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<div class=Section1>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'>Here’s another variant on solar power setup that worked well for
us in PNG:</span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'> </span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'>Two flexible solar panels, 32W each, connected in parallel via a
regulator to a large 12v truck battery. Power to charging devices and laptops
via cigarette lighter adaptors (12V).</span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'> </span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'>The panels: UniSolar brand – we chose ‘rollable’
rather than ‘foldable’ ones because they were much cheaper, yet
still, just about, portable. We rolled them up in our largest suitcase so that
the diameter was as large as poss. (c. 25 – 30 cm) and with plenty of
padding inside to avoid creasing. Apparently the panels are quite vulnerable in
this way – unlike the foldable ones. Anyway we had no problem with them
in the field so it seems they survived our treatment.</span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'> </span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'>The regulator: Steca 6A model – this protects the battery from
both over charge and over discharge if you wire it up the way they suggest i.e.
with the load (the cigarette lighter adaptors) connected to the regulator NOT
directly to the battery. It also provides quite useful diagnostics in the form
of different coloured LED lights (though I agree that a cheap multimeter
is also really useful, almost essential in fact). Note that this unit doesn’t
just warn you if you are taking too much power – it actually cuts the
supply to protect the battery (at least I think it does; we never actually
encountered this situation in practice). This is great for your battery, and fine
if you are just using it to charge other batteries, but it could be pretty
annoying if it caused your computer to crash. For this reason we generally only
used the setup for charging, rather than for running critical gear directly.</span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'> </span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'>The battery: 120 amp hour, locally purchased (naturally, considering
the weight). I just got the biggest I could find to give us a good buffer. Of
course a proper deep-cycle battery would have been ideal but they tend to be
extremely expensive and a normal, but large battery should suffice. Of course
if you are trying to set up a something permanent, then the deep-cycle cells would
be worth the investment</span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'> </span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'>The cigarette lighter adaptors: available in retail electrical-supply
shops – I bought a cheap two-to-one converter then cut the
‘one’ bit off so that I had two sockets with short wire leads
attached – this was easier than trying to wire them myself; meant I
didn’t need a soldering iron. There are then two ‘things to be
known’: 1) which wire goes to which part of the socket (the drum or the
centre point) – easily discovered with the multimeter using resistance or
continuity settings, 2) which part is supposed to be ‘positive’
– an auto electrician told me it is the centre, and he seems to have been
right.</span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'> </span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'>Our system was not designed to be especially portable once in the
field, but it was quick enough to set up – most of the wiring was done in
advance, but in any case only required a knife and a small screwdriver. The
panels are reasonably light and come with eyelets so they were
‘simply’ tied to the roof of our hosts’ house (with cheap
local synthetic cord). I had cut off the last 30cm or so of the power leads
from these panels (more on these ‘tails’ later) and then brought
the truncated leads into the house through the ridge cap of the iron roof. They
weren’t nearly long enough to reach the battery/regulator set up so I
extended them with extra cables via a standard hardware-store connecter block
(putting the panels into parallel in the process). I thought it worthwhile to
use a reasonably heavy gauge of cable so that voltage drop over the extra
length didn’t become a problem. These cables had to be trimmed down a bit
to fit into the tiny sockets in the regulator. The two aforementioned tails
consist of two wires each of course. Each has a useful ring attachment and two
of them have inline fuses. I decided to use them to connect from the regulator
to the battery terminals and in my ignorance thought it a good idea to use the
fused wires. Well of course the fuses kept blowing. In the end I figured out
that because they also handled the loads from the battery (as well as supply to
it) these wires were going to draw far more current than the fuses were
designed for (i.e. to protect the panel in the absence of any other protection,
such as the regulator). So I ditched them altogether and used the non-fused
wires. I was a little uneasy about this but there were no problems with hot
wires; I think the regulator would have packed up first as a protection - albeit
an extreme one - against fire.</span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'> </span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'>No, it wasn’t the most sophisticated of installations. Although I
had tried to size equipment for the anticipated load, I felt unsure off my
conclusions. Moreover I knew that once in the field we would have almost no access
to spare parts or expertise. It’s possible that I would have only needed
one panel and a much smaller battery, but I didn’t want to find
that out with no way to remedy the situation. With this possibility that our
setup was vastly over specified made clear, I can yet report that it behaved blamelessly
(once we got over the fuse drama) with supplying power over a three month
period to the following list of devices:</span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'> </span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'>2 laptops, one of which did a fair amount of work digitizing video in
the field</span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'>2 mini DV video cameras, both using heaviest-duty battery packs for
maximum shooting time</span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'>1 digital still camera</span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'>1 GPS </span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'>1 mp3 recorder</span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'> </span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'>The laptops behaved as their own chargers of course. We did have to
purchase a special power adaptor (Targus brand, 120W) that had the lighter
adaptor plug. We had several spare batteries and tended to recharge overnight.
In theory we could also have used this adaptor to power a laptop while flying
to and from the field, but the cost of the upgrade to business class was deemed
to outweigh the hypothetical productivity gain.</span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'> </span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'>For all other devices we used ‘Inca’ brand chargers. The
beauty of these is that not only are they configured for both AC and 12v DC use
(coming with standard lighter adaptor plugs), but they can take different
‘plates’ so that the same charger can charge different types of
manufacturer-specific batteries. They are neither expensive nor bulky so
it’s still a good idea to take several chargers (one broke during use).
There is also a version for AA/AAA batteries which we used for the GPS for
example. These are available at camera shops.</span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'> </span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'>A couple of tips about batteries: </span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'>1) We were advised that both the generic and brand name rechargeable
batteries (i.e. the battery packs for specific cameras etc) are made in the
same factories (there are only a few in the world). One is discouraged from
using the generic type, but of course they are quite a bit cheaper. We used
them exclusively and had no problems</span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'>2) Not all devices that run on say AA or AAA batteries are happy
to do so on the rechargeable varieties. In particular we had problems with Sony
radio microphones which wouldn’t run well on our Nickel Metal Hydride
(Ni-MH) rechargeables. We had to purchase quite large stocks of top quality
‘photo’ grade disposables to get any useful work out of them (the
local ones were as useless as the rechargeables). This came as a bit of a shock
– test your equipment for this behaviour before taking it to the field.</span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'> </span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'>For what it’s worth, major costs in 2004 were: UniSolar 32W flexible
panels A$475 each, Steca 6A solar regulator A$79. These prices are before GS
tax. We got them from <a href="http://www.solaronline.com.au/">www.solaronline.com.au</a>
– presumably that’s not of much interest to </span></font>Gary in Alaska
though.</p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'> </span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'>Andrew Margetts</span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'>Saliba – Logea DOBES team</span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'> </span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'> </span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face=Arial><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'> </span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face=Arial><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'> </span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Tahoma><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Tahoma'>-----Original Message-----<br>
<b><span style='font-weight:bold'>From:</span></b> Tom Honeyman
[mailto:tom@fatuous.org] <br>
<b><span style='font-weight:bold'>Sent:</span></b> </span></font><font size=2 face=Tahoma><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Tahoma'>Thursday, 6
April 2006</span></font><font size=2 face=Tahoma><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Tahoma'> </span></font><font size=2 face=Tahoma><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Tahoma'>10:20 AM</span></font><font
size=2 face=Tahoma><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Tahoma'><br>
<b><span style='font-weight:bold'>To:</span></b> </span></font><font size=2
face=Tahoma><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Tahoma'>Resource-Network-Linguistic-Diversity@unimelb.edu.au</span></font><font
size=2 face=Tahoma><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Tahoma'><br>
<b><span style='font-weight:bold'>Subject:</span></b> Re: solar power &
Toolbox</span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'> </span></font></p>
<div>
<blockquote style='margin-top:5.0pt;margin-bottom:5.0pt'>
<div>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'>AS for the Solar panels, </span></font></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'>I have been using solar panels in the field successfully for several
months now. I bought foldable solar panels, Global Solar P3. I have
55W, which was US$900, but there are cheaper (less powerful) models that ought
to work out just fine. They weight about 4lbs. The only catch is
that these require an external battery. I bought a motorcycle battery in
country, which is smaller than a car battery and thus more portable. The
solar panels charge the battery with a set of pos/neg clips (which come with
the optional accessory kit), and I had the female end of a car cigarette
lighter rigged to have pos/neg clips as well (this was not something I found
pre-made, but it is easy enough for someone who knows about electricity to rig
up). Then, all my equipment has cigarette lighter adaptors (cell phone,
battery charger, computer, etc.). I can plug in anything I want that has a
cigarette lighter adaptor (12V). These are widely available adaptors for many
devices. I agree that</span></font></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'> taking a multimeter into the field for trouble-shooting is a good
idea. They are cheap (about US$10), lightweight, and widely available.
</span></font></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'> </span></font></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'>Please let me know if my answers need clarification. </span></font></p>
</div>
</blockquote>
</div>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'> </span></font></p>
<div>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'>Yes, that's basically what I would have said!</span></font></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'> </span></font></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'>My situation was a little different, weight, cost and humidity were big
issues so I had a small Sealed Lead Acid (7 Amp hour / ~2kg) battery and 10W
panel. This was just enough to charge the batteries for the Nagra ARES BB+, my
flashlights (If you need them, make sure they are designed to work with rechargeables),
digital camera etc. I took two 5 hour batteries for the Video Camera, and never
needed to recharge them (we were mostly after audio this time). I didn't have a
laptop. In other words I had a "bare-minimum" digital system.
Unfortunately, the solar panel broke in the first month, so I ended up getting
power from a variety of fairly bizarre sources in the remaining 4 months...
that's when the multimeter came in handy.</span></font></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'> </span></font></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'>So I guess my first recommendation would be to have a backup system if
something goes wrong.</span></font></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'> </span></font></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'>Depending on your constraints, I'd suggest doing a rough estimate of
your power consumption, and purchasing a kit of the right size like the P3
above.</span></font></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'> </span></font></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'>If weight is not an issue, I suggest purchasing a largish
Lead Acid battery in country.</span></font></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'> </span></font></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'>Consider a charge regulator. This will stop you overcharging the
battery and a good one will also indicate when the battery is low so you don't
damage it from drawing too much power. Although, I suppose if you did damage
your battery, you could always pick up another one. Here's a product that is a
protective housing for the battery and battery status indicator:</span></font></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'> </span></font></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'><a
href="http://www.whitworths.com.au/main_itemdetail.asp?cat=123&item=4190&intAbsolutePage=1">http://www.whitworths.com.au/main_itemdetail.asp?cat=123&item=4190&intAbsolutePage=1</a></span></font></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'> </span></font></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'>(Apologies for not finding a better link) The better model has a
cigarette lighter plug. Having a handle on your power source is good because
you can move it around if you use it as a primary power source instead of as a
charger. Using it as a direct power source is more efficient as you have some
power loss in the transfer of power from one battery to another.</span></font></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'> </span></font></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'>The battery acts like a buffer. Because you'll only be charging during
the day, and you usually have your equipment charging while you sleep, you need
a battery big enough for (at least) a couple of nights of recharging (in case
it rains etc).</span></font></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'> </span></font></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'>That's all I can think of for now, I'll post again when I've finished
the report.</span></font></p>
</div>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'> </span></font></p>
<div>
<div>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=1 face=Helvetica><span style='font-size:9.0pt;
font-family:Helvetica'>Tom Honeyman</span></font></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=1 face=Helvetica><span style='font-size:9.0pt;
font-family:Helvetica'>PARADISEC Project Research Assistant</span></font></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=1 face=Helvetica><span style='font-size:9.0pt;
font-family:Helvetica'>Pacific and Regional Archive for Digital Sources in
Endangered Cultures</span></font></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=1 face=Helvetica><span style='font-size:9.0pt;
font-family:Helvetica'>Sydney Unit, room 238, Transient Building F12</span></font></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=1 face=Helvetica><span style='font-size:9.0pt;
font-family:Helvetica'>University</span></font><font size=1 face=Helvetica><span
style='font-size:9.0pt;font-family:Helvetica'> of </span></font><font size=1
face=Helvetica><span style='font-size:9.0pt;font-family:Helvetica'>Sydney</span></font><font
size=1 face=Helvetica><span style='font-size:9.0pt;font-family:Helvetica'> NSW
2006</span></font></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=1 face=Helvetica><span style='font-size:9.0pt;
font-family:Helvetica'>tel +61 2 9036 9557</span></font></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=1 face=Helvetica><span style='font-size:9.0pt;
font-family:Helvetica'>fax +61 2 9351 7572</span></font></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=1 face=Helvetica><span style='font-size:9.0pt;
font-family:Helvetica'><a href="mailto:tom.honeyman@paradisec.org.au">tom.honeyman@paradisec.org.au</a></span></font></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=1 face=Helvetica><span style='font-size:9.0pt;
font-family:Helvetica'><a href="http://www.paradisec.org.au">http://www.paradisec.org.au</a></span></font></p>
</div>
</div>
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