Chapter 39 - The Return of the DC-DC Demon
Thursday, December 03, 2009
Back in Chapter 31, I had to deal with a 45-amp converter that could not meet the demands of running a 60-amp power steering pump.
We thought the problem was solved by having a powerful 12-volt battery run the steering pump, coolant pump, vacuum pump, and headlights.
All the DC-DC converter had to do was to charge up that battery when the car was plugged in.
But, now it can’t do even that. Time for a more powerful converter!
Metric Mind sells a German-made converter that is highly considered, but is costly.
Lee has a different idea.
Lee tells me he can get American-made parts on eBay, and then build a converter as powerful as we like. This will take longer, but hopefully, will give us exactly the power that is needed.
A few weeks later we have 2 used Vicor converters.
They are of a modular design which makes it easier to change the output power level.
In the photo above you can see that each unit can hold up to 8 power circuit boards. You can also see that each unit is a good 12 inches long; much bigger than the old DC-DC.
Finding the right spot to mount this large unit will be difficult.
I will also need help from one of my electrical engineer friends in order to determine what other parts I need to buy.
Next: the Digital Dash problem.
