> Could you give some details on that? I've heard tell of solar-powered laptops > but > would like to know more.
sure, there's not much to tell. basically, my goal was to rig up the PB100 for solar power -- preferably running it completely, but even extending the battery life would be nice. i have to travel a lot for my job, to places where reliable power isn't always handy, so in additional to a solar laptop being pretty darn nifty, i actually had a practical reason for wanting one. first, i tried experimenting with a small Siemens PV cell i managed to pick up for about $50, i rigged up a transformer with the help of an electrician friend, ... it worked, but its power output wasn't that impressive. i probably wouldn't have been able to power the computer completely unless i had four of them or more. so i gave up on homebrew, and there were some off-the-shelf systems that worked a lot better. there used to be a company called KISS -- Keep it Simple Solar Systems -- which sold laptop solar-chargers, and they even had a model that was specially made for the Powerbook 1xx series. they stopped producing that in about 1997, but they have a couple other "generic-type" chargers that work fine with any laptop that has an automobile power adaptor (cigarette-lighter connection). quite clever. unfortunately, KISS got bought out by another company (PowerEdge or something), and the price of these chargers went up by quite a bit. the standard model is about $300, and the "expedition-grade" model is $400ish. you can check em out here: http://www.sierrasolar.com/ssstore/sc_suncatcher.htm me, i actually bought the standard-grade generic charger (during a moment of high disposable income, but admittedly this was back when it was cheaper, about $220ish). this model is overkill for the PB100; charges it completely, no problems, even on a Seattle-overcast day. also, after passively looking around for a while, i found one of the PB1xx models used for only $60, and i picked it up on a lark. on the whole, the heavy-duty one is a better piece of equipment, but this PB1xx model is smaller, lighter, more rugged, and because the PB100 requires so little power, its Kyocera PV cells can actually keep it fully-powered on a clear day. (except during boot-up. otherwise i can pull out the battery and it works just dandy.) so it's a little more practical, and it's the one i keep with my powerbook, and the expensive one is just collecting dust at home. it's really come in handy. hope that helps ... any other Qs about this, feel free to ask. i think there are other solar products for powerbooks, but i don't have any experience with them. (if you can give me a few days, i can post some photos of them if you'd like.) Marten: i would be happy to write something up for your site, but i'm currently away on a work trip right now (in China, a long way from home), and i won't be returning home for another few days. if you don't hear from me, can you send me a reminder ([EMAIL PROTECTED])? i could even take a photo with my digital camera (Apple QuickTake 150!) as well. craig __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Find the one for you at Yahoo! Personals http://personals.yahoo.com -- System6 is sponsored by <http://lowendmac.com/> and... 123Inkjets.com <http://lowendmac.com/ad/123inkjets.html> Support Low End Mac <http://lowendmac.com/lists/support.html> System 6 Heaven <http://www.euronet.nl/users/mvdk/system_6_heaven.html> System6 info: <http://lowendmac.com/lists/system6.html> Send list messages to: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To unsubscribe, email: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> For digest mode, email: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subscription questions: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Archive: <http://www.mail-archive.com/system6%40mail.maclaunch.com/> Using a Mac? Free email & more at Applelinks! http://www.applelinks.com
