[tinkerer]

I have an automatic fish feeder that periodically runs out of batteries
and I don't notice. I would like to replace the 2 AA batteries with
aligator clips to the terminals, and hook up to a 3V ac adapter to keep
the unit running. Can I just cut the wires and hook up the clips to
the terminals being careful about polarity? And then can I take a
radioshack battery pack in parallel to act as a battery backup?

Thanks for any advice

 

[Jim Thompson]

I have an automatic fish feeder that periodically runs out of batteries
and I don't notice. I would like to replace the 2 AA batteries with
aligator clips to the terminals, and hook up to a 3V ac adapter to keep
the unit running. Can I just cut the wires and hook up the clips to
the terminals being careful about polarity? And then can I take a
radioshack battery pack in parallel to act as a battery backup?

Thanks for any advice

What are you using for an automatic fish feeder? I'm finally going to
be gone to a wedding for a few days and the lid on my reef tank is too
heavy for my adult daughter to lift :-(

...Jim Thompson

 

[Michael A. Terrell]

I have an automatic fish feeder that periodically runs out of batteries
and I don't notice. I would like to replace the 2 AA batteries with
aligator clips to the terminals, and hook up to a 3V ac adapter to keep
the unit running. Can I just cut the wires and hook up the clips to
the terminals being careful about polarity? And then can I take a
radioshack battery pack in parallel to act as a battery backup?

Thanks for any advice

First of all, this belongs on and No, you
can't replace batteries with an AC source. How can you be careful about
polarity with 3 VAC? If you meant a 3 VDC source, "maybe". You need to
know the current required, and if it needs to be regulated.

--
Service to my country? Been there, Done that, and I've got my DD214 to
prove it.
Member of DAV #85.

Michael A. Terrell
Central Florida

 

[Walter Harley]

I have an automatic fish feeder that periodically runs out of batteries
and I don't notice. I would like to replace the 2 AA batteries with
aligator clips to the terminals, and hook up to a 3V ac adapter to keep
the unit running. Can I just cut the wires and hook up the clips to
the terminals being careful about polarity? And then can I take a
radioshack battery pack in parallel to act as a battery backup?

Yes re the adapter; no re hooking a battery pack in parallel.

You can make the "battery backup" work if you use diodes to ensure that the
batteries don't try to power the adapter or vice versa, like this:

' BAT + -------->|-------o------ + TO FISH FEEDER
' 1N5818 |
' ADAPTER + ---->|-------'
'
' BAT - -----------------o------ - TO FISH FEEDER
' |
' ADAPTER - -------------'

Use Schottky diodes, like 1N5818, because they have lower voltage drop.
Note that you'll only need the diodes on the + side; on the - side you can
just connect the adapter and battery pack directly.

This will work as long as the voltage produced by the adapter is a bit more
than the voltage produced by the batteries. Otherwise, the batteries will
win and they will power the fish feeder until they are drained enough that
the adapter voltage is higher again.

To work around that, you might want to use a 4.5V adapter, and two regular
diodes (1N4004) rather than a Schottky diode in series with the adapter.
Each regular diode has a drop around 0.7V, and the Schottky will drop about
0.3V. So you get 3.1V from the adapter versus 2.7V from the batteries,
guaranteeing that no current will flow from the batteries until the AC
fails. But that might not be necessary; the 3V adapter probably puts out a
bit more than 3V depending on load, so you might just be fine with the
circuit I drew above.

 

[tinkerer]

Thanks for the help everyone! Thanks Walter for the detailed diagram!
Sorry I posted this in the wrong group everyone. Yes, I meant an AC
plug to DC adapter output of 3V. As far as Jim's question as to the
kind of fish feeder, I am using an eheim feeder for my salt water tank
(http://www.bigalsonline.com/catalog/product.xml?product_id=22595;category_id=3005).
It has been reliable in despensing flake or pelet food, and it has
moisture control to prevent clogging. My only problem is that it is
easy to let the battery run out but still see food in the feeder, and
not notice it is not actually dispensing.

 

[tinkerer]

Thanks for the help everyone, sorry about the wrong group! Thanks
Walter for the detailed diagram, I am going to try that! Yes, I meant
an AC to DC converter, giving an output of 3V. As far as Jim's
question as to the kind of fish feeder, I am using an Eheim feeder for
my salt water tank
(http://www.bigalsonline.com/catalog/product.xml?product_id=22595;category_id=3005).
It has been reliable in despensing flake or pelet food, and it has
moisture control to prevent clogging. My only problem is that it is
easy to let the battery run out but still see food in the feeder, and
not notice it is not actually dispensing.