Lots of young scouts with limitless energy....mmm...
How about an old bike on a track stand with a dynamo hooked up to your battery?!
How about an old bike on a track stand with a dynamo hooked up to your battery?!
Charging solution idea but help needed
- Thread starter Pignut
- Start date
I use my lamping battery when I am away at meets. It is the same size as a motorbike battery, say 8"x3"x4" with a 12v cig lighter adaptor on it. I can recharge my phone several times & have run a laptop off it for 12 hours before now. Probably bot big enough for a whole gang but is is small, not too heavy (I walk round with it in a coat pocket in winter while manageing rabbits) & it holds lots of charge; not sure of the specs but may be worth looking into.
I like the idea of a box with multiple adaptors, built in lights etc.. I have a winter project to make a camp kitchen box out of a couple of ally containers I picked up off another forum; they are the middle 2 in the following thread:
http://www.bimmerforums.co.uk/forum/f97/high-spec-aluminium-boxes-for-sale-designed-for-t79643/
I may build the battery in, which would be a useful thing to have with a USB or two, a light... Mmmmmm now that is giving me ideas...
I like the idea of a box with multiple adaptors, built in lights etc.. I have a winter project to make a camp kitchen box out of a couple of ally containers I picked up off another forum; they are the middle 2 in the following thread:
http://www.bimmerforums.co.uk/forum/f97/high-spec-aluminium-boxes-for-sale-designed-for-t79643/
I may build the battery in, which would be a useful thing to have with a USB or two, a light... Mmmmmm now that is giving me ideas...
Ah, beat me to it! Couldn't be bothered to follow all the external links.See post number 9 in this thread.
There are a few clever solutions out there for problems like this. We have a rowing boat which is left unattended for a couple of weeks or more at a time. So we installed an automatic bilge pump. You can get versions that charge the marine battery by the rocking motion of the boat, like an automatic watch. Very smart.
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If it's any help I should be able to spare a 12v 7Ah sealed lead acid battery, as Damascus describes. I may have some of the same type but bigger, in reasonable condition. I used to be a fire alarm engineer
If the cool box is an ideal soloution then rip out the inulation and when the battery is connected make sure the lid is not sealed. The sealed lead acid batteries are easier to care for than the car type lead acids. Whatever you do decide on put some fuses in the wiring between charger and battery and battery and sockets. Both are probably already protected, but exploding batteries are nasty, so belt and braces.
Hope you come up with a solution.
If the cool box is an ideal soloution then rip out the inulation and when the battery is connected make sure the lid is not sealed. The sealed lead acid batteries are easier to care for than the car type lead acids. Whatever you do decide on put some fuses in the wiring between charger and battery and battery and sockets. Both are probably already protected, but exploding batteries are nasty, so belt and braces.
Hope you come up with a solution.
On closer inspection, it turns out it is a leasure battery.
It was sold as part of the solar power system, designed for lighting garages sheds etc
It was sold as part of the solar power system, designed for lighting garages sheds etc
Be really careful running USB from a 12v battery. USB operates at 5v so you run the risk of damaging a device.
Two possible options are:
Get a cigarette lighter plug with built in conversion;
Build you own voltage regulator circuit board to go between the battery and USB socket. This is relatively simple, a quick doodle on "12v to USB converter schematic" should yield all the info you'll need, then a relatively cheap trip to Maplins (no relation).
Alex
Two possible options are:
Get a cigarette lighter plug with built in conversion;
Build you own voltage regulator circuit board to go between the battery and USB socket. This is relatively simple, a quick doodle on "12v to USB converter schematic" should yield all the info you'll need, then a relatively cheap trip to Maplins (no relation).
Alex
Whittler Kev
Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
I'll second this. Also if you take the seal off the top of the box won't this vent it enough (even more so if you put a hole in the bottom so rain water can get out and you can get a through draft)
Make sure it's a gel or sealed battery as if accidentally knocked over you could get a nasty acid burn
I picked up a solar panel and charge controller along with a 12Ah battery for when we go camping. The controller outputs both 5v and 12v, and I use the 12v to run some LED lights along with a switched-mode PSU to charge our phones. This works well, and we've never run the battery flat charging 2 phones, lighting the tent, and even using an air pump to inflate a mattress!
I've got some old 7Ah UPS batteries that I link together if we're away for a longer period, but usually the 12Ah being trickle-charged by the solar panel lasts for several days.
I've got some old 7Ah UPS batteries that I link together if we're away for a longer period, but usually the 12Ah being trickle-charged by the solar panel lasts for several days.
Damascus: Bulbs were from Ebay and are excellent - have used them at home in my office to reduce 250watts of lighting down to just 5! The guy I bought them from seems to have stopped trading, but use this search to find something similar: http://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_npmv=3&_trksid=m570.l2736&_nkw=mr16+led+3528
Look for "warm white" - mine are 30 LED versions and the colour temperature is almost identical to that from a CFL energy-saving bulb.
The fittings for them were just some old lamp holders that I got from a friend. Anything similar will do - butcher an MR16 track fitting for example (my first version was based on a couple of these: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/BLACK-TRA...5954?pt=UK_Light_Fittings&hash=item415bd27ef2) or pop to B&Q/Screwfix and see what's on offer!
Look for "warm white" - mine are 30 LED versions and the colour temperature is almost identical to that from a CFL energy-saving bulb.
The fittings for them were just some old lamp holders that I got from a friend. Anything similar will do - butcher an MR16 track fitting for example (my first version was based on a couple of these: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/BLACK-TRA...5954?pt=UK_Light_Fittings&hash=item415bd27ef2) or pop to B&Q/Screwfix and see what's on offer!
This all seems a little (albeit fun!) 'heavy engineering' for a rather simple issue. Mobile phones can be picked up from about £10. The bonus is, that these budget models generally have a standby time measures in weeks. E.g. Nokia 1800, £9.98, standby time of 22 days. Buy one for each of your leaders, job done. Unless your camps last longer than three weeks.
Even cheaper, you can pick up spare mobile phone batteries for most phones off ebay for just a few quid.
Even cheaper, you can pick up spare mobile phone batteries for most phones off ebay for just a few quid.
I use a car battery with an inverter then run the usual charger off it. It lasts ages and I have never had an problems
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