Ultra 24 to 12 volt converter

[joe mcnally]

Just wondered if there are any Tiffen Ultra owners or others who may have a source of a 24 to 12 volt converter ?

Mine has broken down and I need a replacement urgently.

Thanks for any leads

Joe McNally

[markdeblok]

Just wondered if there are any Tiffen Ultra owners or others who may have a source of a 24 to 12 volt converter ?

Mine has broken down and I need a replacement urgently.

Thanks for any leads

Joe McNally

 

Hi Joe,

 

if you need a quick fix (external) try the Alfatronix PV12i, it is made in the uk www.alfatronix.ltd.uk and will down convert from 17-31v to 13.6 12 amp. ground isolated. It's not that difficult to get the wires in and out from the sled.

If you need anymore info; mdb@markdeblok.com

 

best

 

mark

[Jason Torbitt]

Sounds like a good suggestion! Failing that Joe, maybe try calling Marell, they may be able to do something for you.

[joe mcnally]

Thanks Mark and Jason

much appreciated

I will look into the Alfatronix quick fix solution on Tuesday

I have talked to David at Marrell, very helpful, if I cannot find an immediate solution I will send the faulty component to them over the weekend

I was just fishing to see if anyone else had had the converter fail and to see where in the world a slot in replacement could be found.

Losing out on 24volt work big time at the moment

Cheers

for now

Joe

[Jerry Holway]

Losing out on 24volt work big time at the moment

Cheers

for now

Joe

 

Curious... what Ultra batteries do you have, the 24 (28) volt ones or the 12 (14.4) volt ones. From the quote above, it sounds like the 14.4v NiCads.

 

If you have the 14.4v batteries, then the specific converter you want is not one with an input of 17 to 31 volts, but one with an input of 13.2 to 16 or so volts, with an output of 12 volts. The same company mentioned might make one, and it must be an isolated DC-DC converter capable of enough amps (watts) to run the gear you want. You connect the isolated outputs in series with the battery to give nominally 26 volts... (14.4 + 12).

 

In the short run, (or permanently) you should be able to connect a second battery in series with your base battery (either another big battery or a NiCad NP-1 or anything of 12-14 volts) to get 24-28 volts. This also puts less stress on your primary battery, is much more efficient, etc.

 

Jerry

[joe mcnally]

Thanks Jerry

I have the 24(28)volt batteries.

The converter is internal to the Ultra rig. Input nominally 24 volts and output 12volts. It is rated at 150watts.

 

many thanks

joe

[joe mcnally]

Still searching for this part

Ive tried all the Googles and patents

Coming up a bit of a blank

Any clues please anybody

Desperate to get my Ultra rig going again

Joe

[Jerry Holway]

Joe-

Have your tried Tiffen?

 

It may be - the more I think about it, the more I think it is ? a custom made board untilizing the integral bottom dovetail as a heat sink... so it's not an off the shelf item.

 

Jerry

[joe mcnally]

Thanks Jerry

it is indeed that component at the base of the sled

I love the fact that you can put the Ultra down on the ground for a rest now and then.

Unfortunately I think this is the reason why the component has failed.

I believe the mechanical stress and strain of it being screwed to the bottom dovetail has over time caused it to crack.

If and when I have it replaced I think I will try to add some rubber padding or something to the bottom of the sled to help lessen the problem.

Many thanks

Joe

[Jerry Holway]

Joe-

 

odd, but I'll ask the engineers to look into that... unless it too a big shock, it's pretty protected in there.

 

Are you going to send the whole sled or the part back to Tiffen? They really need to look at it.

 

Thanks,

 

Jerry

[joe mcnally]

Thanks Jerry

at the moment I am happy with just replacing the part.

It seems quite straight forward as the converter just pushes in.

It may well of had a more serious knock at some time over the years but my suspicion is that it is just the putting it down on the ground stress.

 

Howevere if you are talking to the Tiffen engineers I would be interested to know if any mods are done to the original part. At the front of the converter it looks like somebody has modified it in some way.

It looks like the housing has been opened up and re resined in again

 

Another little question that been bugging me.. the original 5" CRT monitor got broken some time ago and I had it replaced with a pre owned 5" CRT. This later monitor is a 12volt and the older monitor was 24volt. Question, is the later monitor putting more demands on the 24 to 12 converter ?

 

I am based in the UK.

I talked with Robin today and all looks possible for a replacement

Many thanks for you interest and help

Cheers for the moment

Joe

[RobVanGelder]

Joe, is there a harbour near your place?

Stores that specialize in accessories for boats often have converters that bring the 24 volts down to 12 volts

 

Of course the other tips apply: it must be isolated DC-DC converter capable of enough amps.

I use one like this (actually, bought it from Mark de Blok once :rolleyes: ), works very well.