tomatoes
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Post by tomatoes on Jan 5, 2017 16:43:52 GMT 10
The deal on Groupon was 8xAAA, 12xAA, 4xconverter to C, 4xconverter to D, 2x basic charger (which I prob don't need). For about $69 incl shipping.
Not quite as good as $2 each but a good starter set considering I have lots of rechargeable batteries of other brands. Will look out for the 10 pkts deal though.
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tomatoes
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Post by tomatoes on Jan 5, 2017 13:16:45 GMT 10
And there are some eneloop battery deals on Groupon now, and an extra 10% off that ends today
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tomatoes
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Post by tomatoes on Jan 5, 2017 12:59:00 GMT 10
Today, a fairly cloudy day, I have 3 different solar charging set ups testing. It is not a test for speed, just for whether they do the job, as the batteries that I have that happen to need charging are not all the same. So I have:
Goal zero 10 battery charger with 4 AA batteries in it that were completely flat. This is connected to the goal zero nomad 7 solar panel.
Portapow intelligent USB charger with 4 AAA batteries - 2 were completely flat and 2 were 3/4 flat or so - an advantage of the portapow is that you can use different levels of charge and different numbers of batteries as required. I think you can even mix up AAA and AA but I'd have to check that. It is connected to a $14 eBay solar panel - the one discussed here before.
Final charger is a little 2 battery USB charger that I've had for years, but similar to one suggested earlier in this thread. It has two AA batteries in it and is connected to another $14 ebay panel.
I know the different sizes etc if batteries will make a difference to recharging time, so it isn't a race. Just seeing what works and getting a feel for whether they work well.
I'll let you know how it goes.
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tomatoes
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Post by tomatoes on Dec 29, 2016 15:23:41 GMT 10
I've been into prepping since 1986, when I bought my first retreat, a 150ac parcel of land in northern NSW. (I was 21 at the time). In the 30 years since then 'economic collapse' has been one of the mainstays of concern for most of the preppers I've met. Some of them have even foregone personal economic prosperity due to their unfounded fears. And yet there's never been a serious economic downturn in this country. Sure, some industries have shrunk or disappeared completely, but in my experience there's always been enough good jobs around for someone who really wants one. I've never been unemployed, my partner and my kids have never been unemployed. None of my friends have ever been unemployed, except two who decided to have an extended break after one job ended. Both of those were back into high paid jobs in less than 12 months. All of us have either been retrenched before or changed careers at some stage. There is always work if you try hard enough to find it. And I'm not talking ad hoc casual jobs, but well paid permanent employment. Neither of us has any formal qualifications, except my son who is a tradesman painter and decorator but taught himself how to be a glazier, and now earns triple figures in that field. My mrs has been told she will be retrenched on June 30 2017, but of the 30 that were retrenched earlier this year, all have found fulltime employment. Some had new jobs lined up before the old job finished. One of my son's mates made 300k in 12 months by selling a unit he had put a deposit on off the plan. That is surely an indication of a strong economy in the same period that many preppers said the whole housing market was going to collapse. So despite all the doomsayers regurgitating the 'world economy is going to crash and we're all going to die' lie, the economy and the jobs and the potential to get wealthy just keep rolling on. What are the main threats that you prep for frostbite?
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tomatoes
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Post by tomatoes on Dec 27, 2016 20:33:38 GMT 10
When my husband had to regularly fly in a helicopter to get to work he had to do the training - it was called HUWET training - he said it's only if you have to fly over open water (which Sydney Harbour isn't). It was implemented - perhaps just for commercial flights where the company you work for has a duty of care - because of deaths from helicopter crashes in the North Sea Oil and Gas fields.
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tomatoes
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Post by tomatoes on Dec 27, 2016 13:15:16 GMT 10
I dont have the full report on the tiger, but I do know that no adf personnel are permitted on a helicopter over water until they have passed a course where they are strapped into an airframe, blindfolded,inverted and then dropped into a deep pool. Perhaps the tiger airframe is too difficult to escape from under water. I thought that was standard safety training for anyone who has to travel in a helicopter going over open water.
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tomatoes
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Post by tomatoes on Dec 24, 2016 15:39:35 GMT 10
I've been watching this on a few sites
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tomatoes
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Post by tomatoes on Dec 20, 2016 11:45:28 GMT 10
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tomatoes
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Post by tomatoes on Dec 18, 2016 14:58:30 GMT 10
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tomatoes
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Post by tomatoes on Dec 18, 2016 14:50:11 GMT 10
Just was in Aldi for something else, and they have a battery charger at the moment that does all different size batteries and not just AA and AAA. This is not for solar charging, just from mains, so different use than rest of this thread's discussion, and I know that mostly it is best to try and only need one size battery. Someone might find it useful though. $19.95. They also have rechargeable batteries at the moment in D, C and 9V as well as a their usual AA and AAA.
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tomatoes
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Post by tomatoes on Dec 18, 2016 10:14:39 GMT 10
Thanks for posting the article spatial. I always like reading the articles that are posted in the forums here.
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tomatoes
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Post by tomatoes on Dec 15, 2016 18:46:40 GMT 10
Thanks for the replies. Confirmed what I'd been thinking.
We've had the klean kanteens for many years - I ordered a couple of boxes of them shared with friends from overseas before you could get them in Aus - so no fear of any residue left in them from the factory! I have a bigger problem with possible bacteria from previous use. And for keeping in the car I'm not after terribly long term - just a few months - as we use them for refilling our water bottles on outings anyway, but sometimes we don't use it for a while so it can sit there for a few months. Just with the summer heat I was going to change from plastic (which I just do because it's easy - buy a bottle and leave it in there) to stainless steel and was checking for any issues I hadn't thought of. I think I'll clean out the bottles with boiling water and perhaps even fill them with boiling water. They should be right for a few months.
(Longer term storage at home I store cheap purchased water and just use and replace - and I have filters and a creek if needed for even longer term.)
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tomatoes
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Post by tomatoes on Dec 15, 2016 9:48:22 GMT 10
I have quite a few stainless steel water bottles - "Klean kanteens" and others. If I put clean - either tap or bottled - water into these in the car, do you think the water would stay fresh for a reasonably long time even if it gets hot?
At the moment I just throw in a couple of 1.5 lt bottles of purchased water which I leave in there, and we all take a drinking bottle or two as we leave the house anyway, but I don't like leaving a plastic bottle of water in the car, potentially getting hot, for long. Then I forget to change it and end up not wanting to use it. So if I put the water into stainless steal, can I leave it there a lot longer? Would you suggest anything, like washing the bottles with Milton first perhaps, to extend the time?
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tomatoes
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Post by tomatoes on Dec 13, 2016 12:07:33 GMT 10
What you need for your application specifically is a dedicated faster charger, the main reason for this is that if you don't have current and voltage monitoring the cells will catch fire OK so I can plug my phone via USB cable straight into the panel without danger, is that right? For other items like my Garmin watch, or CB radios can this be done as well without starting a fire? Or does the variability of the voltage going down the USB cable present a fire risk for those? Sorry if you've covered this and I didn't find it, just want to be sure before I potentially blow up my stuff haha This is what I worry about - either ruining equipment or doing something dangerous. Eg I have the solar monkey explorer which is a great solar charger for my phone etc. I wonder if I could just connect a USB aaa battery charger directly to that? Or even a power stick (I have quite a few of these) to have a bit of extra stored power if I'm not using it for anything else. I also have a couple of the cheap solar panels from eBay so I'm wondering what I can safely connect directly to them.
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tomatoes
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Post by tomatoes on Dec 13, 2016 7:27:59 GMT 10
Re whether the newer tablets/phones need higher amperage to charge - I read a review of the goal zero guide 10 kit that was overall very positive BUT the guy found at first that it wouldn't charge his newer phone or tablet - contacted the company and they said there was a known issue with that and he needed an adapter - which he got and then found it charged fine. I can't remember all the details but it was something to do with the power like maybe the 2A being needed or something.
Not saying the cheaper options aren't fine generally but I have come across it elsewhere too.
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tomatoes
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Post by tomatoes on Dec 12, 2016 18:11:32 GMT 10
Thank you again for all the advice.
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tomatoes
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Post by tomatoes on Dec 12, 2016 9:12:11 GMT 10
I would just like to confirm that the I've got this straight - with the $13.50 solar panels from eBay, and the $1.74 USB charger from eBay, and some rechargeable batteries (preferably eneloop ones), that's all I need? I can just connect the battery charger directly to the cheap solar panel and it may be a bit slow but it will work and it's safe. That right?
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tomatoes
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Post by tomatoes on Dec 11, 2016 19:36:43 GMT 10
I don't suppose I really need something that will charge batteries fast. My reason for thinking that way was because of a previous solar charging purchase that was pretty useless. A few months ago we were heading away where we wouldn't have access to mains electricity for a few days and I wanted to keep four phones charged so we could remain in contact when separated. I bought two solar chargers that had built in batteries of similar size that you could charge a phone from. When I ran down the batteries and put them out in full sun for a day to test them, one (the more expensive one) recharged easily in that day, whereas the other barely recharged at all.
So really my requirement isn't that it is a fast charger, but just that it can charge in a reasonable time.
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tomatoes
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Post by tomatoes on Dec 11, 2016 19:27:43 GMT 10
Thanks for all that detail shineyshooter. I appreciate the time you take explaining when answering my questions re solar power etc. Electricity knowledge is an area I feel completely lacking in so I tend to just try to find something all put together that says it will do what I want - hence my interest in the goal zero products, but it looks like they are much more than I need to spend, and I may already own most of what need!
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tomatoes
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Post by tomatoes on Dec 11, 2016 17:28:24 GMT 10
Thanks. So if I have a solar panel like the ones you linked on eBay, and a battery charger that can charge using USB, I don't need anything else? I always worry that I need something between them to make sure they stop getting power when charged, or the power is at the right level, or something like that!
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