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Topic: Solar powered gadgets (Read 561 times)
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Lydart
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Posts: 2507
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I need some advice from techno-whizz-kids please.
Our parish has been supporting a school in West Nile province, in Uganda. They have no electricity. Some 'friends of the school' are going to visit later this year. We want to take out useful gifts, and one we thought that would be useful was a solar powered charger for the schools mobile phone (they have to take it about 20 miles for re-charging at present). Any recommendations ?
Also, is there some sort of solar panel which rolls up, and which could be used to power a few lights and a lap-top ?? (Thinking of air luggage space here)
Over to you !
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Gadget
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Posts: 16682
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There are four advertisements for solar powered gadgets and panels at the top of this thread now 
Darn it, they've gone before I could copy the links 
Gadget
They appeared again. This one looks interesting:
www.solarkitsdirect.co.uk - solar battery chargers and lots of other gizmos
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Paul Caswell
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Posts: 587
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Hi Lydart,
Have you considered something like this?
http://www.paramountzone.com/rphone.htm
Its a wind-up mobile phone charger.
This is just the first one I found. I expect you could find others.
Paul
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Caswell - Durham(Jarrow), Northumberland(Berwick), Dorset(Netherbury) Drury - Middlesex(Kensington), Shropshire(Selattyn) Turner - Dorset(Parkstone) Speight - Kent(Gravesend), Westmorland(Kendal) Stockley - Dorset(Corfe Castle) Amey - Suffolk(Haverill) Cousins - Norfolk(Ketteringham) Sears - Bedfordshire(Potton), Cambridgeshire(Gamlingay) Census information is Crown Copyright
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Paul Caswell
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Some things you need to consider:
1) The weather in the tropics (and this area seems to be seriously tropical) is incredibly destructive to electronics.
Imagine installing whatever you send in your shower cubicle at home. Hot, often wet, and a breeding ground for mold and fungus.
2) If it goes wrong they will not be able to fix it.
Think about sending several, say a dozen. Seal all but one in strong, truly airtight plastic bags and explain that they should store the 'spares' away somewhere safe until needed. Consider vacuum packed if possible.
You are doing a generous and wonderful thing. Keep up the good work.
Paul
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Caswell - Durham(Jarrow), Northumberland(Berwick), Dorset(Netherbury) Drury - Middlesex(Kensington), Shropshire(Selattyn) Turner - Dorset(Parkstone) Speight - Kent(Gravesend), Westmorland(Kendal) Stockley - Dorset(Corfe Castle) Amey - Suffolk(Haverill) Cousins - Norfolk(Ketteringham) Sears - Bedfordshire(Potton), Cambridgeshire(Gamlingay) Census information is Crown Copyright
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Lydart
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Thanks for the help so far. I know the area of W. Uganda well, where these devices will be used; the school being built is considering solar panels on the roof for electricity for the school .. eventually ... but at the moment we are just helping with building classrooms and a 3 roomed lab, and equiping to a basic standard. We are also helping with teachers salaries. Once the school is up and running, then the Uganda government will take it over, and fund it, but until it reaches a certain standard, no local government help is available.
The weather there is usually fairly dry, with sun almost every day, all day. They are about 2 miles from the Nile, where their water comes from. I'd describe it as 'dry bush country' ... so having lived in that sort of place I know that moulds are not much of a problem. The rainy season is nowadays unpredictable, but I'd say my impression is that its getting dryer there, year by year.
The school has a mobile phone, but charging it means a trip to town (Pakwach). We want to provide them with something they can use to charge it on site, thus saving the need for a bus trip, or spending petrol in a car. We thought if we could also provide something for charging a few lights and/or a lap top, then that would be even better. Its balancing the cost, plus the necessity to carry it there as part of air luggage. We took the school wind up radios on the last visit.
Can one access the internet via a mobile phone ? Or is this too much to ask for at this time; better to wait until the school is more advanced and has a proper electricity supply ! But someone wants to give them a lap-top ... but not if it can't be used !
Any more advice will be very useful ... I'm just looking into all this, with a view to taking the info to a meeting later this week ...
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Paul Caswell
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... I'd describe it as 'dry bush country' ... so having lived in that sort of place I know that moulds are not much of a problem. ... a trip to town (Pakwach). ...
A quick look on Google Earth and I agree with you. The weather should be a lesser problem than I originally suggested. I lived for many years in similar climate in Nigeria.
I would still recommend you go for something that requires as little technical maintenance as possible.
Sounds like a great project. I wish you the best of luck.
Paul
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Caswell - Durham(Jarrow), Northumberland(Berwick), Dorset(Netherbury) Drury - Middlesex(Kensington), Shropshire(Selattyn) Turner - Dorset(Parkstone) Speight - Kent(Gravesend), Westmorland(Kendal) Stockley - Dorset(Corfe Castle) Amey - Suffolk(Haverill) Cousins - Norfolk(Ketteringham) Sears - Bedfordshire(Potton), Cambridgeshire(Gamlingay) Census information is Crown Copyright
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Lydart
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My one visit to Nigeria brings back memories of stifling 95% humidity ... ugh !
However, we digress ...
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meles
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Can one access the internet via a mobile phone ? Or is this too much to ask for at this time; better to wait until the school is more advanced and has a proper electricity supply ! But someone wants to give them a lap-top ... but not if it can't be used !
Yes - OH's family in SA use one all the time (people keep nicking the copper in telephone wires  ) - a USB modem (called a "dongle" there  ) provided by the local mobile phone company, Vodacom.
meles
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Lydart
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Thanks Meles ... I'll PM you for more precise details (I have no idea how these things work; I'm no techno-genius )
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Springbok
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I have a solar powered shed light which is portable( we suffer from power failures!)
Google "Maplins" and search "solar shed light" (Sorry the address was too long)
Very efficient for £29.99 and gives 4 hrs light
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