What is a step up converter
im looking to charge on 12v two Roberts radios, one a personal radio and the other a duo. I put a question to Roberts.com whether they supply cables that would allow us to use a 12v supply whilst off hook up by use of car type socket. They responded by saying I would need a step up converter. I have looked on tinterweb and the explanations escape me. What is one, why would you need one and are they actually available for 12v supply.
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I got something similar for my 12V TV. You'd think it'd be a bit daft to convert 12V to 12V, but it's not. The problem is that the vehicle 12V is not always 12V. It can vary from 11 up to 15V, depending on whether it's being charged and what else is running in the van. Voltage variations can play havoc with 12V electronics, depending on how well designed they are. A 12V to 12V converter will give a constant and clean 12V output.
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Pete
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If it's a mains radio then they are referring to a 240 volt inverter I.e. 12 volts DC in, 240 volts ac out. Rather elaborate just for a radio but some people do it. It is however true that a caravan/motorhome DC supply is never actually 12 volts except when it is off of mains. Its more stable if you have a smart system but if not then it will run at 13.8 volts.
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Well, they run off of mains not 12 volt so you can't recharge them without EHU.
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I expect they mean an inverter
I use one like this for my laptop.
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Assuming your radio(s) are mains (230v AC) they will usually incorporate a transformer/rectifier to present suitable DC voltage . For example my now quite old Pure DAB radio has a 6 volt battery pack. So the mains transformer which is incorporated into the plug drops the voltage and changes it to 6v DC. As already remarked 12v isn't 12v in an automotive context and might be as high as 15v. Some equipment such as TVs are sensitive to over-voltage and in my last van I had a device called an Amperor voltage regulator with dropped the vehicles "12v" to an actual 12v. My new TV has the voltage dropping incorporated in its own circuitry so no other "boxes" are needed and it can happily run off the Vans 12v all the time.
Your radio(s) may have a direct power input be it 12v 9v or 6v and with a suitable connector you may be able to connect to the 12v vehicle supply. However you need to regulate the supply to the correct voltage and shops like Maplins will have a multi-volt transformer/rectifier which will produce the correct DC output voltage often coming with a range of connectors.
Hope this helps however it may be simpler just to be organised and mains charge your radio(s) when you can because your 12v power source itself (leisure battery) needs charges by hookup solar panel or whatever.
Hope this helps
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Just another suggestion when off EHU. I used to take a solar/rechargeable battery Roberts radio away with me. I didn't do very well with it and then it stopped working altogether. As a spare I always take a small windup/solar radio and now a new Sony pocket usb radio with lithium batteries charged up by a small inverter or a solar usb charger. I can also use these to charge up a phone.
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