Building your own battery for a Satellite Meter

[AnaBot]

Is it possible to construct your own battery to power any satellite meter? I'm assuming they take some low voltage DC source... Many meters have batteries built in that provide the same power that the receiver does. Could you just group together the right combination of rechargeable lithium AAA or AA (or whatever) batteries? I suppose you'd need to get the amps right as well...

Any thoughts?

 

[vegassatellite]

For DISH you would need 600mA at 18V to run the DPP Triple. Since most small batteries run at 1.5v, you would want about 12 batteries in series to get to 18v. Then you would want to parallel wire those batteries to get the milliamps you need or want. I would recommend at least 1500 mAh. Eveready makes a 6v rechargeable lithium-ion photo battery (2CR5). You would only need 3 in series and one string ought to be enough. If not, just be ready to expand beyond one string and parallel wire more strings in. Then just solder the pack to an F-81 circuit board barrel, wiring red lead to center pin and black lead to the external part of the barrel. Then just connect that to your meter. I've thought about building one as an add-on to my Birdog and just connecting it to the Receiver In barrel.

 

[Jared Twomey]

I did it once with a couple 9-volt batteries because I needed to line up a dish, but my channel master was dead, and there were no receivers on site. It worked fine, but didn't last terribly long.

 

[DJ Rob]

I've used two 9volts hooked up together in series with my sf-95 meter.

 

[AnaBot]

For DISH you would need 600mA at 18V to run the DPP Triple. Since most small batteries run at 1.5v, you would want about 12 batteries in series to get to 18v. Then you would want to parallel wire those batteries to get the milliamps you need or want. I would recommend at least 1500 mAh. Eveready makes a 6v rechargeable lithium-ion photo battery (2CR5). You would only need 3 in series and one string ought to be enough. If not, just be ready to expand beyond one string and parallel wire more strings in. Then just solder the pack to an F-81 circuit board barrel, wiring red lead to center pin and black lead to the external part of the barrel. Then just connect that to your meter. I've thought about building one as an add-on to my Birdog and just connecting it to the Receiver In barrel.

It just so happens that I have an 18v rechargeable lithium ion battery already! It's for my drill... could I just wire my drill battery somehow? That would be sweeeeet.

 

[boba]

I've used my B&D 18volt drill battery get the polarity right or you may fry the meter.

 

[highdefjeff]

I used to use two nine volt batteries, tape, and a piece of coax for my original used dual meter that the battery was shot. Worked fine.

 

[vegassatellite]

I've used my B&D 18volt drill battery get the polarity right or you may fry the meter.

Yep, take some coax and strip out a real long center conductor and expose a lot of braid. Sand both of them to get rough surface and solder on some leads. Positive to the center conductor, negative to braid.

 

[hyperguy]

Just go to your local battery place. Like a interstate dealer and buy 6 Sub-c NI-MH Batteries at 2600ma and then open your meter and solder the batteries the same way he old ones are. I reused the connection from the old battery pack. This is for the bird dog. You could go lithium but they are much more expensive.

 

[Agonizing Fury]

Yep, take some coax and strip out a real long center conductor and expose a lot of braid. Sand both of them to get rough surface and solder on some leads. Positive to the center conductor, negative to braid.

Had an old Sat Buddy that wouldn't hold a charge. Did this and used it as the battery for about 3 months. Worked great! Never had a problem with it. Then we got the SuperSat Buddy doesn't work if the battery is already dead, cause the IRD won't power the computer and the LNB, just the LNB.

 

[vegassatellite]

Just go to your local battery place. Like a interstate dealer and buy 6 Sub-c NI-MH Batteries at 2600ma and then open your meter and solder the batteries the same way he old ones are. I reused the connection from the old battery pack. This is for the bird dog. You could go lithium but they are much more expensive.

Be careful with that recommendation. The battery management systems for Lithium and NI-MH is very different. You could cause a lithium battery to ignite if its charged using a NI-MH charger.