Tips > Electricity > Electricity, Togo Africa Batteries Fan Computer
Electricity, 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
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2007-04-21
Electricity, Togo Africa Batteries Fan Computer