aussie heated hose

ozij wrote:Two interesting poins in Elliejosie's post:
The power supply came from the hose's makee
The hose didn't warm up for a couple of days before superwarming.

Both point to a faulty power supply.

Very troubling.

O.

I agree. Interestingly, the Aussie heated hose I've been using continuously for three years was from back before the makers started including a power supply. I've been using a DC adapter from Radio Shack.

Soon after sleepzone began shipping the heated hose with an adapter included, I ordered another heated hose to have on hand as a backup. I asked for one without their adapter, as I planned to continue using the Radio Shack adapter, and they sent it as I requested... sans their adapter.

I haven't had to use the backup hose yet. I did use it for one night (with, of course, my own adapter) just to be sure it worked ok, which it did. I'm rather glad I ordered it "the old way."

The electric voltage in Australia is 240 V.
The electric voltage in the USA is 110 V.

The hose needs a power supply to convert the local (whatever it is) to 12 Va.

Sleepzone does say "a USA /Canada approved power supply" but they may have beed sold fakes.

There are many millions of 110 Volt user in the U.S.A.,so chaces of finding a high quality, reliable power supply to do the job in the U.S. are much higher that in Australia.

Since there is no protective circuitry in the hose, we have to find it in the power supply.

My conclusions (in laypersons' terms since I don't know the professional ones): Look for the best power supply you can get, for the hose, do it in your country, make sure that the only way the power supply can malfunction is by dying, and that it never, under any circumstances, supplies more than 12 V. - since the power supply is the only place where we have protection. Tell the person selling you the power supply that you need it for medical equipment that has no fuse - and you may be in grave danger if the power supply gives too much power.

I hope the electrically knowledgeable among us will give us the professional terms - it will make shopping for the correct power supply easier.

...When sleepzone sold the PB piggyback hose two years ago, they were (apparently) not aware that the PB power block sold in Australia is strong enough to do the piggybacking, but the European and American ones are not -- I haven't found piggyback hoses on the site today.


O.

ozij wrote:My conclusions (in laypersons' terms since I don't know the professional ones)...

<sigh>

Modern "plug pack" style low voltage power supplies are a commodity product world wide, and the vast majority today will be made somewhere in Asia. Increasingly, plug pack supplies are switch-mode types that will operate over a range of input voltages from 100V to 250V AC and that can be homologated globally, with the only difference being the actual AC plug provided with the supply.

If the plug pack, whether a transformer of switch mode type, has received regulatory compliance for a particular national market, then it is as "safe" as any other which has received regulatory compliance for that market. All "Western" countries have similar regulatory compliance approaches, which now a days are largely based on ISO/IEC promulgated standards.

There is no realistic ability for any retailer or consumer to be able to determine that one arbitrary plug pack power supply with an appropriate compliance certification is better or worse from a safety point of view than any other arbitrary plug pack power supply with an appropriate compliance certification.

Cheers,

Bill (member of the Institute of Electrical & Electronic Engineers)

Hi Bill,

I'm an idiot when it comes to all things electrical (or mechanical, for that matter), so my question is probably pretty darn stupid. Plus, it's not likely related to the heated hose thing.......

I have a friend from Australia (Adelaide) who visited me last year. He first went to Europe to a conference, was in two different countries there, as well as an overnight stop in Singapore on the way. Then he was here. He uses a cpap and brought along a package of adapters. Do those little adapters in which he plugged in to, do they adjust for the different wattages? (told you I'm ignorant )

Just wondering. I'm assuming they do or he wouldn't have been able to use his cpap. But do those plugs regulate the amount of voltage, in addition to changing to the right plug prong thingies?

Haha, like my technical term, "thingies"?



Linda

In reading the manual for my machine, it says it has the built in capability to use both of the two voltages (110 and 240). What is required is an adapter to get the coorect shape and number of prongs.

Hey, I think that answers my question!
Thanks, RiverDave!




Linda

LDuyer wrote:But do those plugs regulate the amount of voltage, in addition to changing to the right plug prong thingies?

Most recent xPAP machine have switched-mode power supplies and will work over a range of input voltages from about 100 Volts AC to 250 Volts AC at 50Hz or 60Hz frequency.

To use them in any particular country all you need is the plug adapter to match the local mains power socket to the type of mains power socket that matches your power cables.

Cheers,

Bill

Is the adapter supplied by sleepzone a "Modern "plug pack" style low voltage power supply"?

When I was looking for power supply in my country two years ago, I eventually found one with the right specifications, that could connect to the heated hose cable. It is a switching power supply, and has the CE label on it. It looks like the Puritan Bennett power supply pack only smaller.

https://1187b4d09c41350ddef3-8a2c38c894 ... d_420G.jpg


But I was shown other ac/dc converters with variable outputs where you set the output levels with a coin, and they were non-switching. The converter in sleepzone's picture reminded me of the older ones, Which set me wondering about its quality.

Bill, do you, as a member of the Institute of Electrical & Electronic Engineers have an professional opinion about the heated hose? How high are the chancesit will melt, burn, kill us with its fumes? Do you (would you) use one?

Thanks,
O.

_________________

CPAPopedia Keywords Contained In This Post (Click For Definition): hose, Puritan Bennett, Power

Bump - Bill, I really want to hear your opinion on this.
Thanks.
O.

ozij wrote:Is the adapter supplied by sleepzone a "Modern "plug pack" style low voltage power supply"?

Why don't you ask Sleep Zone?!?

The converter in sleepzone's picture reminded me of the older ones, Which set me wondering about its quality.

The only thing it is reasonably possible to determine from the view on the Sleep Zone web site is that it's a plug pack with an Australian mains power connector.

Bill, do you, as a member of the Institute of Electrical & Electronic Engineers have an professional opinion about the heated hose?

No, my comments above are solely related to ill-infomed assertions about power supplies.

How high are the chances it will melt, burn, kill us with its fumes?

It has Therapeutic Goods Administration approval in Australia (http://www.tga.gov.au/docs/html/tga/tgaginfo.htm) under ARTG Number 82265, so the chances are about the same as your Goodknight 420E Auto CPAP Machine being likely to do that.

Do you (would you) use one?

I live in a temperate, maritime climate so I have no need for a heated hose, but if I lived in a climate that justified using one, I would.

Cheers,

Bill

billbolton wrote:

ozij wrote:Is the adapter supplied by sleepzone a "Modern "plug pack" style low voltage power supply"?

Why don't you ask Sleep Zone?!?

I would if I were plannig to buy to buy one from them.

Bill, do you, as a member of the Institute of Electrical & Electronic Engineers have an professional opinion about the heated hose?

No, my comments above are solely related to ill-infomed assertions about power supplies.

I am very happy to be better informed about power supplies now.

O.