I do not know where to start...

KLillie

Joined May 31, 2014
137
Going back to the title of this post...Where to start? The disturbing thing is having to guard your stuff from theft! It would really suck to get all your stuff setup just to have it stolen. So I guess you would want to "travel light". It is hard to think of things you could "have" that might not be stolen. You asked about the DC motor I suggested and it made me think. I don't know. I don't know what size of motor would work for you or even if it would work or where you would get one. It is easy to throw out ideas when you are so far removed from someone's life. But I do know that there are a lot of smart guys on this site. If it is electrical they can help with circuits, rectifiers, filters, charging systems etc. And the best thing is they will, as long as things stay civil (place emote here).
I recently finished a certificate program in green technology. I think what hit home the most is how far we have yet to go in alternative energy production and battery technology. Also how far we have come. The reason I mentioned super-capacitors earlier was that they charge fast. So IF you had one maybe it could be charged at a library or somewhere and then used to charge some rechargeable batteries. They do have a low energy density, so you would have to charge like five. You see right now the concept is sound, just not very practical or applicable, but I did not think about that before I posted. Here we are again at square one.
Speaking of alternative energies, I thought this one was cool
 

blocco a spirale

Joined Jun 18, 2008
1,546
There has never been a better time to buy solar panels, charge controllers, batteries (but, good SLAs can be picked up free if you know where to look), LED lighting and inverters.

If I were in a similar situation, I would earn money gardening, mowing lawns, cleaning cars, painting etc. and within a week or two I would have enough money to buy all the parts to put together a complete solar power station that would supply many years of free, and useable, electricity.
 
Last edited:

wayneh

Joined Sep 9, 2010
17,496
In other words, "get a job".

I remember as a kid I desperately wanted a Frisbee. My folks told me to collect bottles along the road for the deposit money. Once I had earned the money, I was reluctant to spend it. I don't recall if I ever bought the Frisbee, but I sure remember collecting the bottles.
 

blocco a spirale

Joined Jun 18, 2008
1,546
I didn't want to be so blunt but it is obvious to me that scavenging solar garden lights and AA cells is a very time consuming process with very little benefit at the end of it. For less than $200.00 the TS could buy a 20W solar panel, charge regulator, 90Ah leisure battery, 150W inverter, a couple of 10W LED floodlights and still have some money left over for cables and fuses.

I know $200.00 may seem a lot to someone who doesn't have it but it's only a matter of earning $20 a day for 10 days and the benefits to the TS would be enormous, both in terms of future income and acquiring a genuinely useful, sustainable power source...... work a few more days and buy another 20W solar panel.... and then another battery....
 
Last edited:

takao21203

Joined Apr 28, 2012
3,702
starting with electronics when you are kindof indigent is a hard track not an easy one.

Growing plants for instance is far more rewarding. Even if you know direct sources, you need some 1000s for a decent parts inventory and basic accessoires, like screwdrivers, boxes, soldering station, power supplies, and so on.

Sure you can do a lot for $100, but then you reach a limit again and again when you need some special parts.

thats why I put a lot of universally useful parts in my $6 joule thief kits- the idea is, you build a few of these, then still have parts leftover for some small circuits. I had to search this whole world to source older NOS parts at low prices, but it became possible even making profit on each kit.

I plan to do more such kits but its not easy. Basically, only the kinds of parts are described, not the exact amount or make. I dont include a schematic as well.

sure I have in mind buyers who dont have resources like me, and probably pay a dollar almost for a single transistor. I have experienced it when I was young and theres nothing funny about it. Now Im older, parts cost 1/20 or less what they used to cost.

Most expensive when buying something is the initial efforts- write invoice wrapping go to store, then selling additional parts to same buyer costs only a fraction.
 

tjohnson

Joined Dec 23, 2014
611
@UnityInDiversity: You mentioned the possibility of using a stationary bike to charge a cellphone. Have you considered making a charger that runs off a moving bike? I saw an article about this a week or two ago which I can't find now, but this link shows how to make one. Someone also mentioned in the comments on that page where you can buy one. You might be able to persuade someone to purchase it for you if you tell them that it will save them money in the long term because they won't have to pay for the electricity used to charge your phone anymore.

To charge flashlight batteries, a small solar panel will work. I used to have a small solar-powered flashlight that fit in my pocket (with the solar panel) and powered 3 LEDs with a CR2025 coin cell. Hope this helps.
 
Last edited:

WBahn

Joined Mar 31, 2012
29,979
You might be able to persuade someone to purchase it for you if you tell them that it will save them money in the long term because they won't have to pay for the electricity used to charge your phone anymore.
That's gonna be a pretty hard sell -- the typical smartphone uses about 50 cents of electricity a year.
 

WBahn

Joined Mar 31, 2012
29,979
Wow, I had no idea they were that efficient. But over a period of 140 years...;)
If we had small batteries with high energy densities you can bet they wouldn't be as efficient. While battery technology has certainly improved over the last decade or two, the drive has been to reduce power consumption to something that today's batteries can supply for a reasonable amount of time, which is generally taken to be one day (or the relevant part of a day, such as twelve to sixteen hours).
 
Top