It's a possibility - but we've got the loan of the microwave kit for free - the company concerned do my own wireless interent access and they're happy to loan us the kit for the summer in return for some free publicity...
..also - mobile broadband coverage is a bit on the thin side out here (the far South-West of Ireland) - and while it might just work in one of the markets it's pretty unlikely to work in the other...
Good thought though !
Adrian
Does the "jump-starter" kit include a nice 17Ah SLA?
Geo
That's the one!
Certainly does.... and a handy cigarette lighter socket on the side to which I've been connecting my inverter...
Regards Adrian
Ah - thanks. I'd sort of thought of that - but hadn't thought of popping a plug for the campaign into every paper bag - that's a smart idea - thanks....
(_More_ inkjet ink !! .... ...good plan though - thanks!)
Think we'll still go with the lappy plas as well - it appeals to the geek in me - and I can fly a flag from the pole that's holding up the little dish !
Thanks Adrian
Or a DC to DC convertor. Easier to manage the battery charging that way.
As the OPs system works ATM I think the simplist option is a bigger battery and overnight charging. Do the sums on the energy taken and energy replaced though to ensure you don't slowly discharge the battery and that you buy a battery with enough capacity in the first place. I'd be tempted to go the SLA route rather than leisure to avoid the possibility of acid spills or leaks.
A little stinky 650W 2 stroke generator is an option but they are noisy compared to a battery and I believe some markets are quite touchy about gensets these days.
For sales displaying goods as they are likely to be used by the purchaser is important. Be that a CFL or 40W incandescent, maybe have both. Other light sources will give a different impression of the lamps and people who think might be doubtful about how they would look with a normal light source, thus possibly losing sales.
My mate Bob has his laptop at the Harrogate craft fair years ago - so he could register domains - connecting through his orange mobile phone. That caught people's eye!You can get wireless on one of those usb gizmos - don't know if there's minimum subs but they look interesting.
I'll bet it did catch peoples' eyes - nothing like a bit of technology to attract attention
Trouble is, we're a bit behind the times out here in South-west Cork and the Irish radio waves travel a bit slowly - coverage on mobile-phone-based internet is patchy at best.
However, this microwave link that I'll be using works fine (it's what I use from home all the time) and it'll hopefully generate a bit of interest (if I can just keep the kiddies from pressing too many keys!)
I suppose it must be possible to run a browser in some kind of 'kiosk' mode so it can't be fiddled with... or I could run linux on the lappy - that might deter all but the truly dedicated...
Ah well - it's all good fun !
Thanks for the suggestion about dropping a reminder in each bag - I'll run off some 'credit-card-sized' pieces of paper with the essential details on....
Onwards & upwards
Adrian
I've still to try the lappy on 12 or 13.8V - and see if it still flies... ..if it's successful then 12V from a couple of SLA's has to be the way to go...
All the PSUs tend to talk in terms of maximum ratings - so I'll pop an ammeter in series and see what the 'actual' current drawn is.
Agreed - they're not ideal - but a short-term solution while I work on Plan B
Absolutely right - can't really be explaining about how we've got this rigged up to show how it might look except it's a bit different with the other light..... not a good way to go !
Thanks Adrian
You can get 12V CFL lamps in the same fitting as used for 240V
Oh - didn't know that - prices are a bit steep though - and (knowing my luck) I'd forget to swap them out for 240V ones when selling the lamps....
Wonder what the 12V ones do if they get fed with 240v..... ...think I can guess
Thanks Adrian
With a genny you've got noise, maintenance, short life, ongoing fuel cost, and issues with where you can and cant use it. A leisure battery would be so much easier & cheaper.
If your lap needs >13v it only takes a single cell in series to up the voltage enough - though an sm boost regulator may be a better option these days.
NT
Probably better to use one of these
To be fair, if you don't put in the extra information sometimes, you will waste peoples time asking irrelevant questions.
A wha? Just remembered you can get power supplies to run laptops in cars just what the doctor ordered. Or is that what you mean by a "sm boost regulator" what ever easier than piffing about building a DC to DC convertor.
Your public liability insurance might be cheaper though, if you're not using mains voltage.
Owain
Thanks for that - seems the same thing is also possible in Firefox (following a quick google on 'firefox kiosk mode'...)
We'll see how the day pans out - I'm out all day tomorrow at a 'Family Fun Day' (which isn't one of the venues that I normally attend) so I'll not get a chance to play with the laptop & antenna until Sunday...
It may be sufficient security just to keep an eye on the laptop and have a big pointy stick behind my back - we'll see....
Thanks Adrian
All true... As I say, I've got the loan of a genny until I can get something better sorted out, and I've got the OK on using it at the two local weekend markets - which are the only ones for which I can use this microwave system (the antennas are configured for a particular access point, so you can't just trot around the country looking for a mast ) Big battery would seem to be the way to go...
Still need to play with the variable volts and see what the laptop will accept....
How about parallelling batteries to increase Ah capacity ? I'm thinking that diode isolation is about the only way - and that introduces a voltage drop. Can't see a way round that one - unless technology has moved on & I've not caught up with it (quite possible !)
Regards Adrian
We were somewhere around Barstow, on the edge of the desert, when the drugs began to take hold. I remember Adrian saying something like:
You can only flatten a car battery a few times before it's permanently damaged. Go for a proper leisure battery and a split charging system with a quick disconnect so you can howk the LB out and stick it on a trolley if needed.
Not very flat at all - about 80% iirc. Drop below that, and see above.
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