Battery and inverter setup for busking.

[Wasnex]

I also think you're better off buying a portable PA that runs on batteries. Fender Passport, or something like that.
The truth is that when you put AC Voltage into a amplifier it converts it to DC for use internally.
So, if you're putting DC (battery) into an inverter, you're converting the Voltage twice.

The decision is somewhat dependent upon how loud you want to be. The system the OP is talking about putting together will be a lot louder and (IMHO) sound a lot better than a Fender Passport.

Anchor Liberty makes some fairly large self-contained battery-powered speakers that I linked in the other thread. See Bigfoot and Beacon.
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Another idea would be to use a Class D car stereo amp and a battery powered mixer.
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KICKER | KX400.2 Amplifier;

 

[Robb Fesig]

What happened op? What did you decide?

Don't let us hanging!

 

[Robb Fesig]

So, since OP let us hanging, I'm gonna make something up:

I tried using the two deep cycle marine batteries as suggested and it worked for 14.5 hours at full volume. The cops came and arrested me for disturbing the peace, so I was in jail for a month, which is why I didn't report back. But yeah, it worked flawlessly.

 

[universe]

I know my setup isn't anywhere near yours, but just for the sake of information for anyone interested; I have a Carvin MB15 200/250w combo amp with a 115MBE extension. I put together a 12v 25aH 300wH LiFePO4 lithium motorcycle battery with a 500w Pure Sine Wave inverter that lasts me a good 10 hours, and is very compact. I will also plug in a small 3 or 6 channel mixer. I keep the rig in an old lady shopping cart so I can move around and play from very easily.

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This looks great! I'm also planning to put smth like that together for the summer and your post helped me a lot for the research! I've found the right battery and inverter but I'm really struggling to find a shopping cart like this where a bass amp would fit in. Looked all over the internet but only found one that is too small. Do you maybe have link to the model that you are using?

 

[KohanMike]

This looks great! I'm also planning to put smth like that together for the summer and your post helped me a lot for the research! I've found the right battery and inverter but I'm really struggling to find a shopping cart like this where a bass amp would fit in. Looked all over the internet but only found one that is too small. Do you maybe have link to the model that you are using?

Since my post, I changed my setup. Two lithium batteries died within a year, so I changed to a much less costly sealed lead acid battery and also changed the inverter to more compact one. A Wagan EL2600 Elite Pro 200W Pure Sine Wave Inverter for $55 from Amazon. It has two a/c outlets and one USB and lasts for about 5 hours running my Carvin MB15 200/250w 15" speaker bass amp. With a Universal UB1280 AGM 12v 8Ah battery from my local hardware store that measures 6.25" wide x 8" tall x 2.75" deep, weighs 6.4 lbs for $38 plus charger for $30 from a local audio parts stores. I put together the wires and Velcro straps. This photo should show you how compact it is.

The cart I bought at K-Mart about 5 years ago, I actually bought 2 at the time and glad I did since they're out of business now and on one cart the rear wheels broke. So the second one I replaced the rear wheels with heavy duty ones. My cart inside measurements are 17.5" wide, 23" tall, 15" deep, fits my Carvin MB15 and the battery pack perfectly. It has rotating wheels on the front.

 

[universe]

Thanks so much for the detailed answer!
And wow, I would have guessed lithium batteries are a bit more sustainable...
So you would say the sealed lead acid battery is holding up better? It's definetely quite affordable and small as well.


Before I read your last post I would've chosen this setup (I live in Germany hence the German links):
battery: ECTIVE LC 20L 20 Ah 12V LiFePO4 Lithium Versorgungsbatterie, 193,95 €
inverter: https://www.ective.de/Reiner-Sinus-Wechselrichter-12V-auf-230V-300W/600W-Spannungswandler-

I thought about using it with either a Fender Rumble 40 (power consumption: 110w) or an Ashdown Studio 12 (power consumption: 200w). Mainly because they are rather light weight amps.

Just for reference, how much is the power consumption of your Carvin in watts? I'm really surprised you're getting about five hours out of an 8ah battery! Are you playing it at a rather low volume then?

 

[KohanMike]

Thanks so much for the detailed answer!
And wow, I would have guessed lithium batteries are a bit more sustainable...So you would say the sealed lead acid battery is holding up better? It's definitely quite affordable and small as well. Just for reference, how much is the power consumption of your Carvin in watts? I'm really surprised you're getting about five hours out of an 8ah battery! Are you playing it at a rather low volume then?

I also thought lithium would be better, especially for $250 each, but for that money I could buy enough lead acid to last years. I would say I'm at medium volume or a little above. The power it pulls out of the wall/battery is low compared to other amps, 100VA. The amp is D (digital) and the output is 200w by itself at 8 ohm and 250w 4 ohm with the external 115MBE cabinet.

 

[universe]

this definitely gives me smth to think about.
The good thing about the lithium battery is that the company grants a five year warranty but it is of course expensive..

 

[KohanMike]

this definitely gives me smth to think about. The good thing about the lithium battery is that the company grants a five year warranty but it is of course expensive..

The second one was a warranty replacement for the first, but when it also died, I went to lead acid.

 

[Slevage]

All your inverter solutions are more expensive than a standalone battery powered PA.

Depends on what you already own.
Also, a good inverter gives you more options.

 

[amper]

As I’ve pointed out before, you should consider using a 12 VDC automotive/marine amplifier. Your amplifier runs on DC internally, so by using an inverter to get 120 VAC just so you can plug in a regular amp whose power supply converts back to DC, you are introducing a substantial amount of inefficiency. By using an automotive amplifier, you can stick with 12 VDC all the way, and if you are judicious in your selection, you can even assemble a pedalboard that will run on 12 VDC, or you can add an inexpensive 12 VDC to 9VDC converter to run pedals.

 

[amper]

This will give you 170 W into 4 Ohms, in bridged mode, for $80 street price. Pair it with a Group 34 SLA or AGM deep cycle marine battery (standard for a Jeep Wrangler TJ, one of the smaller sizes available, about $270 for an Optima Blue Top) and a decent charger, like the NOCO Genius GenPro 10x1 (10A, about $105). You can expect a reserve capacity of about 100-120 minutes (which is how long it will last at 25 A continuous current drain—25 A x 12 V = 300W output). In real world usage, of course, you’ll get much longer.

Pioneer GM-A3702 - 2-Channel - Class B, 500w Max Power - Bridgeable Amplifier