jamieb
10-04-2008, 02:32 PM
Hi Guys
Here's a cheap and easy way to survive black outs in the Johannesburg area.
Feel free to forward this on to your friends and family.
Supplies
Macro (in Woodmead)
1 x black & decker 400 watt inverter (R1200)
1 x moto quip charger
tip: do not buy moto quip inverters. they are extremely unreliable.
Builders Warehouse (in Rivonia)
1 x 12v 102ah deep cycle battery (~R1400)
2 x battery terminals
2 x battery cables
4 x terminal connectors
1 x roll of insulation tape
1 x two prong lawn mower plug
1 x short extension cord (with two/three plug outlets)
tip: you must use a deep cycle battery (not a car battery)
tip: while you are at Builders warehouse, get one of the staff to make up the
battery cables for you. If you're skillful at negotiating you should walk out with
two fully assembled cables.
Total Cost: ~R3300
*Instructions*
Strip off the plug on the extension cable and replace with two prong lawnmower plug
Strip each end of the battery cables and install terminal connectors using
insulation tape
Connect the inverter to the battery using the two battery cables
Connect battery charger to battery
Insert extension cord into inverter
Plug battery charger into wall socket
When power trips:
1) turn on inverter
2) plug appliances (slowly,one by one) into extension cord
Power Output (in laymans speak)
My setup powers a computer, lcd screen, adsl modem and light for around four hours
(enough to survive a scheduled blackout). It goes without saying, don't plug
things like
hair dryers, stoves and heaters! TV's, video machines, computers, etc. are ok.
Here's a cheap and easy way to survive black outs in the Johannesburg area.
Feel free to forward this on to your friends and family.
Supplies
Macro (in Woodmead)
1 x black & decker 400 watt inverter (R1200)
1 x moto quip charger
tip: do not buy moto quip inverters. they are extremely unreliable.
Builders Warehouse (in Rivonia)
1 x 12v 102ah deep cycle battery (~R1400)
2 x battery terminals
2 x battery cables
4 x terminal connectors
1 x roll of insulation tape
1 x two prong lawn mower plug
1 x short extension cord (with two/three plug outlets)
tip: you must use a deep cycle battery (not a car battery)
tip: while you are at Builders warehouse, get one of the staff to make up the
battery cables for you. If you're skillful at negotiating you should walk out with
two fully assembled cables.
Total Cost: ~R3300
*Instructions*
Strip off the plug on the extension cable and replace with two prong lawnmower plug
Strip each end of the battery cables and install terminal connectors using
insulation tape
Connect the inverter to the battery using the two battery cables
Connect battery charger to battery
Insert extension cord into inverter
Plug battery charger into wall socket
When power trips:
1) turn on inverter
2) plug appliances (slowly,one by one) into extension cord
Power Output (in laymans speak)
My setup powers a computer, lcd screen, adsl modem and light for around four hours
(enough to survive a scheduled blackout). It goes without saying, don't plug
things like
hair dryers, stoves and heaters! TV's, video machines, computers, etc. are ok.