Tuesday 19 March 2013

12V Chargers

Both of us have been running the 3kW inverter just to charge or use the laptop and iPad with with 240v power pack.  It seems a terrible waste and very inefficient to convert 12VDC to 240VAC and back to DC so today I started looking for other options.

The iPad issue was easy to fix.  A search in fleaBay eBay produced a simple 12V cigarette lighter plug to USB socket capable of charging iPhones, iPad, iTouch, etc.  And at just over £2.50 (including postage) it appeared to be very good value.

The laptop supply is slightly more difficult as the 12V needs to be stepped up to 19V.  I could probably purchase the components from Maplin and make a power supply.  However eBay again produced a supplier with a suitable produce.  This time for £3.91.  I suspect it would prove impossible for me to purchase the components at that price!

All it will require is a suitable box and input/output sockets, plus leads.  The entire unit should cost less than £10.  Amazon also have a readymade power supply available at £10.  But it’s only rated at half the amperage and the output voltage cannot be adjusted.

We’re hoping using these 12V power supplies will reduce our overall power consumption.

The day started with a serious frost but for a brief time around 2:00pm we actually had sunshine which was somewhat confusing.  Eventually the weather decided to settle on being overcast for the majority of the day.  Water levels are still high with both the bow and stern mooring lines being very slack.

Jan has finished knitting her cardigan.  She declined to model it for the photo.

No…. Jan isn’t deformed!  The arms are the same length and it’s just the way the cardigan was laid on the floor that give the impression of a long and short arm.. Smile

Close up of the patterns

The last of the wool is being used to knit a fancy scarf.

9 comments :

Diane and Ray said...

That is a lovely cardigan Jan. Shame you would not model it : )

Diane and Ray said...

That is a lovely cardigan Jan. Shame you would not model it : )

Halfie said...

And that is a lovely power supply. It would be a shame to hide it in a box!

Catherine H said...

3kW inverter is definitely over-kill!! Another alternative would be to have a small inverter as well, say 300w (true sine wave of course).
Beautiful knitting, very inspiring.
Catherine

Tom and Jan said...

Diane, I told Jan I was prepared to cut her head off (in the photo) but she is very camera shy and wouldn't even agree to that!

Tom and Jan said...

Halfie,
I promise it will be a very small box. Perhaps transparent? :-)

Davidss said...

Which colour does Jan prefer?
Little girl pink or regal purple?

The design and execution is impressive.

Tom and Jan said...

Catherine,
Yes, I thought of a small inverter but it would be more expensive than the other options and would still use more power through the conversion process.

Tom and Jan said...

Definitely the "Regal Purple". Somehow I can't see Jan in "little girl pink" LOL