Choosing a portable power solution...
1. What do you need to power?
Take a quick inventory of all the devices you will need to power. Put them in priority order list.
2. How much power & for how long?
Find out the power consumption for each device. Often this is printed in the user manual (ie. 5 Watts), or you may derive a reasonable estimate from the output specifications on the device's AC adaptor (ie 500mA @ 6V = 3 Watts). You can also derive an estimate from the battery specifications (ie 2300mAHr @ 3.6V = 8.3 Watt-Hours).
Next, estimate the amount of time that each device will need to operate each day, or the amount of time required to recharge the device's battery pack (ie 3 hours). Multiply this time by the power consumption to obtain the Watt-Hour requirements of the device.
3. Add it up...
Add-up all the Watt-Hour consumption ratings of your devices to obtain your total power requirements. Look at the chart above and find the power packs that meet or exceed your needs.
4. Other considerations
Once you know your power requirements, you may want to consider the size & weight of the power pack needed to supply the neccessary power. If you cannot possibly pack the size of kit your devices need, you will want to adjust the usage pattern of your devices to try to find some power savings.
5. DC is preferred...
Whenever possible, choose devices that have DC power adaptors available (ie 12V vehicle adaptor for your car). Avoiding the use of AC inverters will save you at least 10% of your precious generated power. When you are in the electrical desert, you don't want to go spilling any valuable juice!
|
Typical device power consumption...
Following are some typical power numbers...
Cell Phone = 1 Watt
MP3 Player = <0.25 Watt
Satellite Phone = 6 Watts
Portable DVD = 4 Watts (battery) / 9 Watts (AC adaptor)
Portable DVD = 12 Watts
PDA (Palm computer) = 1 Watt
Handheld GPS = 1 Watt
AA Battery Charger (4 bank) = 6 Watts DC (12 Watt AC)
Digital Camera Charger = 8-12 Watts
Laptop = 20-80 Watts (varies between brands & models)*
* Some laptops can consume as little as 25 Watts when doing basic functions, however, running optical drives, hard drives, DVD/CD burners, large display screens, and audio, can all push power consumption up to 80 Watts in many cases.
If you have any questions about the devices you wish to operate on portable power, please send us an email. We will help put together a package to meet your needs.
|
