"McMike" (mcmike)
09/03/2014 at 11:00 • Filed to: Car Hacks, driveway mechainic, tutu153
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"McMike" (mcmike)
09/03/2014 at 11:00 • Filed to: Car Hacks, driveway mechainic, tutu153 | 1
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We all have power outages. I have them from time to time, but they never last more than 20-30 minutes. For the times they last longer than that, there's something you can do to make it not-so-terrible. I'm not talking about drinking all the beer before it gets cold, or building a fire to stay warm. I'm talking about the most important thing. power outage can take from you - Access to celebrity nudes Oppositelock/Jalopnik because of a dead battery in your mobile device.
For the last two nights at the house, we have had these short 2-3 minute outages. Annoying more than anything - it gave us just enough time to find the candles, light one of them, then put them all back away when the power comes back on. Repeat. The outage we had at 9:30 last night was pushing 30 minutes, and was starting to make us nervous.
Most of us charge our phones/electronics at night while we're sleeping. So a 30% battery at 9-10:00pm is usually nothing to be concerned about, since that delicious full charge is right around the corner.
Unless the power goes out. Then you start to wonder if it will come back on before morning, and that 30% charge is starting to look like a big deal.
That's when this hack comes in handy. What I'm basically doing is using my car to charge my phone. "Everyone knows how to do that!" you say? I know. But some of us need to have the ignition switched on in order for the 12v outlet to be hot. For those of us that have a always-hot outlet, you still need to put your device in the car in the driveway/garage to charge, and it's hard to hear it ring or use from outside. Useful? Yes. Convenient? No.
All you need is 12v, and a few $10.00 accessories.
I'm a fan of Battery Tender products, since they seem to have a connection for just about anything...
Each Battery Tender comes with two harnesses for your battery. Alligator clips (shown above) and ring terminals (each sold separately, BTW). You usually pick which one you want to use, and toss the other in a box/drawer/trash. Since I have a chargers permanently mounted on my batteries with the ring terminal harness, I have a few of the
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hanging around.
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The charging harness hanging off the motorcycle is especially handy, as it allows me to charge my phone in the saddlebag while riding.
They also make a "female power port" (love that name) which you can plug into either harness, to give you a remote 12v port to charge things. They also have a !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! you can plug into the harness as well.
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They also sell 25 foot extensions in case you don't have your car in the living room with you. If you don't have a harness already connected to the battery for charging, you can just pop the hood, clip it on, and run the cable wherever you need it.
We're usually able to feed off either one of the batteries in the vehicles parked in the garage, and run a cable inside the house and up the stairs, so we didn't have to go sit by the cars - like animals.
Last night, I remembered that I had an extra battery, and figured I would see what it had in it.
(Sorry for the shitty photos, it's hard to hold a shoplight under your chin and take photos at the same time.)
Not a full charge, but plenty to charge up what we had.
Step 1 - Connect the clip harness
Step 2 - connect the FEMALE POWER PORT and insert the USB adapter.
Step 3 - relax in comfort at the coffee table - soothing your range anxiety by candlelight.
Step 4 - take better photo of the battery a few minutes later when the power comes back on .
In years past with longer !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! we have been able to keep everything charged, as well as some of the neighbors' stuff, too.
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If you're fortunate enough to have an extra battery, a car in the garage, or a car parked within 50' of your front door, this is a great way to charge your devices while using them inside.
If you don't park your car near your living room, you can still use this method to charge your electronics without turning your car on.
Pro tip - most of the batteries provided by your ISP for VOIP are also 12v. They only last about an hour once the power goes out, so you can also connect your 12v to those and get your land line back (that is if you happen to still have a plug-in phone in the house. Or a land line.).
The Gray Adder
> McMike
09/03/2014 at 11:15 |
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Basically, if your car is old enough to have a lighter and ashtray as standard equipment, your 12V outlet will probably be hot when the car is off. Otherwise, probably not. That's what we get for sending the message that people who smoke in our cars will be executed...er...shoved in the trunk...er...asked not to do that.
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McMike
> The Gray Adder
09/03/2014 at 11:20 |
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Whenever the power goes out, I'm shocked to hear how many people let their car idle in the driveway to charge a cell phone.
For an hour or more.
It gets the job done, but damn.. so inefficient.