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Using "Ultracapacitors" as a power conditioner and ballast for transient high-power loads (or "How to run your HF rig from D-cells" - sort of...)

The title serves to illustrate a problem frequently encountered when trying to power a device that operates with a high peak current: Your energy storage - or your power source - may have plenty of capacity, but not enough current capability! One such example of a power source that has plenty of capacity, but rather limited power capability is that of the “cigarette lighter” in a typical vehicle: As long as the engine is running, you can pull power - but not too much: More than 10-15 amps is likely to blow a fuse, and even if you were to replace the original fuse with, say, a 20-30 amp fuse (not smart!) the rather light gauge wiring would likely result in a voltage drop that would render a typical 100 watt HF rig unusable on voice peak.”

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