Wee Haz Power - The urine powered battery

Urine_battery


My survival kit now contains more than just the basics and it's inevitable that for some emergency gear like flashlights, GPS etc, you need power. As well as a small Powerfilm solar panel, I also need batteries.
I first saw the Nopopo (NO POlution POwer) batteries a couple of years ago but had not seen them anywhere to buy till recently. I ordered a packet of 4 AA batteries  for £12 and they arrived individually wrapped in a packet with a tiny fluid injector.

They are not dry cell batteries, you inject 1ml of water which acts as a catalyst and it generates 1.5V of electricity in each cell.

As these are to be used for emergency backup, the main feature for me is that if the batteries are stored in the original packaging and away from humidity, they have a shelf life of an amazing 20 years. Dry cell batteries only normally manage 5 to 7 years.

The company states the batteries can also be charged with beer, sake, coke, or even urine. I don't exactly envision me injecting the batteries with the 1ml of wee, but it's handy to know that if stranded in the desert without water, I can at least activate these cells in order to power a radio as I dehydrate to death. Although I guess if that radio enables me to coordinate a rescue then it's well worth getting wee on my hands.

Sock Tech

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Disclaimer: Those hairy legs are the result of an optical illusion. Looking down the legs has given the impression I'm wearing a gorilla suit. If I had one I would. It's freezing out there.

I think sock technology is overlooked by the average tech lover. I won't think twice (when I can afford it) of spending £20 on a pair of socks. (Why not?.. I've spent more on a t-shirt in order to advertise someone else's brand!)

My feet are important to me, as is how warm they are, especially on days like this when the temperature has dipped to -15°C.

Support, friction reduction, anti-microbial, impact resistance, Moisture management, comfort and of course insulation are all features you can consider.

I have a pair of Merino wool & bamboo socks with silver in. You can wear them for days without them smelling. Or so I'm told. I have lots of pairs of socks so tend to change them daily. But it's good to know that they are capable of these things.

I guess not having smelly feet in a survival situation is a moral thing... Or perhaps animals won't try to eat you.

I'm still waiting for socks designed to catch fish. I did filter water through a sock once. But it wasn't an advertised feature.

Solar Powered Journalist

I just discovered this old (slightly crappy) video from 2008.

I still have the Maplin solar flight case but it needs a new Lithium Polymer motorbike battery to slot inside.

This morning a friend of mine who is a Journalist in Syria emailed asking me how he can charge his camera batteries and laptop during power cuts. He is planning ahead and looking for a contingency plan should the power cuts become long and sustained.

He has an apartment he has lived in for a while with access to the roof so a mobile system is not really needed.

I threw together this quick shopping list containing kit I know to work.

I wrote..

"Solar panel.. You should be able to source a rigid solar panel where you are.. The flexible will most likely go missing in the post unless you are going to pick one up when over here. The rigid will last longer than the folding panel and give you loads more power for the money. You need something around 60-80 watts to keep a car battery topped up providing enough power for a laptop, other batteries and a light. http://www.maplin.co.uk/60w-solar-power-kit-223250

Charge Controller.. This is an important bit of kit that stops the power from the sunlight providing too much to the battery and also stops the battery damaging the panel at night. It also makes it all pretty simple to wire together.. http://www.maplin.co.uk/charge-controllers-97384?ordercode=L22BR

Leisure Battery.. A leisure type battery is really the only kind you should use with a solar set up. It does not have the cranking amps of a car battery but can take the various sporadic influx of power. It will last years longer and a 85Ah to 110Ah will mean you could work all through the night and a day of cloud and still charge stuff. You should be able to get one there. If you can only get a car battery it will do. I am using a car battery to run my shed lights as i found one in the garage… http://bit.ly/nHGG7o

Cigarette lighter power splitter.. This is a handy device you attach straight to the battery ideally by cutting off the plug and attaching crocodile clips to the cable end. It gives you a couple of sockets and usb slots.

Camera Battery Charger..  This battery charger is a must have. It charges pretty much every battery you own. http://bit.ly/qZqklo

Using an inverter to give you a mains voltage is not really economical. It wastes a shedload of energy and will drain your car/leisure batter fast. Where possible use 12v enabled devices.

In addition to all of this I would use an Apple Magsafe airline adapter http://bit.ly/oisqKX which has to be powered by 16 volts from one of these.. MiniGorilla https://powertraveller.com/iwantsome/primatepower/minigorilla/ The PowerMonkey Extreme does not have switchable power out and so is not as handy as the Mini or Power Gorilla. That said.. you need to be aware of what power you are switching so you don't damage your tech.

You would need an In car charger to power the MiniGorilla from a car battery https://powertraveller.com/iwantsome/spares/000272/ and the  incar charger adapter to feeding 16volts from the power monkey extreme to your laptop. https://powertraveller.com/iwantsome/spares/000224/

This looks pretty interesting but with no reviews i have no idea if it even works.. http://www.amazon.co.uk/Charger-Apple-MacBook-Magsafe-A1172/dp/B004BFX7M8 If it does, it can work in place of the PowerMonkey stuff and Apple Magsafe. They are pretty handy to have on the road though. Although I personally use the Power Gorilla.

Although this is a portable option for all of the above ( http://www.selectsolar.co.uk/prod/11/25w-sunlinq-with-powerpack-solar-powered-laptop-charger ) you have still not got the connectors to power your mac efficiently and am also not sure you could fully charge a macbook pro from it via a standard plug socket, unless the sun was out and shining hard. The full set up listed above should give you something much more versatile and you can take some of it (power monkey stuff) on the road should you have to move in a hurry."

As my Journalist friend in Syria has limited bandwidth I could not send him the video's Richard Mackney has made on a couple of these items.. Worth a look though.

There are a thousand an one combinations of what can be done and I would love to know your comments and ideas for other options.

Morning has broken. Lakeside at the @BushcraftShow

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Some people were up at 5am, up in the woods, tracking. The rest of up had a lie-in.

There's not many people sleeping under a pile of sticks and leaves. There is all kinds of sleeping tech dotted around the campsite.

This morning sees people emerging from military basha's, roof tents on Land Rovers, Mazda Bongo's and caravans.

I must say that our own setup of camp beds (a first for me) & Thermarest's in a trecking Lavuu saw me enjoy the best nights sleep outdoors I ever remember having.

I woke once & that was because I was too warm in my down sleeping bag.

Today will involve the packing up of camp and enjoying more bushcraft related demonstrations and conversations.

Dinner on the lake at the @BushcraftShow

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The end of our first day at The Bushcraft Show on Lake Windermere. I've snapped pix and grabbed audio. Most of which is still on the devices as there is no 3G here. Luckily I'm manageing to keep my devices all powered up with my MiniGorilla as they try hard to push the audio up and out.

My favorite it of audio captured so far was this quick chat with Karl Lee, a primitive technologist.

Listen!

The highlight for me so far though was getting to spend some time with a childhood hero John 'Lofty' Wiseman author of 'The SAS Survival Handbook'. Top guy & a great story teller.

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I'm currently sat at the door of our tent in a little pain as my mate Dave has made the hottest chilli I think I have ever tasted. He says it's a low tech way of providing gas central heating for the night.