Spitz current draw

Technical Support for Routers
1

Hi,

I’m purchasing a spitz and thinking about running it, if needed, from a standard 5v battery bank (the kind you use to charge your phone). Normally it will be powered from my caravan’s 12v system but in case I want to take it on a hike it’d be nice to power it like this.

I see the spitz power supply is rated to 1.5A. Using a 2.4A USB port with a 5v to 12v step up converter (which you can buy all bundled up into a single cable), you can get around 800mA. Some advertise 1000mA but I think this is a lie given that’d be 100% efficient conversion…

Is 800mA enough to run the spitz?

The other option is to find a 12v battery bank, but the convenience of the usb ones is really hard to beat (can charge them easily, they are wrapped up in sleek enclosures with battery status indicators, mine have a built in led torch, and can of course charge your other devices).

Thanks!

2

I don’t think it will be enough, you might have strange issues sporadically.

A better option is to get a USB-C PD Powerbank that can output 12v on the USB-C port, then use a trigger like this:
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005001546335966.html

4 Likes
3

Great idea, thanks! I didn’t know this was an option. I’ll make a little adapter from one of these devices and find a USB-C PD battery bank to go along with it.

4

I use this combination for my X750v2 SPITZ. No fabricating required. DC4017

Voltage output is stable @ 12.1v, regardless of my battery voltage.

1 Like
5

I understand the spitz will run at any normal 12v battery voltage - from 11.5v to 14.5v. So the Usb-C PD adapter plus 12v negotiation cable seems extraneous?

My plan for powering in the caravan is to make a power cable with cigarette plug at one end and the appropriate DC connector at the other. My van has lifepo4 batteries so the spitz would get around 13v. Is this going to fry the spitz?

6

Just use a good buck regulator in line and no worries about input voltage changes. https://www.amazon.com/Converter-Automatic-12V-Waterproof-Transformer/dp/B07V8K6YZ6/ref=psdc_10967761_t3_B00C0KL1OM

7

Yeah you want to have a buck converter because while the caravan is running, the alternator will give spikes of voltage and also higher voltage than the battery usually has, even 15V (you need a higher voltage to charge the battery completely than the max voltage of the battery).

The one @sgoshe sent looks good, from the internal photo it looks like it has a big capacitor that would remove any spikes and jitter.

2 Likes
8

The internal caravan (I think the rest of the world calls them RVs) circuit is isolated from the vehicle/alternator with a DC-DC charger (currently a redarc bcdc25, soon to be a renogy dcc-50s), so voltage regulation is built in to the charger, dependent on the selected charging curve. It’s a max of 14.4v for lithium. But I’ll consider a buck converter as a safety measure for the spitz, thanks.