Electricity supply in Bulgaria

[usenet]

Every part of Eastern Europe (as was) that I've been to (which includes Bulgaria) has had 220 volt 50Hz mains supplies. So a charger which works in the UK should be fine in Bulgaria as well, it'll be marginally less able to provide full power because of the slightly lower mains voltage but I would doubt very much if that is an issue.

The sockets I think you will find are the (sort of) standard two round pin ones you find in France etc.

The only other issue might be the reliability of the supply but I guess if you just get power foe enough of the day you should be alright.

[Alex]

Hi guys,

This is kinda OT, but I'm not sure where else to ask.

I'm off to work in a remote region of Bulgaria in September, and will be using high precision Leica GPS kit. For my particular requirements, one of the units will need to be powered up 24 hours a day for a week's duration.

The maximum battery life is 6-10 hours, and although the batteries are hot-swappable, this is not practical. The unit can, however, accept any 12v input.

Does anybody know what the supply is in Bulgaria? I know there is electricity in this area, just not what voltage or frequency.

Once this is established, I need to convert it to a 12v dc supply - any ideas of a good quality transformer that will accept the appropriate input voltage? We are being flown out there, and the equipment is already going to cost us a lot of excess baggage, so any solution would ideally be as lightweight as possible.

Many thanks

Alex

[SpamTrapSeeSig]

In article , Alex writes

Will the unit be unattended? Is it in a rural or built-up area? Could you use solar panels, to charge and top-up the batteries, extending the usage time (not sure how many hours of daylight there are at that latitude in Sept., but it might be enough)?

What's the operating current drain and what type are the batteries? Lead-acid would be ideal, and panels aren't all that much these days. Could you borrow a car battery out there and use that? They must have car chargers in most places.

Guess: almost certainly 220-230V, 50Hz, but don't rely on it being anywhere near spec. Heavy machinery (such as welders and big motors) will wreak havoc with the voltage, and put nasty spikes of over-voltage on the line too. If you must plug in, take adequate filters and surge protection.

Just some thoughts...

Regards,

Simonm.

[SpamTrapSeeSig]

In article , Alex writes

Heck, even NASA (allegedly) confuses metres with feet! Have a great trip...

Regards,

Simonm (deeply envious).

[Alex]

Thanks for the replies everyone, I feel a bit stupid mucking up the mAh calculations now!

Tony, thanks for the kind offer - but now that I have more idea of what will be required, I can figure a few things out and put my suggestions forward to see what they say.

I can build you a house no probs, but charge a battery? Seems not :)

Thanks again

Alex

[Martin Wiseman]

Will tell you everything you need to know.

Martin.