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    Solar/Wind/Crank charger?

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    TA-t3 | # 31 | 2009-03-12, 10:04 | Report

    Originally Posted by Lord Raiden View Post
    Actually, the travel charger is spek'ed out at 5v.
    Reading up a bit more on http://sw.nokia.com/id/3378ff2b-4016...on_v1_2_en.pdf there are actually two specifications. The device measures the voltage, and if it's between 5.5V and 9.3V the charger is identified as a standardard charger, if the voltage is between 4.65V and 5.2V it identifies the charger as a 'Special charger', which I think means the travel chargers and the car chargers.

    Originally Posted by
    The ones that have an internal capacitor also work very well. The advantage of the capacitor version, although slightly more expensive and harder to find is that you don't have to work as hard to get your final charge as the amount of wasted power on a capacitor based model is nearly zero whereas you loose some voltage to heat and other issues when using a battery based unit. Plus capacitor based models don't loose their charge.
    Ah yes, a capacitor would work great also because it can suck in a lot of current quickly, unlike a battery.

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    sondjata | # 32 | 2009-03-12, 14:02 | Report

    Originally Posted by wizink View Post
    I agree, it does seem absurdly long. However, I had it on my patio table facing south and it took a couple of days. I even tried turning it east in the morning and then west in the afternoon...to no avail.

    I did notice that it would get extremely hot, which made me wonder about how long the lithium-ion battery would last under those brutal conditions... Now, I don't even use it anymore as it has become essentially useless to me.
    Yeah, I think you have a bum battery or something. I drove from Savanah Georgia to NY with my solio out on the dash (convertible) in direct sunlight for 12 hours and it ran my iPod the whole time which had maybe an hours worth of charge left in it's battery. You should replace the battery and see what happens.

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    nobodysbusiness | # 33 | 2009-03-12, 16:37 | Report

    Originally Posted by
    If those are AA batteries, 4x1.2 = 4.8, but that's still 2500 mAh.
    You know, one of these days I'm going to have to learn more about electricity. Watts, amps and volts... anyone know a good tutorial for beginners?

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    verumgero | # 34 | 2009-03-13, 00:28 | Report

    Originally Posted by
    Now, I don't even use it anymore as it has become essentially useless to me.
    Well in that case would you consider selling it to me?

    Originally Posted by
    You know, one of these days I'm going to have to learn more about electricity. Watts, amps and volts... anyone know a good tutorial for beginners?
    I think I am in the same boat

    Originally Posted by
    Well, I can take my n810 from dead to full with a set of 4 2500mah rechargables (5000mah once you combine the four batteries into 2 sets to get 4.8v) without much problem, so a 6000mah should do just fine and have juice to spare.
    It's good to know that I have that option but I just hate buying batteries.

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    Last edited by verumgero; 2009-03-13 at 00:30.

     
    Lord Raiden | # 35 | 2009-03-13, 02:09 | Report

    Well, with rechargeable batteries, you only need to buy them once and they're typically good for 500-1000 charges. Plus $17 for a pack of 8 sure as heck beats $60 for a device with equivalent power. Plus you can swap and go or use store bought in a pinch with the rechargable AA's.

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    nobodysbusiness | # 36 | 2009-03-13, 02:33 | Report

    @LR: Ah, but for the rechargeable AA batteries, you also have to buy the Tekkeon MP1550 to put them in to order to charge an N810. Of course, I'm also considering purchasing an MP1550 as well, but one of the things that I like about the 6000 mAh device I linked above is that it has a little solar port that I could plug a battery-less solar panel into to charge it. That would work even when there aren't any stores from which to buy AA's.

    I've even seen some little solar panels for sale that can be plugged in as a series, one panel plugged into the next, eventually plugged into the device. That could be a cheap way of dealing with the movement of the sun a little bit, which is something that solar-panel-using people often complain about. I'm going to go bankrupt!

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    Lord Raiden | # 37 | 2009-03-13, 11:17 | Report

    Originally Posted by
    I'm going to go bankrupt!
    lol. Don't feel bad. I'm such a tech junkie I'm surprised I haven't bankrupted myself too! ^_^;;

    On a side note, I already had enough items in my electronics portfolio that made use of AA's, that the MP1550 was a logical next step. Especially since I already had the batteries. Also, my NIT isn't the only thing that gets charged by the mp1550. I also charge my mp3 players and at least one or two other devices via usb as well, so a AA battery powered solution was perfect for me.

    Of course, if you don't use a lot of AA's, the other choice may work better for you.

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    Last edited by Lord Raiden; 2009-03-13 at 11:21.

     
    jmjanzen | # 38 | 2009-03-13, 13:48 | Report

    Originally Posted by nobodysbusiness View Post
    You know, one of these days I'm going to have to learn more about electricity. Watts, amps and volts... anyone know a good tutorial for beginners?
    Originally Posted by verumgero View Post
    I think I am in the same boat
    Well, there's always wikipedia. but a physics textbook will present the material (electrons, current, charge, watts, amperes, volts, coulombs, farads) in a more homogenous, continuous, intuitive manner/sequence. check your local library.

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    verumgero | # 39 | 2009-04-15, 11:13 | Report

    OK, so I thought I would drop another post in this thread and give an update on what I am doing for "mobile charging" solutions. I recently got a new job and am now living in Japan so for one that means that I don;t have a car. But I do have a bicycle and I end up doing all my daily traveling by it; about 14 kilometers a day. Anyways, on the bike that I have there is a little dynamo that spins off the wheel and powers a little light in the front. I thought to myself, "Why can't that charge my n800?" Anyways, I am doing a little research to find the best dynamo with the proper power output. At the moment it looks like the best option is going to be a one that mounts on the hub of the wheel. I think I am going to pick one up this weekend and see what I can do with it. I will post some pictures later on how this comes along.

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    Lord Raiden | # 40 | 2009-04-15, 15:17 | Report

    You're...in...Japan!? Dude, I am so epically jealous of you. I've wanted to go to Japan for ages.

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