What bliss, sleeping on a waterbed that both conforms to; and supports the contours of your body. No tossing and turning on a hard futon or some wayward mattress spring attempting to puncture my hide. Jan had to wake me!
After a month of noodles and rice I was spoilt with a homemade Wetherspoons 'Big Breakfast' (for lunch I should add).
The girl in my life spoilt me!
Two jobs completed today. The first was the Lawn Edger. Before leaving for Taiwan I noticed the belt which drives the blade was looking very perished.
Purchasing a replacement in Australia was expensive. Searching on eBay I found a supplier based in China and asked Jan to order a belt whilst I was away. The new belt was waiting for me on my return. A 30 minute job and the machine was good to go again.
There had been a power outage whilst I was away. Jan went to use our old Maglite torch only to discover the batteries were flat. That's probably unsurprising as the torch gets used very infrequently. The following day Jan decided to buy replacement 'D Cell' batteries only to discover they would cost $10. This seemed excessive to her (and me) so she decided to abandon the idea.
The torch is very well made and it seemed a waste to discard it. I started thinking about converting it to Lithium batteries with a LED bulb.
I have several 18650 lithium rechargeable batteries harvested from an old laptop and some power tool batteries. After poking a stick down the inside of the torch I established it should be possible to fit two 18650 cells inside.
The torch originally held two D Cells which meant 3V. Each lithium 18650 cell is rated at 3.7V. In series this would be 7.4V. More than double the voltage. Moreover the 18650 cells have a higher amperage. Theoretically a far more powerful torch!
Could I find an LED bulb which would both fit the Maglite and be rated at 7.4V. Aliexpress had what appeared to be a suitable bulb for $1.79.
This bulb should emit significantly more light.
If I'm going to convert the torch to lithium then I might as well make it rechargeable. Lithium batteries require a BMS (Battery Management System) The BMS has a number of purposes. It prevents over and under voltage and 'balances' the charge across multiple cells. I needed a 2S BMS for 18650 cells. Aliexpress was the source at less than $2
The final required component was a 240V power converter. Hunting through my box of "these might be useful one day" I found an old mobile phone charger with a 240V AC input and 9V DC output.
When the Aliexpress components arrive I should have everything required to convert the Maglite.
Tomorrow I'll start on the next project
8 comments :
Hi Tom
Well done for making it home. Sounds like you had a good time.
That power unit says it is 9v AC output not DC (squiggley line not a flat line).
Mick
Hi Mick,
Yes, a great trip.
Dammit I didn't notice it was labeled AC output. I'll check just in case the labelling is incorrect :-(
Tom
Hi Tom
Does seem you had a good time.
If it is AC (or even if not) pretty simple to put a rectifier in your cgarger circuit or use a chip that takes ac or dc at any voltage upto say 15v and make it a universal charger.
Alternatively why not make it charge via USB, that way can be charged almost anywhere
Dave
I'm sure you received a rapturous welcome home from Jan. What a treat to sleep in your own comfy bed after those weeks away.
Dave, Those are options but I'm attempting to do this with what I have on hand. I do have a 12V DC supply which I am considering reducing to 9V.
Tom
Jenny, Four weeks away gave Jan plenty of opportunity to write a long list of chores :-) The bed was bliss!
Tom, I followed your trip in awe at your fitness and energy levels. It did look amazing, but I can just imagine how good your own bed felt when you got home.
Jennie, When I started riding the bike during COVID I struggled to cycle up the nearest hill. Slowly I extended my range as my fitness improved. It just goes to prove we can all do more than we think we can.
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