AlanZ
Member
I recently purchased a used 3M AirStream from an IAP member (StudioSO) and am very happy with the deal.
The repirator was sold without a battery, so I was trying to decide what to use for powering it.
I already have two 3M Breathe Easy helmets, one powered by a 3M NiCad battery pack attached to the waist mounted filter/blower unit, and one tethered to a wall mounted HEPA filter by a long hose.
So the first thing I tried, just to make sure the unit was working properly, was plugging the Airstream into my current Breathe Easy's NiCad battery.
This worked fine, as they are both set up for 4.8 volts (or 6 volts if using a Lithium non-rechargeable battery... the kind that first-responders use)
The problem with this setup is that new 3M batteries are pretty expensive, and although NiCads are still available, the newer units use NiMH batteries which require yet another (and pricier) charger than I currently have for the original battery.
So, rather than get another NiCad, I decided to make use of another power supply that I have and rather like: a Tekkeon MP3450 lithium-polymer rechargeable battery.
I use this battery for powering video cameras and computers when I need extended run time. It's variable from 5 volts to 19 volts, and I have several adapter cords for it.
The battery weighs about 1/2 as much as the 3M NiCad, and has a higher watt/hour rating, so I figured it would be a good match. When you turn on the Tekkeon, it defaults to 5 volts, so it's perfect.
The trick was attaching the 3M unit to the Tekkeon.
Rather than attempting to make an adapter that plugs directly into the Tekkeon, I made an adapter that goes to a car plug configuration.
The adapter I created uses a few pieces of brass tubing glued into some corian as a female socket for the male 3M cord. It's wired into a male car plug I got from RadioShack.
This in turn is plugged into an existing Tekkeon car adapter, and then into the battery.
It works beautifully, should give very good runtime, easy recharge and most of all, I already had the Tekkeon.
So, if anyone else has purchased one of the 3M AirStreams, this kind of setup might be viable for a tinkerer with a soldering iron and some creativity.
I'll be happy to answer any questions about this little project.
The repirator was sold without a battery, so I was trying to decide what to use for powering it.
I already have two 3M Breathe Easy helmets, one powered by a 3M NiCad battery pack attached to the waist mounted filter/blower unit, and one tethered to a wall mounted HEPA filter by a long hose.
So the first thing I tried, just to make sure the unit was working properly, was plugging the Airstream into my current Breathe Easy's NiCad battery.
This worked fine, as they are both set up for 4.8 volts (or 6 volts if using a Lithium non-rechargeable battery... the kind that first-responders use)
The problem with this setup is that new 3M batteries are pretty expensive, and although NiCads are still available, the newer units use NiMH batteries which require yet another (and pricier) charger than I currently have for the original battery.
So, rather than get another NiCad, I decided to make use of another power supply that I have and rather like: a Tekkeon MP3450 lithium-polymer rechargeable battery.
I use this battery for powering video cameras and computers when I need extended run time. It's variable from 5 volts to 19 volts, and I have several adapter cords for it.
The battery weighs about 1/2 as much as the 3M NiCad, and has a higher watt/hour rating, so I figured it would be a good match. When you turn on the Tekkeon, it defaults to 5 volts, so it's perfect.
The trick was attaching the 3M unit to the Tekkeon.
Rather than attempting to make an adapter that plugs directly into the Tekkeon, I made an adapter that goes to a car plug configuration.
The adapter I created uses a few pieces of brass tubing glued into some corian as a female socket for the male 3M cord. It's wired into a male car plug I got from RadioShack.
This in turn is plugged into an existing Tekkeon car adapter, and then into the battery.
It works beautifully, should give very good runtime, easy recharge and most of all, I already had the Tekkeon.
So, if anyone else has purchased one of the 3M AirStreams, this kind of setup might be viable for a tinkerer with a soldering iron and some creativity.
I'll be happy to answer any questions about this little project.
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