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Tarps
Lamp charging at top camp
We have solar panels at top camp these operate via a regulator to charge a large car size battery. When it's sunny this works really well. When it isn't sunny we barely have enough power to charge the lamps of the few hard cavers staying up and carrying on caving. The battery is used to charge lamps overnight.
- Do not to bring battery chargers that need to use the mains to top camp. For all caving lamps there are 12V chargers that will work off the car battery directly. Ask someone electrathingmey and they might point you in the right direction.
- The same goes for mobile phone chargers.
- And anyone who brings an electric airbed inflator up to top camp will later have to remove it from their arse.
- We need another car cigarette lighter splitter, I will get one unless someone has one. --Frank 21:03, 12 May 2008 (BST)
Bosch battery charging
The solar panels can be arranged differently to charge the Bosch drill batteries. DO NOT CONNECT THE SOLAR CELLS DIRECTLY TO THE BATTERIES. Superficially it does work but when the sun comes out the batteries go bang... The consensus last year is that the reason our drill batteries only last two years is that we charged them directly off the solar panels. It is very difficult to guess when they are charged and overcharging severely shortens their life.
- As part of the Bivi fettling this year I was intending to move the battery and gubbins into the Bivi, Not being in the rain/sun will make it safer and batteries charge more efficiently out of the sun. --Frank 21:03, 12 May 2008 (BST)
Use of the inverter at top camp
We do have an inverter at top camp. These items are very inefficient and we do have very limited power.
The danger of mains at top camp is the main issue, getting a 240V electric shock is a numbers game. The odds are roughly 19 times out of 20 you will get away with it and it will simply hurt a lot. Probably lower if you get a good whack at top camp because a defibrillator will not be handy.
- Think very carefully about the safety issues surrounding the use of an inverter to provide mains at the bivi. Duncan.collis 14:06, 9 May 2008 (BST)