face like a breeze, when there is exhale relief, my face seems to get hot. I am a strange one, I don't like the humidity on much either and rarely wake with a dry mouth or nose. Been using it for 20 years now and can't use it any other way.

[Nezil]

I am working toward something like you did, but I am just getting started with it.

Once you start trying to glue / bond things together, you'll quickly find out that almost no glues stick to the materials used in the CPAP tubing and connectors. That's the main reason I ended up using Bondic, because it's a bond and not a glue, and to some extent forms a seal and bond because of building material around an object rather than only to it like a glue does.

I am a strange one, I don't like the humidity on much either and rarely wake with a dry mouth or nose. Been using it for 20 years now and can't use it any other way.

I don't think there is any 'normal', but I also find that I don't need humidity. I use the humidifier in my AirSense, but haven't opened any of the packets of HumidX for the AirMini and have never had an issue. I might open one on a flight next time and see if I like it, but I can't see me spending much money on them going forward.

[Nezil]

But that's not the reply you were waiting for... You want to know how I got on testing the run-time under various conditions.

The testing I conducted was to run the AirMini from a battery pack, but this was only done because I could then use the 24v DC power cable with barrel connector end. I have male and female barrel connectors for another project, and I used this to put a Fluke 87V multimeter in series measuring current. The Fluke was set to average and I took measurements whilst laying down breathing normally over a 2 minute duration. I tested at 5cm, 10cm and 16cm (for @woot) with every combination of masks and tubing setups I have.

The first thing I discovered is that Bluetooth adds about 10mA of load to the power supply / battery pack. That's not a lot, but you might want to turn it off to eek out some additional run time.

The next thing I discovered is that the silencer system doesn't add any additional load. I didn't really expect it to, but thought I'd test that just in case.

Finally, the HumidX, which is optional for the DreamWear Nasal Cushion how I have it set up, does increase load, and how much depends on the pressure. I've therefore included data with and without the HumidX for the DreamWear Nasal Cushion.

On to the results:


It's pretty interesting to me that the N20 gives the least amount of load at 10cm H2O, but not the least at 5cm. This is probably due to measurement error, and the reality is that it's very close. The DreamWear Full Face mask uses quite bit more at 16cm, but this is mostly due to it leaking a little bit. I don't think this is a good mask for high pressures. At lower pressures it's pretty comparable in load to the other masks.

As for run-time, the Omni Mobile 25,600 will get you two 8 hour nights with all masks up to 10cm H2O, but not at 16cm. You should easily get 1 night out of either battery pack at 16cm, as long as you don't have many leaks.

If you need two nights, the Pilot 24 might get you there at 95 Wh capacity, but it's likely to have similar performance to the Omni Mobile 25,600 and might not at 16cm H2O.

I'm going to copy this post in my other thread about battery capacity because it's probably relevant there as well.

Best of luck; I hope this is helpful.

[Woot!]

You are the man/woman/person! Thank you very much. I have to go to Germany for Hannover Messe and I was trying to just figure a way to get a little sleep because the last few years have been so terrible. Thanks again, this was very kind of you to beta my pressure.

Sorry it too so long to check in, I had to make a trip to Seattle and leaving for Cleveland Sunday so if prime can deliver in time, this is super useful information. Omni mobile it is!!!

Woot!

[Nezil]

You are the man/woman/person! Thank you very much.

Haha, man, and you're welcome.

Post back on here with your experiences... hope it gets to you on time.

[jkbrooks]

Hello,
Thank you for the parts list and sharing the results of all your hard work! Few questions;
* I would like a cable to connect airmini power-in to 12v cigarette lighter in my RV. I've seen reports that the Resmed one shuts down after one night (before battery recharged regardless of charge state of batteries.)
* I'd like to use this cable to connect to the usb battery (omni mobile 25600 maybe)

Do you have a website link to the cable you bought? What's the name of the power-in connector on the AirMini?

I'm down the qtube & 3d print connector path. Still cycling on process a bit but the AirMini is obnoxiously noisy so I'm movtivated to find a solution.

Re the AirMini overall; I've done several light bicycle tours (3 to 5 days.) I've done these solo and sleep in hotels (so I'm not hauling tent/cook stuff/bag etc) but I'm still rolling with 15 pounds of stuff. I like the AirMini for it's size & weight. Since I've been solo, I just use earplugs (which is a pain in the ass) although when I've had company in bed, I've not gotten complaints about the noise of the thing (which surprises me.)

So, like the unit. Would buy it again because it drops considerable weight I need to haul on the bike. It's a noisy bugger though which is wicked irritating. Down a path to hopefully resolve that (grace a this forum!). Next up is running off 12v RV power & running off a portable battery.

Appreciate any guidance or help
best
John

[billbolton]

* I would like a cable to connect airmini power-in to 12v cigarette lighter in my RV. I've seen reports that the Resmed one shuts down after one night (before battery recharged regardless of charge state of batteries.)

I've never had that happen with my AirMini 12V adapter.