Bob Hoover
October 31st 04, 04:51 AM
(The original title of this illustrated article was ‘Screwing For
Free' until a lady editor pointed out that nothing's really free
nowadays.)
In 1991 my wife gifted me with a Makita battery-powered drill.
Battery is that long 9.6v jobbie. Very handy tool, especially with
the charger that plugs into the cigaret lighter. The tool isn't very
useful as a drill for sheet metal work - - heavy and much too slow.
But it has paid for itself many times over as a powered screwdriver,
nut driver and even drilling an occasional hole, some of them atop
radio towers and other awkward places.
Unfortunately, I live near Sandy Eggo, where electrical energy is
considered a luxury, along with gasoline (we pay the highest prices
for both in the Lower 48). To make matters worse the Quality of
Service provided by San Diego Gas & Electric is of Third World
standards, with frequent outages and 117VAC @ 60Hz a largely mythical
goal - - something to strive for but rarely achieved.
On the other hand, we got lotsa sunshine.
I'm a ham radio operator and have always maintained my own emergency
power system. In the 1980's I began plating the roof of my garage
with photovoltaic panels, using them to keep a collection of used car
batteries charged. Usta be, the batteries just sat there, waiting for
the Big One - - the Richter 8+ earthquake that occurs periodically
along this portion of the San Andreas Fault - - which is now overdue
by a few years and we've been told to prepare for. But since the Oil
Patch gang pulled off the big energy scam I've been using my
‘emergency' power system to run tools in the shop and some lights in
the house.
And for screwing, too.
I realize most of you aren't hams and wouldn't know an erg from an amp
if they walked up and pee'd on your leg but you really don't need to
understand ‘lektrisity to use it and that's what this message is
about.
May I assume you've heard of Harbor Freight? (If you haven't, lemme
know where you live - - I wanna go there :-)
Harbor Freight sells a pretty good variety of PV panels - ‘solar'
panels, et al - some of which you can simply plug in to your tools in
order to charge them. One of the arrays they sell - - their Item
Number 44768 - - is a small (1.5 W.) solar panel designed to clip to
the sun visor and plug into the cigaret lighter of your car. While
the output is small, it is sufficient to offset the current drain of
the electrical vampires found in modern-day vehicles. Given a couple
of days, it will also charge your Makita or any other battery-operated
tools that's happy with 12vdc. The price? Ten bucks, if on sale.
(Hint: Wait until it's on sale.)
Need I mention it will also work in airplanes?
Yeah, I know - - you're one of those rich *******s with a hangar.
This message is for all the poor *******s, like me :-) But even if
the bird is under cover that doesn't mean the solar panel has to be.
Here in the States simply screw it to the south wall (outside,
please), angled about the same as your latitude and run some
light-gauge flex to the cockpit. (Or to an accessory plug under the
cowl.) The nearer you are to the Line, the better it will work.
(Sandy Eggo is about 33N; works pretty good.) Standing on your head
in Oz? Then point it North. Hernando Chan? Just throw it out on the
roof somewhere; the sun is almost straight overhead mostah the time.
Since the thing is designed to plug into a cigaret lighter socket, a
handy accessory is a cheater consisting of a cigaret lighter socket
connected to a pair of battery-sized alligator clamps. This is a
standard 12v accessory among hams, most of whom roll their own bit it
isn't that difficult to find already assembled. (All Electronics and
American Science & Surplus have each carried them in the past. Which
is no guarantee they've got them in stock. Radio Shack may carry them
but I don't shop there; their prices are too silly.)
Folks who don't prepare for disaster tend to roll their eyes at those
who do. But when **** Happens, as it always does, it takes surprising
little to ensure you will not become a burden on your community; that
you will still have heat, light and communications. In the meantime,
you can do a lot of screwing on the cheap.
-R.S.Hoover
Free' until a lady editor pointed out that nothing's really free
nowadays.)
In 1991 my wife gifted me with a Makita battery-powered drill.
Battery is that long 9.6v jobbie. Very handy tool, especially with
the charger that plugs into the cigaret lighter. The tool isn't very
useful as a drill for sheet metal work - - heavy and much too slow.
But it has paid for itself many times over as a powered screwdriver,
nut driver and even drilling an occasional hole, some of them atop
radio towers and other awkward places.
Unfortunately, I live near Sandy Eggo, where electrical energy is
considered a luxury, along with gasoline (we pay the highest prices
for both in the Lower 48). To make matters worse the Quality of
Service provided by San Diego Gas & Electric is of Third World
standards, with frequent outages and 117VAC @ 60Hz a largely mythical
goal - - something to strive for but rarely achieved.
On the other hand, we got lotsa sunshine.
I'm a ham radio operator and have always maintained my own emergency
power system. In the 1980's I began plating the roof of my garage
with photovoltaic panels, using them to keep a collection of used car
batteries charged. Usta be, the batteries just sat there, waiting for
the Big One - - the Richter 8+ earthquake that occurs periodically
along this portion of the San Andreas Fault - - which is now overdue
by a few years and we've been told to prepare for. But since the Oil
Patch gang pulled off the big energy scam I've been using my
‘emergency' power system to run tools in the shop and some lights in
the house.
And for screwing, too.
I realize most of you aren't hams and wouldn't know an erg from an amp
if they walked up and pee'd on your leg but you really don't need to
understand ‘lektrisity to use it and that's what this message is
about.
May I assume you've heard of Harbor Freight? (If you haven't, lemme
know where you live - - I wanna go there :-)
Harbor Freight sells a pretty good variety of PV panels - ‘solar'
panels, et al - some of which you can simply plug in to your tools in
order to charge them. One of the arrays they sell - - their Item
Number 44768 - - is a small (1.5 W.) solar panel designed to clip to
the sun visor and plug into the cigaret lighter of your car. While
the output is small, it is sufficient to offset the current drain of
the electrical vampires found in modern-day vehicles. Given a couple
of days, it will also charge your Makita or any other battery-operated
tools that's happy with 12vdc. The price? Ten bucks, if on sale.
(Hint: Wait until it's on sale.)
Need I mention it will also work in airplanes?
Yeah, I know - - you're one of those rich *******s with a hangar.
This message is for all the poor *******s, like me :-) But even if
the bird is under cover that doesn't mean the solar panel has to be.
Here in the States simply screw it to the south wall (outside,
please), angled about the same as your latitude and run some
light-gauge flex to the cockpit. (Or to an accessory plug under the
cowl.) The nearer you are to the Line, the better it will work.
(Sandy Eggo is about 33N; works pretty good.) Standing on your head
in Oz? Then point it North. Hernando Chan? Just throw it out on the
roof somewhere; the sun is almost straight overhead mostah the time.
Since the thing is designed to plug into a cigaret lighter socket, a
handy accessory is a cheater consisting of a cigaret lighter socket
connected to a pair of battery-sized alligator clamps. This is a
standard 12v accessory among hams, most of whom roll their own bit it
isn't that difficult to find already assembled. (All Electronics and
American Science & Surplus have each carried them in the past. Which
is no guarantee they've got them in stock. Radio Shack may carry them
but I don't shop there; their prices are too silly.)
Folks who don't prepare for disaster tend to roll their eyes at those
who do. But when **** Happens, as it always does, it takes surprising
little to ensure you will not become a burden on your community; that
you will still have heat, light and communications. In the meantime,
you can do a lot of screwing on the cheap.
-R.S.Hoover