No more RIM jobs in Japan

[Coligny]

Quick update to the Galaxy S3 story:

I'm really liking the phone, but the battery life is not exactly spectacular. I know that's to be expected with large-screen smartphone like this, but it does make me a little uneasy for the following reason: In the 10 days or so immediately following 3.11 when communication was pretty much blacked out (as in, no electricity), my old BlackBerry allowed me to communicate via Facebook and occasionally mail. That was the only thing that worked, and the battery in that prehistoric device lasted for several days on a full charge. Now with the Galaxy I have to charge pretty much every day. I might be able to squeeze a couple of days out of it if I reduced usage to a bare minimum and kept it turned off when I wasn't using it. Of course I now have a generator that I keep in running condition for that very reason, so I'm prepared, but the advantages of long battery life are not to be sneezed at in an emergency.

Other than that ... damn, what a cool device.

Ok mon lapin...

Sorry... ok fluffy bunny...

You have a spare car battery, ? if not buy either a 12v deep discharge or motorcycle battery. 20Ah unless you want it to jumpstart a car, then go for a 30Ah, Find a window facing the south in your home.
Put this on the window: http://dx.com/p/3w-solar-power-panel-au ... ack-158750
(some jdm one from autoback include a pushbutton to check the battery level)
Plug it on the battery, also plug a female cigaret lighter plug.

Now you got a constantly trickled charge battery to run anything on 12v including phone chargers in case of power failure without needing to waste gasoline from the generator. (also with a 12v->100v adapter you can run small tv )

Instead of a car battery you can also buy one of those special car starter packs (meltec or else) that provide light and 100v standard... but aside from the "all in one" form factor they are usually build with the shittiest parts from china bundled in a nice clusterfuck of sucks...

[Yokohammer]

Yeah, thinking about that. They have solar chargers for your phone, too, which aren't too expensive and might be good to have around. I already have one of those hand-cranked charger widgets: a pain in the arse to use but it will give you enough juice for a quick tweet or two pretty quickly.

There are quite a few options to be aware of, but the easiest, least encumbered approach is best when le poop hits le fan. And, also worth considering, you might not be at home when it happens.

A nature-replenished 12V supply built onto the house might be a good idea though, especially if I made a habit of charging phones and small devices from it all the time.

[Coligny]

A nature-replenished 12V supply built onto the house might be a good idea though, especially if I made a habit of charging phones and small devices from it all the time.

Running 12v/5vusb accessories or lights for most task possible from converted computer PSU is OK (check their amp ratings some are downright colossale). Running always from batteries might not be good for their life expectancy.

It's not the first time I talk you into thinking aboot 12vdc wiring for the home. it allows to incorporate most car/BOATING/camping device in everyday lifestyle.

[Yokohammer]

Yep. I've been thinking about this for a long time. Too much think and not enough do.

Think I might start by testing something like this kit (2,236 yen at Amazon):

7198DyN2vfL._AA1500_.jpg

[Coligny]

Careful, check the watt/amp...

A japanese one giving 12v/70mA is around 6000y...
For this price it seems to be a chinese extra low quality resold with few JDM adapters and some markup...

ALSO, if the solar panel include a lipo battery all-in-one...
RUN AWAY
Solar panel need sun, lipo hate the heat... result...
'plop!'

[Yokohammer]

That one is obviously a cheapo (no LiPo though).
As you say, for a bit more money ... like about 4,000 yen ... there are models with around twice the output that probably won't melt in the sun.

[Coligny]

So it's mainly a super super slow solar charger...
Iphones charge at 1amp, ipad up to 2amps (despite USB spec being of max 500mA)
You really need a crapload of time and sunshine to do something with this. The only use i would see would be for in car third party BT handfree headset that work with a small lipo they use really litls power when in sleep mode but still not a good idea to leave then always on the main battery if the cigaret lighter plug is not shutdown with acc off.

[matsuki]

Hammer - definitely pick up a rechargeable external spare battery. My phone normally lasts me 1.5 days between charges if I use it all day but there are times when I travel where I can kill the battery by noon with all the crap I'm doing on it. You also might want to make use of the ECO settings on the phone to help conserve battery life. (such as keeping of Wifi/GPS/etc when not in use)