Tactical Tailor

Widget Wednesday:  Creating an Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS) in austere environments

An SPM-622 Squad Power Manager and a few cables is like having a multi-tool for power in your rucksack. With such a system, troops can “scavenge” power from vehicle batteries or power-out ports and from solar panels or blankets to recharge batteries and run equipment – anywhere, any time.

The SPM-622 is particularly useful as an Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS). Simply connect the SPM to a rechargeable battery, an AC wall outlet, or portable generator, and the device, or devices, you want to keep powered up. As long as AC power is available, the battery is kept fully charged-up, and power for the radio is automatically converted, balanced and passed through by the SPM. The diagram below shows how this can be done to provide uninterruptible power to a SatCom radio system.

If the AC power fails, the SPM will automatically switch to drawing power from the back-up battery so that the radio remains powered up. The user is alerted to the change on the SPM’s screen, but no action is required. Once AC power is available again, the SPM will automatically revert to drawing power for the radio from the AC source, as well as simultaneously recharging the connected back-up battery.

Additional back-up power storage capability for critical equipment can be achieved by connecting up to 3 more batteries to the SPM. As long as AC power is available the SPM will keep all connected batteries topped-up, if/when the AC power fails the SPM will automatically switch to drawing power from the battery with the lowest state of charge – ensuring the most efficient use of the back-up power available.

If you need further assistance, contact Support@Protonex.com. Visit www.PTXnomad.com for further info about the wide range of applications and equipment supported by the SPM-622 Squad Power Manager.

One Response to “Widget Wednesday:  Creating an Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS) in austere environments”

  1. rearmount says:

    Neat! Is there a product similar to this catered to the civilian market?