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Low power Airsense 10 settings; no humidifier?
#1
Low power Airsense 10 settings; no humidifier?
There have been a number of threads about putting the Airsense 10 in a lower power mode, if you want to take it camping, and are running it from a battery.

Let's see if I can summarize the things suggested:

1. In the clinical menu (see the clinician manual), turn the climate setting to manual, and set the tube temperature and humidity levels to off.

2. Put it into Airplane mode

3. Put it into Low power mode.

So here are my questions:

4. Are there other things that should be done to save power?

5. I assume the only benefit of using non-heated type tubing, if you turn the tube temperature off, is it weighs a few grams less. Right?

6. I assume there is no way to leave the humidifier tank home - if it is removed, the machine makes a lot of noise, and I suspect that means it works extra hard. Right?

7. How does the power consumption compare if you use

A. Resmed's own 12V adapter kit,
B. Portable Outlet Rechargeable CPAP Battery, that produces 125VAC.
C. Other similar devices (please list).
D. A UPS (uninteruptable power supply) designed to keep AC power running to a computer (I know - heavy - but assume I am car camping)
E. Or a reasonably efficient 125VAC inverter?
F. Other options I am not aware of.

8. Do you happen to know how well various CPAP batteries compare in low or high temperature conditions? If I am car camping, will I actually be best off with a big deep cycle marine (lead acid) battery?

10. If one does all the things one can to reduce power consumption, how does Airsense 10 power consumption compare to that of travel CPAP machines?

Thanks!
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#2
RE: Low power Airsense 10 settings; no humidifier?
Your #3 - Low Power mode is only while the CPAP is plugged in, but off.  It shuts down the power to the SD card.  To better save power, totally removing it from its power supply is the most efficient.

Stepping up to 125VA from a 12/24VDC source is the most ineffective way to use power.  You then have to step it back down to 24VDC anyway.  Using a 12/24VDC to 24VDC power supply consumes the least energy in conversion.  There are 3rd party power supplies on Amazon at about 1/3 the price of a Resmed.  I've been using them now for 5 years without any problems.  The brand that I use is KFD.  Here is a link to the 12/24VDC to 24VDC: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07RQP7G14?psc=1

Also, here is the Resmed Battery Guide: https://document.resmed.com/documents/ar...lo_eng.pdf
Crimson Nape
Apnea Board Moderator
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INFORMATION ON APNEA BOARD FORUMS OR ON APNEABOARD.COM SHOULD NOT BE CONSIDERED AS MEDICAL ADVICE. ALWAYS SEEK THE ADVICE OF A PHYSICIAN BEFORE SEEKING TREATMENT FOR MEDICAL CONDITIONS, INCLUDING SLEEP APNEA. INFORMATION POSTED ON THE APNEA BOARD WEB SITE AND FORUMS ARE PERSONAL OPINION ONLY AND NOT NECESSARILY A STATEMENT OF FACT.
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#3
RE: Low power Airsense 10 settings; no humidifier?
As for removing the humidifier, you can purchase a Resmed 37303 Air10 Side Cover for your machine and leave the humidifier at home. Personally, I found using the humidifier in cold mode, works just as well as the heated mode when camping. My side cover cost me approximately $20.
As for tubing, I use cheap standard slimline tubing and toss it when I return to base.
"The object in life is not to be on the side of the majority, but to escape finding oneself in the ranks of the insane." -- Marcus Aurelius
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#4
RE: Low power Airsense 10 settings; no humidifier?
Thanks guys!

BTW, I shouldn't have said "Low Power mode". The correct name in the manual is "Power Save mode".

It's amazing how knowledgeable you people are about things that only affect a few of us!

I should probably test how much power a 12-to-24 volt adapters draw from a 12V battery, to see whether I can run it a few nights without over-draining the car battery. I currently have a Kill-A-Watt AC power meter, but not a 12VDC meter.

BTW, the lowest cost option for me would be to simply take along the UPS I already bought for my home computer. But I haven't tested how long it can run the device.

And of course, for backpacking, etc., I would need a lightweight battery instead.

I know I have had trouble with lithium ion cell phone batteries in cold (winter camping) and hot (car in sun) weather - sometimes they even get destroyed. I wouldn't be surprised if the same is true for CPAP batteries, which cost a lot more to replace.

I wish I could find a way to change the Airsense 10 settings to reduce the time after an apnea event the pressure stays high. My impression is that when the pressure goes high, that tends to wake me, and I have to turn it off to go back to sleep. It also draws more power in high pressure mode. But That's not a setting I have found in either the user manual, or the clinician manual.
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#5
RE: Low power Airsense 10 settings; no humidifier?
You know you can set the pressure range, or even set it to a static pressure?  What pressure is your CPAP set to? Also, you would be better off using the batteries inside your UPS in lieu of having them run through its step-up circuitry. Larger UPS's use 2-12 volt batteries wired in series to produce 24 volts.
Crimson Nape
Apnea Board Moderator
www.ApneaBoard.com
___________________________________
Useful Links -or- When All Else Fails:
The Guide to Understanding OSCAR
OSCAR Chart Organization
Attaching Images and Files on Apnea Board
Apnea Helpful Tips

INFORMATION ON APNEA BOARD FORUMS OR ON APNEABOARD.COM SHOULD NOT BE CONSIDERED AS MEDICAL ADVICE. ALWAYS SEEK THE ADVICE OF A PHYSICIAN BEFORE SEEKING TREATMENT FOR MEDICAL CONDITIONS, INCLUDING SLEEP APNEA. INFORMATION POSTED ON THE APNEA BOARD WEB SITE AND FORUMS ARE PERSONAL OPINION ONLY AND NOT NECESSARILY A STATEMENT OF FACT.
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#6
RE: Low power Airsense 10 settings; no humidifier?
My machine (the AutoSet model) is set to min & max pressure 4 & 16 cm H2O, as per prescription. It hadn't occurred to me to try changing the max setting. I got the clinician manual, which says how, through this forum. (I never got a user's manual, though I found one online for the "For Her" model, which I guess is close enough.) What a great suggestion! I'll give it a try.

It also hadn't occurred to me to use a UPS battery outside the UPS.

I suppose it would be a bad idea to simply put two 12V batteries in series to power a 24V CPAP, like the AirSense 10, because at various charge states, voltage will vary, and many motors aren't designed for variable voltage.

This is actually my second AirSense 10 Autoset, because the old one was sometimes squeaking, even at 10 cm H20, after about 3 years and 8462 hours of use. (It was refurbished, so that isn't a useful reliability data point.) The newer one shows 275 run hours, so maybe it was refurbished too.
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#7
RE: Low power Airsense 10 settings; no humidifier?
I wouldn't connect the AS10 directly to the batteries. There isn't any sanity protection if you reverse the polarity. I would recommend that you spend less than $40USD for the power supply I listed in post #2. Also, I would be inclined to think that the power supply has a capacitor to even out any voltage fluctuations.

Post #2: http://www.apneaboard.com/forums/Thread-...#pid444315
- Red
Crimson Nape
Apnea Board Moderator
www.ApneaBoard.com
___________________________________
Useful Links -or- When All Else Fails:
The Guide to Understanding OSCAR
OSCAR Chart Organization
Attaching Images and Files on Apnea Board
Apnea Helpful Tips

INFORMATION ON APNEA BOARD FORUMS OR ON APNEABOARD.COM SHOULD NOT BE CONSIDERED AS MEDICAL ADVICE. ALWAYS SEEK THE ADVICE OF A PHYSICIAN BEFORE SEEKING TREATMENT FOR MEDICAL CONDITIONS, INCLUDING SLEEP APNEA. INFORMATION POSTED ON THE APNEA BOARD WEB SITE AND FORUMS ARE PERSONAL OPINION ONLY AND NOT NECESSARILY A STATEMENT OF FACT.
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#8
RE: Low power Airsense 10 settings; no humidifier?
  • Use a DC-DC converter, much more efficient that AC-Inverter
  • Turn on Airplane mode
  • Disconnect from power source when not in use
  • Turn off Heated hose
  • Turn off Humidifier, if humidity is really important to you:
    • Put water in tank for some pass-over humidity 
    • Use pre-warmed water
  • Consider switching to CPAP mode and lowering your pressure (within reason). It's OK to have less than optimal therapy while camping. Experiment with acceptable fixed pressure settings prior to camping
  • Test battery setup before camping
  • Computer UPS are really not good CPAP battery supplies, typically:
    • More expensive
    • AC only
    • Often beep
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#9
RE: Low power Airsense 10 settings; no humidifier?
I know this is an old thread, but I thought I would add the result of a one night test:

1. I measured how much power I use (from 125VAC) if I set the tube temperature and humidity levels to off, & Put it into Airplane mode. I did not change the pressure settings.

In the course of a nominal 5.5 hour sleep, I used 0.02 kWh. (Many people will use more - most of my sleep time with a CPAP is spent at 4 cm H2O, and I had 1.6 events/hour. To make it work that well, I have to use a full face mask, wedge pillow, neck brace, mouth guard, and sleep on my back. No problem; I've gotten used to it.)

However, I often sleep longer.

But that is much less power than I assumed, based on the power supply size Resmed provides.

2. If I am calculating this right, if I used a fairly efficient inverter or other voltage boosting device, that boosts voltage with 10/12=83.3% efficiency, that is .02*1000/10 = 2 ampere-hours at 12V, or an average of .3 amps.

3. A very good quality lead-acid battery of the size my car uses (24F) typically might have 76 AH capacity. One source says that lead-acid batteries should not be discharged below 50%, so such a battery could be used at .3 amps for 76/.3/2=126.5 hours.

Of course that would leave no safe capacity to start the car. Nonetheless, it seems like I could simply use the cars own battery for a few days without a problem, though I don't like the idea - if I had a bad sleep, the cpap machine uses more power.

4. I have an old Black & Decker Electromate 400 portable power station that can deliver either 12VDC or 120VAC. It needs a new battery, but if I replaced the battery (around $45-50), it has a capacity (at 12V) of 18 ampere-hours. Using the 50% criteria, it has a safe capacity of about 9 ampere-hours. Even it could power my CPAP for 9/.3 = 30 hours. That's plenty for a 3 day weekend, but I need a bigger battery for more days (I'm retired). (The portable power station can be charged from a running car, but the manual indicates that isn't very good for the battery - perhaps it isn't as well controlled a charge.)

However, the Electromate 400's AC waveform is "Modified sine wave", which I understand is both bad for and inefficient for motors, like are in CPAP machines. (Pure sine wave is better for motors, as well as laptop computers.) So I should have to use the 12V mode with a 12V-to-24V converter, such as the one Crimson Nape suggested.

5. I am considering getting a higher capacity portable power station, with a lithium ion battery, with a pure sine wave AC form, and more cold cranking amp capacity, because my car is supposed to need more amps to start than the Electromate 400 can supply. They are more expensive than a battery alone, but I'd also like to be able to power my laptop, and I want something that can be safely charged by my running car.

6. That said, just getting a Li-ion battery would be lighter, if I want to backpack or kayak...
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#10
RE: Low power Airsense 10 settings; no humidifier?
Yeah, it's best to get DC supply than typical power stations that outputs AC like outlets. It's because the PAP takes in 24V DC. For example, your laptop takes in DC, and the big power brick that gets real hot converts your outlet's AC to DC. Which is why it's real hot. It's very inefficient and released all that AC energy to heat.

If there is a power station with an outlet with 24V DC, I would look for that. The AC outlet I wouldn't want so much since the it will sap out the battery much quick due to inefficiency. Which goes for the UPS as well since it's AC.

If you can't find a high enough capacity 24V DC station, you'd have to calculate out how much the power station with last from using it's AC output. You have to calculate it and compare with it's battery capacity.

How about this one? It's 24V This seems to an efficient option that don't break the bank. The review says it lasts 2-3 nights.
https://www.amazon.com/TalentCell-PB240B...255&sr=8-2

Also, I use the power button (hold the button for a duration) to completely shut off the CPAP even if connected to a power source. You can just unplug it as well.
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