Fireplace Electric problem

[DuckJordan]

I have a problem with a fire place we have a 120v plug but i would like not to see any cords going to a place back stage is there anyway other than a generator to duplicate the 120v effect in a cheap and easy way?

[Footer]

What kind of effect generator do you have right now that you want to duplicate? If you want to go wireless, your options are going to be pretty limited.

Candle and Lantern Recipes

[DuckJordan]

Originally Posted by Footer

What kind of effect generator do you have right now that you want to duplicate? If you want to go wireless, your options are going to be pretty limited.

Candle and Lantern Recipes

we actually have the pre-built fireplace that has a 120v standard house plug (this was at one point a Halloween decoration that we changed into a very inexpensive yet realistic flame image) I need to find a way to make the 120v a battery operated source so that it can be wheeled on and off stage and turned on by an actor flipping a switch. Putting the switch in there is easy what i haven't figured out how to do is make a battery that can either be jumped up on the voltage scale or daisy chain batteries together (realistically). unfortunately it is a high school production so we do not have a budget (meaning almost no spending money except from out of my pocket).

[FatherMurphy]

A car battery and an cigarette-lighter-plug inverter come to mind - You don't just need voltage, you probably need to convert from DC to AC, especially if there's any sort of motor inside the effect.

Talk to the auto shop teacher to help you with this - He (or she) can help you make certain it is wired correctly. The 12 volt side in particular needs attention, since amperage increases as voltage decreases, and choosing the right size wire becomes important. You'll also need to know how to safely recharge the battery between shows.

[kicknargel]

A little background: To use a car battery you need to convert direct current (CD) to alternating current (AC) AND to convert 12V to 120V. So daisy chaining batteries won't work, because you'd still have DC. So as Father Murphy said, what you'd need is a power inverter, available at automotive places. They come rated for different wattages, so you'd need to know the draw of your unit. The hook-up should be easy--most I've seen come with little "jumper cables" that will clip onto the battery, and in turn have an eddison outlet.

Be careful: a car battery has enough juice to hurt you. Plus, if it tips or leaks or whatever it can be real dangerous.

Nick Kargel
www.youwantwhatproductions.com

[DuckJordan]

thank you for the info and next time guys it helps if you don't talk down to people. I took no offense in it but I have been working in both an auto shop and in theatrical productions for four years. (sorry for the defensive stance) I will look around and thanks for the idea i completely forgot about the power inverters for cars.

[kiwitechgirl]

An inverter is definitely the way to go - we've used them extensively for the last few years and one musical we had two keyboards on trucks powered off inverters - worked perfectly for three months! As kicknargel said, all ours have "jumper" leads which you hook up to the battery and then just a regular plug which outputs AC at the correct voltage (it's 240v here.....). We do use deep-cycle electric wheelchair batteries rather than car batteries though - they just seem to last longer under repeated charging/discharging.

[DuckJordan]

i agree but when our auto department has a wall of old batteries there really isn't too big of an issue of making batteries last since students replace batteries and are too lazy to take them into the recycle center. i will be asking around to some of past tech crews and see if any of them have a "Carputer" they aren't needing hooked up for 2 weeks

[cdub260]

This is what you need to pull this off, a 12 volt DC to 120 volt AC power inverter.

Mcmaster/Carr and Grainger both carry them.

[FatherMurphy]

Originally Posted by DuckJordan

thank you for the info and next time guys it helps if you don't talk down to people. I took no offense in it but I have been working in both an auto shop and in theatrical productions for four years.

My apologies if you thought I was 'talking down', it certainly wasn't my intention to insult you. Your original post, which was all I had in front of me, included the information that you were a high school student who was uncertain about how battery voltages add up in series and parallel configurations. The Senior Team of moderators prefers that we're very careful how we answer questions from less-experienced members, especially if they're asking about rigging or electricity, due to the higher potential for injuries, thus the 'ask a teacher' elements of my response.

Again, no offense intended.