12v Battery for Air Compressor?

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Davidvaini
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Fri Jan 09, 2009 12:41 am

Some people have been talking about 12v air compressors lately. Some more people have been talking about portable air supplies.

I was trying to come up with a new portable air supply for a BBMG.

I have a couple of questions.


Do you think the flow and pressure will be high enough?
Do you think you could hook up a 12v battery to the compressor and have it operate?
Would the battery provide enough amperage?
Would a solar panel output enough amperage/voltage?

I was thinking about doing a battery and air compressor in a backpack.

It would be for CQB and therefore I don't really care if I'm loud.
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Cosmic Muffin
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Fri Jan 09, 2009 12:48 am

if you are a real tank you could lug round a car battery, that would have enough amperage and what not
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Fri Jan 09, 2009 1:22 am

Our little beer drinking project uses a 12v compressor running on a 3s Lipo. Works fine.

Not having played around with bbmg's, I can't say for certain, but I don't think the flow rate would keep up.

You could use the compressor with a small storage tank (1 lb propane tank?) for repeatable short burst type fire.

Maybe. :)
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Davidvaini
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Fri Jan 09, 2009 1:24 am

what lipos? and parallel or series?
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jackssmirkingrevenge
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Fri Jan 09, 2009 1:30 am

Whatever you conjure up, I doubt it will ever be better than a regulated HPA or CO<sub>2</sub> bottle in terms of power/portability.

Hook the pump directly to the BB chamber, that's the performance you'll be getting, and evaluate if it suits your purposes. As to using a solar power, the area you'd need to work one of these pumps effectively means that you'd be wearing a solar panel suit ;)
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Fri Jan 09, 2009 1:38 am

Cheap chinese stuff off of ebay Power Max or some such, I've not looked at it in awhile. Just make sure that you get something with a high enough discharge rate.

3s is 3 cells in series. 11.1volts total.

Something like this ;

http://www.hobbycity.com/hobbycity/stor ... h_3S1P_15C

But then you'll need a charger. I use this one, works great and was easy on the wallet.

http://www.hobbycity.com/hobbycity/stor ... ge_Capable
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psycix
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Fri Jan 09, 2009 9:16 am

Do you think the flow and pressure will be high enough?
I doubt it. A backpack sized compressor + power source will probably not be powerful enough as BBMG's simply require damn much air. You could however use an air tank to build up pressure and fire in bursts. Direct hookup will not do the job if you ask me.

Do you think you could hook up a 12v battery to the compressor and have it operate?
Yes, you can.

Would the battery provide enough amperage?
Yes, batteries (especially car batteries) can provide alot of amperage. Though they may get warm and be drained very quickly.

Would a solar panel output enough amperage/voltage?

No. Solar panels need to be damn large to give a significant output.
The solar panel would need to be so large that it would not be portable as in fitting on top of your backpack. I think you would need something like one square meter (perpendicular to the sun on a sunny day)



Have you considered the possibility of using a combustion engine like chainsaws do? Enough power in a portable package.
You could make your own, but there are commercial compressors available that run on gas too.
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POLAND_SPUD
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Fri Jan 09, 2009 9:59 am

12v compressors work.. that was one sentence enumerating their all advantages :wink:

seriously, don't spend $ on batteries... safe your money and either:
- buy a real compressor instead (it won't be portable but 12V compressor + car battery won't be good at pumping and it won't be very portable anyway)

- buy a CO2 / HPA setup

- use propane for powering a BBMG
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scavies
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Fri Jan 09, 2009 3:15 pm

The pressure will not be a problem at all.

My 12v goes up to 250 psi. It's lovely.
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iisthemuffin
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Fri Jan 09, 2009 3:29 pm

The problem with using the 12v is that flow. If you were to hook it up to your gun and pull the trigger, your bbs will just dribble out.

If i were you i would use a a propane bottle as an air tank. Put an adapter on it and then a t. Make your input for the compressor on one side and your out put for the gun on the other. You could always use a bigger tank but those are pretty small and are good for portability.

It would work well for quick bursts.

Also. i Would wire a switch in front of you. Like maybe have a switch that can hook on your waste or something so you can kill the compressor when you need to.
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suburban spudgunner
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Fri Jan 09, 2009 9:13 pm

Most 12V compressors I've used only lasted me a few months; one could definitely provide enough air flow for this, but they tend to overheat and die quickly.

I'd suggest one only if you intend to use it rarely, and are on a tight budget. Otherwise, it's best to shell out for a more dependable compressor; of course, then portability goes out the window.
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twizi
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Fri Jan 09, 2009 9:28 pm

this dud on instructebules has powerd a eletric compresor with a camrea here is the link http://www.instructables.com/id/How-to- ... tball-Gun/
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Sat Jan 10, 2009 1:25 am

twizi wrote:this dud on instructebules has powerd a eletric compresor with a camrea here is the link
Nope, the camera circuit powers the solenoid valve, the pump on the other hand:
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Sat Jan 10, 2009 1:30 am

A simple 12V lead-acid motorcycle battery would get the job done. They're still pretty heavy, but they're cheaper than an R/C toy battery, and smaller than a full car battery.
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