jonmac wrote:
>
> I know there MUST be some people out there who still trust (a bit) in
> Lucas, so how about this.
> A friend of mine who likes spending long hours of solitude in his caravan
> by riverbanks seeking creatures under the water with a rod, was faced with
> a limited life caravan battery. In the hours of darkness, he likes to watch
> TV (in colour of course, which uses more power than mono) he enjoys two
> electrically pumped showers a day and uses all the interior lighting to see
> where he's going within the van.
> Under these conditions, a 12v battery for a diesel car (65amp) didn't last
> two long. We've overcome it using a dynamo from a Standard (Triumph) 10
> saloon, what was left of the distributor assembly and the engine cooling
> fan.
> Basically, distributor housing and shaft provides the horizontal rotation
> to which the dynamo is clamped in a crude but effective bracket. Fan is
> attached to where the belt pulley was, and wedged in place with a roll pin.
> Wibble wobbles a bit as it rotates - but not loose.
> The whole is mounted on top of four interlocking ally tubes held vertical
> with pegs driven into the ground - flagpole fashion.
> Result? No more flat batteries - and in a gentle breeze, 16 feet up, he
> says he's getting 12.5 volts at around 7 amps which keeps everything nicely
> topped up powerwise. Total cost for materials from a scrapyard, plus the
> rope was about $8 - and it works brill!
> So Lucas ain't SO bad.
>
> John Mac
A fine solution! I'm slightly surprised at the power output,
but maybe your friend has a good steady breeze where he's at.
In my parents house our power in the winter was
provided by car alternator, driven by an 1880s vintage pelton water wheel.
About 300w AC. In the summer we used solar.
Just a note for the 'muricans, this caravan is not a collection
of camels out in the desert. More like a travel trailer or motor
home.
--
Reed Mideke rmideke@interbase.com
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