Power supply - generator or battery?

[that_guy]

Hey guys, im looking for a portable power supply to power laptop/heq5 mount/camera and maybe other things later on. Currently the best options seem to be a deep cycle battery with a battery box + charger or a small generator (something like this? http://www.duringdays.com.au/power-fx-1000w-max-700w-rated-inverter-generator-portable-petrol/). Whats the best performance to value ratio between battery vs gen?

[dbowie]

Hi Tony Ive used my lithium bike battery on my HEQ5 only, Ive used for about 5 hrs with no probs so far and its super light and charges real quick, not bad price. Laptop is another story but could prob be jury rigged to work with its own battery. Tried a few Supercheap portable crank starters but their not really suitable. Hope this helps. chrz Brenton...

http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/SSB-PowerSport-Lithium-Battery-Ultralight-TRIUMPH-865-Thruxton-04-12-/161241029613?hash=item258ab6dbed:g: mI8AAOSwepJXWrIy

[Waxing_Gibbous]

A generator will drive you (and others) nuts. It's droning is a good deal more invasive after 1/2 an hour or so than in the first five minutes. I think the DS battery is a good idea and I,m told a company called Jaycar carries a range of power tanks based on the idea.
Good luck!

[casstony]

A 38Ah deep cycle battery is a solid choice but it is quite heavy (I use one).
The Lithium Ion batteries are much lighter but they need to be treated carefully to avoid burning a hole through your carpet.

The noise from a generator would be annoying though the fumes might keep mozzies away :) The cheap generators may suffer reliability issues too.

[glend]

Work out your total watts required from your various device, and how long you want to run them. You will need an inverter to power the laptop off a battery. If your running dew heaters and controllers you will need more power. Generators do not supply 12V efficiently. A 40AH battery might be ok, but you need to monitor the voltage so it doesn't drop too low (12.5v to ensure long life).

[lazjen]

Depending on your laptop, you might be able to get a direct DC to DC connection to it instead of using an inverter.

[that_guy]

For people who wired cig lighter sockets to car batteries, did you use a fuse just in case or just plug it straight. If you did use a fuse, what amp fuse did you use?