Powering your radio - emerg plans?

[N8EPE]

Thanks for the generator conversion link, Fn/Form. Good info.

That's a good one to put in the link archive, if it's not already there.

Doug

[kc5fm]

Originally Posted by N8EPE

I wasn't aware of a similar external device for a cell phone, I'll have to do a search and see what I can find. Thanks for the tip.

At Cell Phone Shop, there is an item that uses four AAA batteries and plugs into the charger port of the cell phone.

It's what kept my phone alive overnight during a winter-storm-instigated power outage.

I found mine for a $1 at one of those Everything's a Dollar store.

There's also a solar powered battery charger for cell phones.

A Google Search for "cell phone charger" crank produced the Sidewinder crank charger.

I have no relationship with either company. I have bought items from Cell Phone Shop.

[dksac2]

There is a great deal on a solar system from Harbor Freight Tools - Quality Tools at the Lowest Prices. It has 3 15 watt panels with a stand to hold them, a charge controller that has a built in voltage meter and outputs for 3,6,9 and 12 volts. It also comes with an adapter cord that will plug into most battery operated radios etc. It also has 2 12 volt 60 watt lights with cords. Couple this to a couple of 12 volt deep cycle batteries and a power inverter and it will provide basic power needs. This is not a large system, so powering high wattage things will quickly discharge the batteries faster than the panels can charge them. It will provide for basic needs. All solar panels burn in after a period of time and loose some capacity. The Harbor Freight system will loose up to 10% of their charging capacity over time. The systems costs $200.00. I bought two of them. Some people say they are cheap and not as reliable as the higher cost panels. I didn't have the money to buy the higher priced panels, so I'm hoping these will hold up for me. I've hooked up and tested mine and they work fine.I read on another thread about a guy who has used the system for a while and it performed pretty good for him. A couple people said they had problems with the charge controllers over time. I bought a 7 amp controller for $20.00 as a back up in case the controllers that came with the system go bad. One 7 amp controller will handle all 6 panels if need be. If things don't go south to quickly, I plan on buying one quality 80 watt panel to add to my system.

JK

[OFG]

Fruit 'n' veg power: How I charged my iPod using an onion soaked in Lucozade | Mail Online

Interesting article on charging an i-pod with fruits and vegetables.

Wonder if it works with a cell phone?

[Yukon Mike]

Originally Posted by dksac2

There is a great deal on a solar system from Harbor Freight Tools - Quality Tools at the Lowest Prices. It has 3 15 watt panels with a stand to hold them, a charge controller that has a built in voltage meter and outputs for 3,6,9 and 12 volts. It also comes with an adapter cord that will plug into most battery operated radios etc. It also has 2 12 volt 60 watt lights with cords. Couple this to a couple of 12 volt deep cycle batteries and a power inverter and it will provide basic power needs. This is not a large system, so powering high wattage things will quickly discharge the batteries faster than the panels can charge them. It will provide for basic needs. All solar panels burn in after a period of time and loose some capacity. The Harbor Freight system will loose up to 10% of their charging capacity over time. The systems costs $200.00. I bought two of them. Some people say they are cheap and not as reliable as the higher cost panels. I didn't have the money to buy the higher priced panels, so I'm hoping these will hold up for me. I've hooked up and tested mine and they work fine.I read on another thread about a guy who has used the system for a while and it performed pretty good for him. A couple people said they had problems with the charge controllers over time. I bought a 7 amp controller for $20.00 as a back up in case the controllers that came with the system go bad. One 7 amp controller will handle all 6 panels if need be. If things don't go south to quickly, I plan on buying one quality 80 watt panel to add to my system.

JK

I have the same system for emergency power. I bought it as a test bed just to see how easy or what kind of problems Solar PV may have that no one talks about. Its been going for 2 1/2 years without a single problem. There is enough power to run some lights and my SW Radio for several hours a night. Best way to go..