"Brian M. Godfrey" wrote:
>
> > Note that such a pac can be as simple as a motorcycle gel
> > cell "12 volt" battery with a cig lighter plug connected to
> > it's two terminals. And that charged by a low amperage
> > standard charger for cars.
>
> It seems to me that I've seen a device advertised somewhere that was
> an emergency electrical pack for your car. It had a battery -
> presumably lead-acid - large enough to start one's car if the car
> battery dies. It also had a "power outlet", which is basically a
> cigarette lighter socket, from which you could run car accessories. It
> had a handy carrying handle and I think even had a built-in light. And
> you just plugged it in to charge it. It was consumer grade and not
> overly expensive. If you were handy, you could probably even open the
> case and insert a small voltage regulating circuit and an additional
> power jack for the necessary voltage for your particular equipment.
> Seems like this might be a handy power source for recording. I wish I
> could remember where I saw it. I'll keep my eyes open...
Something that had enough to start a car would be a fair amount of
overkill, and heavy. Even the motorcycle version I use is pretty heavy,
though it can be carried fairly easy with it's shoulder strap.
A car or motorcycle battery being used disconnected from the car
probably does not need any voltage regulation. It will provide nice
smooth power. You would, of course have to convert from it's voltage to
what you needed if you have gear that would not take automobile voltage.
The pac I have is part of a dew remover system for telescopes. It can be
bought separately from astronomy suppliers. I've replaced the battery
once, buying from Sears. The 12 volt belt pacs intended for running
video equipment might be a better choice for more portable usage. They
can be found in some pretty high capacities.
The solar panel I have on my pontoon boat to maintain it's battery would
charge the motorcycle battery in a day or two and would easily slip into
a pack. In fact it's small enough you could strap it on top of a pac to
charge as you hike. That would be a way to handle longer trips away from
any sort of plugin or automobile. Especially since the motorcycle
battery would run my Portadisc continuous for probably at least a day,
more likely several days. It's 12 amp hours, that's 12,000 mah.
Laptop and cell phone users have made a market for small solar charging
panels. They are still expensive, but slowly getting cheaper. Here's
links to a few solar chargers:
http://www.clubi.ie/it/112home.htm
http://www.lotusenergy.com/Products/portsys.htm
http://www.isunpower.com/html/index.html
http://www.outfittersatellite.com/solar.htm
http://www.global-merchants.com/home/solars.htm
http://www.alfoutdoors.com/solarverter.htm
Walt
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