While vainly searching Wal-Mart's electronics department yesterday for a
decent S.A.M.E. weather radio, I came across what seems to be a good
deal: A 5400 mAh lithium ion battery (with AC charger) rated at 9 volts,
for $50. There was also a 7.2 volt version for the same price, which is
also on the web at
http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.gsp?cat=62055&dept=3944&product_id=2350787&path=0%3A3944%3A62055%3A62056
It's marketed as a portable battery pack for DVD players (it's brand
name is Initial, the same name WM also has some DVD players from), and I
think uses a variety of interchangeable plugs to fit various brands of
players. Of course, the beauty of lithium ion batteries is their energy
density. I don't have the dimensions, but I think it was only slightly
larger than a KX1, and well under an inch think. Like many laptop
batteries today, it has charge status LEDs on one side.
This price seems to be a bargain. A quick search of Amazon.com found
other external battery packs such as this for $80, but are NiMH and only
4500 mAh.
Now, 9 volts is nominally the same as you get from the internal pack, so
there's no advantage there, and the 5400 mAh would last just this side
of forever on a single charge with a KX1. So my question is, in the
absence of Embedded Research's similar product of a few years ago, is
there a simple, small (preferably very small) circuit that could boost
the voltage by a third, to get closer to 14 volts? Perhaps something
that could even be integrated into the power cord?
--
73,
Mike Boice, KW1ND
Karns, TN
Behold the power of the penguin
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