Help me add a power source to my safe please ?


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Old 10-24-12, 12:43 AM
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Help me add a power source to my safe please ?

i have a 9v adapter i used to use to recharge my rc car . id like to some how wire it to the setup in the photo which is my combination lock safe. exactly what i want to do is add the option of being able to run from a power plug, in case batteries arent available . i have read threads of soldering to the battery contacts , but i would like to have the option to do either or . batteries or plug .

the set of white and red/black wires flowing off the board are to the battery pack and ( combo reset button just for reference ).
 
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Old 10-24-12, 01:09 AM
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Soldering to a battery is risky. I don't recommend it but I do it to all the time to different types of batteries. I use a big soldering iron. You only have seconds to make your connection before battery is damaged. 9v battery not as critical with the tabs.

Ok....with that aside. You can not connect an ac adapter directly to battery. In this case your safe runs on 9vdc. A charger or ac adapter would not be the same exact voltage as battery and you'd risk damaging safe or battery. I can definitely see the advantages of having an external power source. If you did come up with a supply - do you have a way to get wiring out of safe ?

If it were me and I had a way to get wiring out of the safe I'd run a piece of 2 wire to a battery clip on the outside of the safe. I'd connect the newly created 9v clip,as well as the existing clip, to the safe control board using 2 diodes to isolate the two batteries from each other.
 
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Old 10-25-12, 05:00 AM
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its powered by 4 aa . and i do not want to solder inside my battery pack , being if i did solder to the contacts i wouldn't be able to insert batteries? i want the option to use the batteries or to remove the batteries and use the power plug . Is there anyway to regulate and provide the appropriate voltage so i can add this 9v ( i believe ) wall plug to the that setup below which im assuming is around 6v being it uses 4 aa .
 
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Old 10-25-12, 08:18 AM
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So what do the instructions say about opening the safe if the batteries fail? i can't believe there isn't an option because that is a situation likely to occur. If true that a dead battery would lock you out I'd say bad design and replace the safe with a better design such as mechanical only, not try to jerry-rig it.</opinion>
 
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Old 10-25-12, 08:33 AM
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If the safe calls for 4 AA batts then, as you said it wants 6 volts. 9 volts may work but if you fry the circuit, you may never get the safe open again. You can get a 6V supply but AA batts are readily available anywhere, I wouldn't take the chance if you have important stuff in the safe.
 
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Old 10-25-12, 12:24 PM
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If the safe calls for 4 AA batts then, as you said it wants 6 volts.
That depends on the way the batteries are connected. It could need 1.5, 3 or 6 volts DC. Read the specs for the safe to determine which, or post a picture showing how the batteries are connected, and we'll take a look.
 
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Old 10-25-12, 08:57 PM
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Since you mentioned 9v power supply and not four batteries in your original post I took it to mean it used a 9 v battery. No.....I'd rather you not solder to your batteries or battery pack which was why I mentioned battery clip. I don't think using an ac adapter is the best way to go. However, a second battery pack is an effective solution.

Is there an exit for the wire out of the safe ?
 
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Old 10-26-12, 11:14 PM
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theres nothing significantly valuable in there a $5 home depot tool kit and some spare console parts its more of a tool box . i found it one day and just thought i can maybe repair it for fun . i love diy projects .
i dont believe id be locked out in the case where powers lost being it tells you when to change the batteries ? ( ill make sure of tomorrow)
and also im just eager to learn but what role would how the batteries are connected play ? there pretty much 2 rows of 2 .

i wouldn't like to to add more power than it really needs , just dont want to chance really ruining it .
 
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Old 10-26-12, 11:21 PM
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Physically they are in two rows of two but electrically it's like having all the batteries in one long row (series). That pack is setup for smallest possible size.


In my last post I talked about an outside battery pack. I wouldn't keep batteries in it. You would only put batteries in it if the ones in the safe went bad.
 
 

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