Togo Africa Batteries Fan Computer

Hello Chris,

I will use for a small fan and to power my computer if I can get the car cigarette adapter sent here from the USA. The wind light you sent works for lights.

I know I risk having the whole thing destroyed, yet the reality is this is only 13 US dollars and the alternative solutions are in the hundreds of dollars and not available. I have tried to ask, and they call a generator a "Group" because the generator services a group. I am not sure they use battery chargers for motocycles as I expect they would just push and jump start, then charge from the bike. To actually charge off the battery is not essential

However, I am searching, they sell the motocycle batteries in small food shops, and I have not seen anything close to a parts store, and I look for this type of place constantly.

I talked with a man from Radio Shack and he said that I needed about 2 volts above the used current for a good charge on the batteries. Therefore to charge a 6 volt I would need 8 volts.

I found a very heavy battery powered fan and light for 40,000 CFA or close to 90 US, way to heavy for a backpack and too big, this whole things will be the size of a small bag of bread, and maybe smaller.

For the most part, I would like to use this power source to run my computer, to have this amount of batteries cost 300 US for 16 hours of charge. Then I cannot charge except in the computer, so the extra is not being charged, I can use this set up separate.

Andy in Danyi Apeyeme Togo, April 2007

YOU WROTE

No way of knowing if it will work, beforehand.  The risk is you destroy equipment.  Definitely risky.  The Cell phone charger is intended for a different kind of battery (lithium, NMHD, NiCAD) and adapting it to lead-acid battery charging ... I just don't know.    Getting the polarity wrong  with the lead-acids I'm familiar with means sparking and welding/melting of contacts, maybe shocks and burns or the blowout of circuitry/fuses.  Matching polarity, amperage and voltage first would be the safe way.  The benefit of course is that maybe it'll work though, eh?  Ask the locals how they charge them themselves???

What were you intending to do with the 6V motorcycle battery once charged?  What'll you use the power for?  Easy to just wire a bulb  to a battery for bright lighting (motorcycle headlamp).  Maybe I could suggest a means or an alternative found somewhere in West Africa.  I could ask around, heheh.  Never know...

Maybe over the border to Ghana there's more goods and supplies?
Like I was saying, the Sears car battery charger in my garage will give me DC in either 6V or 12V and charge lead-acid motorcycle and car batteries.  That's the direct approach - getting a charger made for the batteries you need to charge.  Then you add a cigarette lighter adapter (CLA) designed for charging each device off an automotive battery.  Most gear has more particular requirements than simple light bulbs have for lighting.  These specific CLA's for each device often have chips or circuitry within their CLA's to match polarity and amperage to optimize charging (for the type of battery) and to protect the device from damage.  On Cell phones, PDA's GPS's and laptops, for sure.  Not bare wire stuff except on the battery end.

- Chris

Thank you,
Andy HoboTraveler.com
http://www.hobotraveler.com/blogger.html