My personal quest for power
Ignore the hares; that’s not what dragged me down the proverbial rabbit hole today. I’ve been renewing my knowledge of battery packs, and things have really progressed over the last while. I came from the period when Ever-Ready ruled. Simple blogs of carbon and goo, ready to furnish 1.5 V on demand, temporarily.
We moved into the field of rechargables when the cost of stuff reached a critical point, but the technology was always iffy. As I used to say, not what I want on my personal life support system. But now there’s a whole range of product out there, in various chemical compositions and price points. Sure, the target voltage hasn’t changed, but the road to get there is very different. My need is for something around 12V, recharged by solar (if possible) and not weighing more than the ability to be transported by yours truly.
There are some good videos available on YouTube, for anyone interested in DIY. How available the components are remains to be discovered, but I feel certain I can come up with solutions to the problems I foresee. That electrical bicycle is outside the Venn on this one, just in case she asks. Maybe later.
So, if I can get my “act” together, I hope to construct a power pack that will allow me to separate my life from the umbilical of “shore power”. I want to be able to open up a case, turn on a radio and be in communication with the world at large. Others have managed, and I can read. What more could be needed… (we shall see).
