CIM Motors in a non-FRC environment

[Racer26]

I'm working on a project in my head involving a CIM motor, since they're inexpensive, readily available, and very strong.

What I'm trying to figure out, is how to supply it with 12VDC capable of handling the 133A @ stall current spikes, supplying 20-30A continuous, running off of a standard 120VAC wall outlet. Additionally, the goal here is inexpensiveness.

Anybody have any elegant solutions? I don't imagine the 12VDC signal needs to be THAT clean to keep a Victor/Jaguar or similar happy, and the motor sure doesn't care much about power supply noise.

133A @ 12V should be 13.3A @ 120V, so I would think a standard household outlet (fused/circuit breakered at 15A) should be able to handle supplying the current spikes.

[Matt C]

Wall wart/ AC adaptor?

[Racer26]

Problem is most wall warts are only capable of providing 1A or less of 12VDC. They'll burn up under the 133A stall load of a CIM.

EDIT: Thinking about it some more, the best way might be to include a battery of similar specifications to an FRC battery and a charging circuit.

[Matt C]

Computer power supply?

[Racer26]

A high-end current generation ATX12V v2.3 PSU can supply 60A. This MIGHT be a viable solution, IF it can handle the stall current without smoking. Most PSUs can only provide about 20A on the 12V rails. Again, IF they can handle the spikes from motor start-up, they might be workable.

[Hawiian Cadder]

the only thing that i can think of is to get an old computer PSU. the power supply of a full tower server from a few years ago will be sufficient. hit up eBay and see if you can find one with enough current capacity.

[Ether]

the best way might be to include a battery of similar specifications to an FRC battery...

...or a used auto battery. Find a friend who replaces their battery ever 3 years whether they need to or not, and pay him the core charge for the old battery.

[Al Skierkiewicz]

Ether,
We tried using my high current linear power supply (35 amps continuous, 65 amps peak) to demonstrate an FP motor but the supply kept going into current foldback on start. The problem is the high start current drops enough voltage across the transformer windings, that the supply gives up. I did not want to add additional caps in the filter circuits since it was not worth it to step start the supply for a demo.