Re: Battery power television

"Clint" <nospam@xxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:sr2nj1hdftm7m4u299djiiks0i7vh9503b@xxxxxxxxxx
> I thnk I'll tag on to this thread because I also have started to think
> of how I would (make that "will") use electronic devices during an
> emergency.
>
> After an earthquake with the power off I will want to charge:
> - cell phones ,ssuming they might come back before the power or the
> land line.
> - frs/gmrs radios
> - cb radio
>
> and assuming that the phone lines come back before the power also:
> - laptop computer
> - dsl modem
> - possibly router, not because of multiple computers but for security.
>
> I was thinking of running from a car battery sitting around for that
> purpose. It seems to me that a spare car battery sitting around
> indefinitely would need something to keep it charged and that could be
> run from wall current that would be available - until it's not. But
> when the wall power goes off I would want to be able to keep it
> charged. So that would be done with a solar charger. Am I correct
> to assume that I would need two different devices?

That depends. A small generator would be much cheaper than a solar panel
setup that is capable of charging a car battery in a reasonable amount of
time. Even cheaper and more efficient would be a 'white trash' homebrew
setup with a lawnmower and an alternator.

Probably the best way to keep batteries charged is to have dual (more more)
batteries in your car, with the proper gizmos to regulate them. They'll
last longer, will always be ready for service, and you'll likely forget
about them until the need arises.

> Also for efficiency I would assume that it would make sense to charge
> the cell phones using the chargers that are intended to be plugged
> into the car battery via the cigarette ligher socket as they are doing
> DC to DC. Same for the frs radios and the cb.

Yup. Inverters are wasteful. They're still handy to have around, in case
something breaks or you decide you need something that only runs off 110 AC.
Otherwise, it's best to avoid inverters if at all possible.

> With the dsl modem and router they are normally plugged into the wall
> so I need a power converter. Lots available. Anybody have
> suggestions for a good one? There is a range of prices available and
> I don't know what to look for.

A UPS (uninteruptable power supply) designed for computers would fit the
bill. Stay away from the super cheap ones. A good one will cost about
$100, and will run your modem (and cordless phone, in my case) for hours. I
wouldn't waste power on the router unless you really needed it. A software
firewall such as Zonealarm will do, and you can always wait until the power
is back on to do your online banking.

Good brands for UPS's are Tripp Lite, Cyberpower, and APC.

Tripp Lite also makes inverters that include a battery charger. These are
meant to be used with car batteries that you buy locally. They're basically
the same as a regular UPS, but aren't packaged in a pretty box.

> [Hmmm.... thinking out loud here.... maybe the DSL and router don't
> make sense and I should learn how to use the dialup service that I
> assume comes with my DSL service.]

Many DSL services have stopped providing dialup for free. Found this out
the hard way. You might as well stick to DSL. Keep in mind that with a
large power outage or storm, DSL may very well be dead anyway, so don't
invest too much in keeping your gear working.

> Also for the computer (a Mac powerbook of my wife's) would it make
> sense to get the accessory that allows it to plug into cigarette
> lighter, bypassing the power converter? Would it be significantly
> more efficient? Do you lose a lot of heat in the DC to AC to DC
> conversion when you use a power converter?

Yup. Not only is the inverter wasteful, but so is the power brick that you
plug in. You'll have much better luck running the 12V adapter.

Pagan


.

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