How do I connect alligator clips to an AGM battery for CPAP?

[Rob K]

Googproof makes a good point. Fuses are a good idea to protect from shorted wiring and fireworks. This is why I ended up buying a marine battery box with built in 12v socket, usb socket and circuit breakers to protect from shorted cables. I use it for my boat also so it's dual purpose for me. I own this one, but there are less expensive ones.
https://www.walmart.com/ip/Newport-Vess ... 3=&veh=sem

[Goofproof]

I would probably make up some cables that attach to the battery with screws and nuts, but I am an engineer, so I'm comfortable doing stuff like that. I'm not sure I've seen commercially available cables that would work. If such things are not in your skill set, maybe an electrician, mechanic, or hobbyist could help?
Jim

You could also bolt a circuit breaker directly to the Plus terminal for safety. (Sized for XPAP) Jim

[Rob K]

I just realized the 12v plug on my Resperonics cable has a fuse inside. Guess I should get some extras. I assume other brands do the same with their cables. At least I hope so.

[mileena]

Also, is this a good battery charger for a 35 AH AGM: 10/6/2 AMP:

https://www.walmart.com/ip/Schumacher-1 ... r/17013273


charge-2.jpg

This is a good charger but overkill for a small battery. For most people this is a good charger to leave in the garage. For charging a backup battery I would use a BatteryTender, which comes in three sizes, 0.75 amps, 1.25 amps, and 5 amps (plus a few others).

https://www.amazon.com/Battery-Tender-0 ... B00EDFPN1O
(This link should show all the BT chargers, for you I'd pick the 5 amp.)

This is small enough to tuck into a battery box with the battery (double check the size!), and you don't have to use clumsy alligator clips - it has the quick connect plus. The big charger can charger a bit faster, but the battery will only accept about 8 amps (at most) for much of its cycle so its not that much of a difference. With the 35 ah battery you can go several days, and then hopefully you can find an outlet for a few hours of charge. The charge rate slows as it fills, so it takes a long time for any charger to get to 100%.

I don't know your circumstances, but if you have a place of work or a friend where you can leave a battery overnight you could have two batteries (both with the quick connect cable) and swap them every few days.

Thanks so much CapnLoki for pointing that out. And sorry, for disappearing for a day.

I was advised that the amps for a battery charger need to be 20% of the AH for an AGM battery in this post linked and also quoted below:

viewtopic/t171447/Can-anyone-recommend- ... 5#p1249441

AGM's use the same chargers as car batteries, so there are a lot of inexpensive options. I like the BatteryTender trickle chargers because they are very gentle and reliable, but the largest is only 5 Amps. You want a charger that puts out at least a quarter of the size of battery - i.e. a 40 Amp-hour battery would like about 10 Amps when charging. The 35 AH batteries are a luggable 25 pounds, I like the 50% to 85% charging protocol, but it can be pushed to 20% to 90% at the cost of lifetime and charge time. This might mean something like 3 hours charging once a week, total life reduced from about 1000 cycles to 500 -still not bad for a $65 battery. Also, you can get a second battery and rotate as needed.

So if my AGM is 35 AH, I would need a charger that is 7 amps. That is why I was looking at the 10 amp charger above in my second post. But if you say 5 amps are good, then so be it!

[mileena]

I am only used to top post and side post car batteries. Why do AGM batteries have such weird terminals?

So you can bolt wires to the battery.

Ok. Thank you. But in the case of a CPAP machine, there is no way to connect the Philips DreamStatiion 12V DC male plug (the kind you plug into a cigarette lighter outlet in your car) (or alligator clips) to the AGM battery then without complex wiring that you have to hire an electrician for.

Here's one option: https://www.amazon.com/NOCO-GC018-Adapt ... B00G8WLW2Y

Or, as was previously mentioned...

Clip red to plus terminal. Black to minus

Your first option above is an excellent idea. I did not know they made such adapters!

Do you or anyone else know what size bolt I need to attach the eyelet to an AGM? And do I need a nut and washers as well? Do I need to use silicon gel like for a car batttery?

[mileena]

I might get a 35 AH AGM travel battery like one of the following: ...

The answer is: don't use alligator clips! They are only for attended, short term use; NOT for sleeping!

The alternative is quite simple. The BatteryTender chargers (plus a few other chargers) come with "quick connect" cables, such is this:
https://www.amazon.com/Battery-Tender-0 ... B000NCOKZQ
This has a built in fuse and connects to the charger. The terminals are color coded, Red to + or POS, Black to - or NEG.

While the above cable is included with the BatteryTender, you have to add the one below to provide a socket for your 12 volt cord:
https://www.amazon.com/Battery-Tender-0 ... B0041CDPQO

Once this is setup, you simply unplug the charger and plug in the socket. It can be done in the dark, which is often when its needed.

Thank you CapnLoki!

Does the terminal of the adapter below (I pointed to it with the red arrow) connect directly to a BatteryTender charger?

bt-edited.jpg (52.49 KiB) Viewed 12129 times

And does the terminal of the other adapter below (pointed to with the purple arrow) connect to the terminal above with the red arrow?

adapt.jpg (51.04 KiB) Viewed 12129 times

[mileena]

It's a good idea to have battery box also so the battery doesn't accidentally get shorted across the exposed terminals during transport. You can get battery box or a cheap sturdy plastic box like a tool box and drill a hole for the cord that bolts onto the battery posts. Or you can just run your cpap cord in through the loose cover when your using it. This will keep all the connections contained inside the box and the only thing coming out will be the cord going to your cpap. Like said you can store other things in the box as long as they are not going to be moving around and shorting the battery terminals together.

Some battery boxes come with a 12v socket built in to the box so all you have to do is plug in your cpap cord. When I bought mine they were around $40-70. They tend to be for bigger batteries so you will have extra room if you put a smaller battery in it. I haven't really looked for a small box with 12v socket. Maybe it does exist. Also keep an eye on your cords for any signs of damage or wear. You don't want to start a fire, especially when your sleeping.

Thanks Rob! Is the 12V socket built in to the box able to attach to an AGM battery? Don't eyelets have to connect ot the battery and the other end to the built-in socket? Is the box only built for one brand of battery?

[mileena]

Googproof makes a good point. Fuses are a good idea to protect from shorted wiring and fireworks. This is why I ended up buying a marine battery box with built in 12v socket, usb socket and circuit breakers to protect from shorted cables. I use it for my boat also so it's dual purpose for me. I own this one, but there are less expensive ones.
https://www.walmart.com/ip/Newport-Vess ... 3=&veh=sem

I love that box! Do you need to change the fuses so the amps are correct for your CPAP, or do the same fuses work for both the CPAP and marine stuff?

[CapnLoki]

Does the terminal of the adapter below (I pointed to it with the red arrow) connect directly to a BatteryTender charger?

And does the terminal of the other adapter below (pointed to with the purple arrow) connect to the terminal above with the red arrow?

Yes, the first cable comes with the BatteryTender and connects it to the battery. After charging, you pull the plug and plug in the other adaptor with the cigarette socket for use with any device, such as a cpap. There are a few variations, like having several batteries, each with the first cable, and swapping them back and forth. There is also a splitter that allows the battery to power several devices, like a cpap and a cell phone, etc.

[mileena]

Does the terminal of the adapter below (I pointed to it with the red arrow) connect directly to a BatteryTender charger?

And does the terminal of the other adapter below (pointed to with the purple arrow) connect to the terminal above with the red arrow?

Yes, the first cable comes with the BatteryTender and connects it to the battery. After charging, you pull the plug and plug in the other adaptor with the cigarette socket for use with any device, such as a cpap. There are a few variations, like having several batteries, each with the first cable, and swapping them back and forth. There is also a splitter that allows the battery to power several devices, like a cpap and a cell phone, etc.

Ok, I appreciate your reply!

So,

1. I plug this into my DreamStation:

philips.jpg (47.18 KiB) Viewed 12105 times

2. Then I plug the adpater cord below into the above adapter cord:

adapt-2.jpg (73.76 KiB) Viewed 12102 times

3. Then I plug the adapter cord below into the above adapter cord and connect the other end to the AGM?

bt.jpg (74.42 KiB) Viewed 12105 times

[CapnLoki]

I love that box! Do you need to change the fuses so the amps are correct for your CPAP, or do the same fuses work for both the CPAP and marine stuff?

The box is neat - I found it a bit overkill but many folks like it. Fuses are not sized for the device, they are sized for the wiring. Its like in a house where an outlet will have a 15 Amp breaker regardless of what is plugged into it. Matching the breaker, the wires, and the outlet to the same capability is the responsibility of the electrician.

The BatteryTender cable has a fuse - 10 amps I think. And the Respironics cable has an 8 amp fuse in its tip.

All these fuses are nice but its actually fairly unlikely that there will be a problem because you'll be handling the wires and will notice a break that would be a problem (unlike on a car or boat where some hidden wire is corroded, etc.) The real risk is the simple situation where someone puts a metal lunch box on the battery, shorting the terminals! Fuses won't protect against that which is why I like a box.

[CapnLoki]

Does the terminal of the adapter below (I pointed to it with the red arrow) connect directly to a BatteryTender charger?

And does the terminal of the other adapter below (pointed to with the purple arrow) connect to the terminal above with the red arrow?

Yes, the first cable comes with the BatteryTender and connects it to the battery. After charging, you pull the plug and plug in the other adaptor with the cigarette socket for use with any device, such as a cpap. There are a few variations, like having several batteries, each with the first cable, and swapping them back and forth. There is also a splitter that allows the battery to power several devices, like a cpap and a cell phone, etc.

Ok, I appreciate your reply!

So,

1. I plug this into my DreamStation:


philips.jpg



2. Then I plug the adpater cord below into the above adapter cord:


adapt-2.jpg



3. Then I plug the adapter cord below into the above adapter cord and connect the other end to the AGM?


bt.jpg

Yes exactly, Although I think of it in the reverse order - the battery to the ring adapter to the cigarette socket to the cigarette plug to the cpap.

[mileena]

I love that box! Do you need to change the fuses so the amps are correct for your CPAP, or do the same fuses work for both the CPAP and marine stuff?

The box is neat - I found it a bit overkill but many folks like it. Fuses are not sized for the device, they are sized for the wiring. Its like in a house where an outlet will have a 15 Amp breaker regardless of what is plugged into it. Matching the breaker, the wires, and the outlet to the same capability is the responsibility of the electrician.

The BatteryTender cable has a fuse - 10 amps I think. And the Respironics cable has an 8 amp fuse in its tip.

All these fuses are nice but its actually fairly unlikely that there will be a problem because you'll be handling the wires and will notice a break that would be a problem (unlike on a car or boat where some hidden wire is corroded, etc.) The real risk is the simple situation where someone puts a metal lunch box on the battery, shorting the terminals! Fuses won't protect against that which is why I like a box.

Got it! As long as there are fuses already that will work, I am set then.

I am old enough to remember the days of the metal lunch boxes, along with the thermos, when I was a kid:

heathcliff.jpg (80.96 KiB) Viewed 12098 times

[mileena]

Does the terminal of the adapter below (I pointed to it with the red arrow) connect directly to a BatteryTender charger?

And does the terminal of the other adapter below (pointed to with the purple arrow) connect to the terminal above with the red arrow?

Yes, the first cable comes with the BatteryTender and connects it to the battery. After charging, you pull the plug and plug in the other adaptor with the cigarette socket for use with any device, such as a cpap. There are a few variations, like having several batteries, each with the first cable, and swapping them back and forth. There is also a splitter that allows the battery to power several devices, like a cpap and a cell phone, etc.

Ok, I appreciate your reply!

So,

1. I plug this into my DreamStation:


philips.jpg



2. Then I plug the adpater cord below into the above adapter cord:


adapt-2.jpg



3. Then I plug the adapter cord below into the above adapter cord and connect the other end to the AGM?


bt.jpg

Yes exactly, Although I think of it in the reverse order - the battery to the ring adapter to the cigarette socket to the cigarette plug to the cpap.

Thank you. This is really getting me excited to be ordering all of this and see it works! Would this adpater cord that palerider mentioned on the first page replace the last two adapter cords I showed above:

pale.jpg (129.83 KiB) Viewed 12096 times

[CapnLoki]

Thank you. This is really getting me excited to be ordering all of this and see it works! Would this adpater cord that palerider mentioned on the first page replace the last two apater cords I showed above:

Yes - that cable combines the ring and the socket, but it doesn't have the "quick-connector" that allows you to plug in the BatteryTender charger. My solution has more parts but allows you to switch between the charger and the pump without using alligator clips.