Hello there, recently ive bought a heated vest, and it arrived today, earlier than expected! My bad day just got a lot better... but after i found out that it only worked when plugged into a 12v supply - the day got even worse. There was no portable battery (it was for motorcycle riding), you would have to be plugged in the whole time. So me, a giant tool, mistook this vest for one that had more options. But i have it now, and ive used to much money on postage and taxes (i live in Denmark) to send it back, so i had this idea, is it possible to convert it to maybe 5v, so i could use a high capacity power bank to power it instead? It says it uses 3.5 amps on the highest heating setting, which sounds like a lot. Would it be able to run on lower amperage, or would i just ruin it? I cant find any portable solutions because i dont know what to do with them, or if it would even work. I wouldnt bother if the heating was a tad weaker, but if it ruins the electronics in some way, id be a little sad.

I will try to post all the info i have on the device:

Link to site (with downloadable device manuals, though i dont think they're much help):
https://www.ventureheat.com/power-sports/27-motorcycle-heated-vest-liner.html

 

...sorry about the writing, I was trying to edit the post, but I took too long, so the site wouldn't accept it.

 

I speculate that it will 'work' on 5V, but will not get as hot. You may be dissatisfied with the power (heat) it produces since it will be cut substantially. My speculation assumes there really are no fancy electronics inside beyond the ohmic heating wire and a over-heat cut-out. If it contains a more elaborate thermostat, the electronics to support that might expect 12V and not work properly on 5V.

But forget that for a minute. The bigger problem is that, at full power, it needs more than 40W to operate fully. A 5V supply would need to deliver over 8A, and therefore would need to be large and heavy. You might as well just get a SLA 12V battery. Or get the battery-powered idea out of your head!

I did just see heated jackets in the hardware store yesterday. I assume they use a battery. I wonder what they use. [UPDATE] It looks like they use the same 20V packs as Dewalt tools.

 

your motorcycle should have 12V SLA battery which is automatically recharged.
how about just adding spiral cord and connector?

 

I can't see the heat controller working on 5V if designed for 12V.

 

Note in the first picture it says 15A Max. I'd first check this. If true it's a whole different ball game. Let's assume that the 3.5A number is correct for now.

You could use a boost converter to get 5V to 12V. Assuming 100% efficiency, You will need a battery capable of delivering 8.4A. At 85% efficiency, you'd need 9.8A, call it 10 for discussion purposes. So you would need a battery pack that can deliver 10Ah (10000 mAh) per hour of run time heating on max setting.

A cordless tool power pack is possible. 20V converted to 12V via a buck converter at 85% efficiency would require 2.5 Ah per hour of run time. DeWalt has 5 Ah packs that would last for 2 hrs. I don't know where you'd get the connector.

 

Most motorcycle heated clothing like vest and gloves are designed to work off a 12 volt motorcycle system. Most larger bikes have a cigarette lighter and 12 volt accessory outlet on the bike. Smaller bikes and scooters may not afford these and some smaller bikes do not even use a battery. I have seen some which only drive the lights using AC from a small built on board alternator. Your vest requires 12 volts at 3.5 amps for the high heat setting which is about 42 watts of power. Using maybe medium heat setting you might get maybe 2 hours out of a 12 volt 7 amp hour SLA fully charged battery. For those who ride in cold weather the heated clothing is great stuff but you need to be connected to the bike for any of it to work. The bike also needs a 12 volt DC electrical system.

I feel your pain. This morning it was about -4 C here as we head into winter. I start my bike every now and then and keep a battery tender on it but the bike will likely sit until the spring before I ride it again.

Ron

 

I would consider powering it with a small car battery jump starter device.

 

I can't see the heat controller working on 5V if designed for 12V.
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Agreed. It appears to be quite a bit fancier than just a plug-in heater, like battery heated socks. If you don't have a 12V battery, using a DC-DC converter is the next best option.