Travel and dead Resmed power supply. Coincidence?

StuUnderPressure wrote:So, does the S9 AutoSet power brick act somewhat like a mini UPS?

These kinds of power bricks tend to be designed for 100-200V 50/60 Hz AC supply in order to work worldwide with only one model to stock. This tends to make them a little "tougher," especially if you're powering them off of 120V.

There may also be just some good old fashioned "good design."

There are also crazy European (especially German) safety agencies that have to certify such things if you sell them in certain companies. These guys are nutzo, but along with the silly stuff, they do have some stringent real requirements. Manufacturers are somewhat afraid of these guys and tend not cut corners and pay attention on the power supplies. This may add a little cost, but is probably a win for the customer.

There are some inherent advantages to switching power supply designs as well.

The external brick has the advantage that most power surge problems only damage the brick, and you can just replace that without having to service the machine.

archangle wrote:

StuUnderPressure wrote:So, does the S9 AutoSet power brick act somewhat like a mini UPS?

There are some inherent advantages to switching power supply designs as well.

The external brick has the advantage that most power surge problems only damage the brick, and you can just replace that without having to service the machine.

THANKS - That was really the point to my Question.

I always had my previous CPAPs on a UPS.

But, when I got the S9 AutoSet I was concerned that putting it on a UPS that switches to "battery" power under certain circumstances might not be good for the AutoSet. I have since decided that I can safely put my AutoSet on a UPS at home.

But, I do travel some & even in good hotels, they seem to "overload" the circuits. And you never know about the quality of the local electrical provider. Since I obviously do not travel with the UPS, I was just concerned about the high & low fluctuations in the electrical current & whether the power brick would keep the AutoSet from being negatively affected.

My power supply was lost when traveling due to faulty wiring at the hotel..I had to get rid if it..I complained but no result..so I enjoyed reporting them to AAA..which they were showing the AAA sign..DD

I had the same problem. I returned from a trip, plugged in my machine and only saw a quick blink of the power light. I tried several times with the same results. My device is under a year old. After reading the post and seeing that someone used a laptop power pack as a temporary fix, I looked closer at my power pack. In the end I was using the wrong power pack and must have packed it wrong while leaving.

The power supply for the S9 is designed to handle the 220V/240V 50Hz power in Amsterdam with a simple adaptor, and the pwoer supply in Australia is similar enough that it's obvious your power supply handled it fine in the past.

The failure probably was not coincidence, but I don't believe there's anything you could have done otherwise to prevent it.

Switching power supplies most frequently fail for one of two reasons, 1) poor connections and 2) heat.

I doubt heat killed your power supply, but it probably played a part. Chances are good the cord, or connections inside the supply, were simply worn out. If you travel a lot, then you wind your cord up a lot, and each time it puts strain on the wire connections in the cords. Travelling will also put strain on internal connections due largely to vibration.

Heat exacerbates the problem, as the adaptor warms up, or certain junctions warm up, they may move apart slightly.

My guess is that either the wires have finally broken completely in the cord as they enter the adaptor, with only intermittent connection that sudden power increases (like inhaling deeply and quickly) might cause to heat up and separate, until they cool off or some external vibration moves them close enough to arc or contact again.

Most power supply failures of this nature are easy to find with a multimeter and tools to disassemble the supply.

Another possibility is that a component in the power supply failed, but this is less likely.

Were it me, I'd take it apart and examine it to see the failure mode, and if it's an easy fix I'd do it and use it as a backup, but given the cost of a replacement is only $60 I wouldn't hesitate to buy one before I starting poking at the failed one.

Note: the members and sponsors of this forum disavow any liability
if some fool chooses to disassemble any power supply while it is still plugged in.

This thread's a few years old but timeless, I guess. Funny, voltage issues were discussed just a few days ago by another traveler:
viewtopic.php?f=1&t=110722&p=1062341&hi ... e#p1061802

Hi, Im having same issue as original poster on first day ofmy vacation to Paris. Any ideas how I could get a new S9 power brick while traveling?

Does make me wonder... If your traveling over seas and absolutely can not be with out a working machine - what are your options if yours decides to drop dead.

It's not like I'm going to be calling the Emergency Number on my Machine from the DME - they're worthless half the time when they're just 20 min away let alone on the other side of the planet.

Just wondering given the medical need what kind of options travelers have when they're away from home.

My Devillbiss Intellipap Autoadjust will run off AC current, or directly off 12 volf direct current.
I like my Resmed machine, but prefer not to bang my head when I am supposed to be having fun.
When I travel, I will be taking BOTH.