minimal usage by solo burner

[pretty_monster]

DISCLAIMER: i know "fuck" and "all" about engineering, electricity, wiring, etc..

i'm planning to camp solo next burn and i would like to have a little power available for keeping my phone charged, having some lights at night (strands of xmas lights around the top of my 12x12 structure), running small iPod speakers for a bit of music sometimes, maybe running a small fan during afternoon naptime.

i have spent the morning in my PJs googling "DIY solar power" and have figured out that i should use deep cycle batteries, that solar on this scale is not really green (also: really fucking expensive!), and that using an electric cook plate would be an extremely inefficient use of resources.

so, my questions:

1) how many batteries would i need if i'm not planning to recharge them while on playa?
2) how the hell do i go from having a "naked, scary battery that i vaguely know how to attach jumper cables to" to having a "plug-in that looks like what's in the wall of my house"?
3) if i DID decide to use a cook top (one burner, once a day), how many batteries would i need then?

[VultureChow]

Are you bringing a car? Because that answers your phone question and you can use it to recharge batteries.

If not, you can get a tiny solar panel that will recharge your phone and usb devices.

That said, it might not be the "green" answer, but everything runs on batteries these days.
I use strands of Christmas lights that run on AA batteries. I usually have to replace them once. I have a VERY bright motion sensor light that runs on D batteries. Never had to switch those out.

Cooking, get a small propane stove. Use small canisters. One lasts a pretty long time if you're just heating up food and not backing or really cooking.

There are also battery operated fans.

[tamarakay]

If you do run out of batteries just drop by dye with dignity. The stallion brings enough of several types to power the playa.

[unjonharley]

Those nice cook tops eat 1300 watts.. I have used a pack stove in the past.. It worked out very well...

I have my camp battery in a case (found at WalMart)..Then I added (to the case) wires to a lighter socket.. A plug in for the socket with a SBU will charge your phone..

12 volt lights to lite you space..

[some seeing eye]

We love it when burners take on DIY electricity!

There are many threads about calculating power and batteries. Suggest testing the actual loads: lights, sounds, charging at home in real life in advance. Many public libraries or friends can loan a Kill a Watt measuring device, or your local hackerspace can make measurements.

Suggest a 12V inverter, and two deep cycle batteries. They can be used in your home with a charger for power outages. The inverter is in Watts, and the battery is in Watt-hours. You are stepping up to and can calculate or measure those numbers.

Snow Koan Solar will charge your batteries for free during the day. The Alternative Energy Zone and Snow Koan Solar can advise on future solar panel and charge controller choices. If you don't need power daytime, you can buy one battery and charge every so often at Snow Koan. You might bring a wagon to haul if it is a heavy battery. Wagon comes in handy for ice too.

Serious heating is a prohibitive to battery and huge energy use. Hair dryers, cooking, baking, clothes drying, space heating are not cost feasible driven by batteries. Gas camp stoves are better for cooking.

[FIGJAM]

PM sent.

[dragonpilot]

I'd recommend using something similar to a Coleman-type two-burner propane stove for cooking. They are inexpensive and 3-4 small canisters of propane will easily get you through the week. For the sake of convenience set it up on a small folding table. Most of these stoves have accessories such as griddles and grills. You could prolly find one on Craigslist for cheap.

I, too, use several strings of AA battery-powered colored LEDs for decorative lighting. Ditto on using a very small solar panel or your car for recharging your phone. Forget the deep cycle battery idea unless you're planning to run other power-draining devices like fans or water pumps. Deep cycle batteries are heavy and more expensive than the Coleman stove, propane, AA battery LEDs, iPhone recharging setup together.

[Captain Goddammit]

The only thing you mentioned (besides a cooktop - FORGET cooking on battery power!) that could really make use of a big deep-cycle battery is your fan.
FIGJAM said he sent you a PM -,I'll assume he told you about making one of his famous, thoroughly playa-tested, highly effective bucket coolers.
Follow his instructions exactly because they come from years of testing and evolution.

You're right about solar: it's too expensive for too little power.
A $100 deep cycle battery should last you all week running a FIGJAM cooler.

[Captain Goddammit]

Hey Lollergirl, you seem to know how to google things up, so I think I'll just directly answer the questions you asked - and throw in something that google won't teach you that might help also. Welcome to Fuck & All 101.

Your questions were 1) How many batteries will you need if you don't plan on recharging them on-playa. The answer, of course, is "It depends", but here's a head start on figuring it out. A while ago I wrote a thingie that explains electricity that any burner can understand. It's here: viewtopic.php?f=278&t=65368&hilit=Burne ... lectricity
From what you describe, (minus the electric cooktop idea) one will probably do it, two should be good for sure. I'm talking about car battery sized deep cycle batteries.

2) How to go from a naked battery to an outlet like you have at home. You buy a thing called an inverter... it changes the scary naked battery power to an outlet like you have at home. They're simple, only two wires go between it and the battery. Red one to "+" side of battery, black one to "-" side. It has a home-style power outlet that you can plug your stuff into. The big "BUT" is that you can't get something from nothing. How much power you can get from the plug on your inverter depends on how big and/or how many batteries you have it connected to, and also the size of your inverter.

3) If you DID use an electric cook-top burner, how many batteries would you need? Well... it CAN be done, aboard my M/V I run a coffee maker, a toaster, electric blanket, etc. (plus a shitload of lights, sound, all that other M/V junk) all on a really big inverter connected to several deep cycle batteries, but they get charged whenever the boat is running by several alternators.
An electric cooktop is gonna draw somewhere around 800, maybe 1000 watts. That means you'd need an inverter at least that big, probably one rated higher than that. To get that much power OUT of it, you have to put that much INTO it, and that's a lot, in battery terms. I have an inverter rated at 2000 watts; with two deep-cycle batteries hooked together, with VERY LARGE battery wires, thicker and heavier than most car's battery cables (that's the other power-limiting factor - the size of the wires you use from the battery, thicker and heavier is better) I can get about 1000 watts from it, enough for a cooktop, for long enough to cook something for a few days in a row, max. You'd need about as many batteries as the number of days you plan to spend on the playa do do that without recharging. That would of course be silly, spending a lot of money on really heavy stuff to do what a little propane stove could do, way easier and way cheaper and way lighter.

[Elorrum]

I camped solo for 6 years before I bought a solar panel, charge controller, inverter, and 12v battery. I had lights music and chargeable devices in those years and had more room in my car as well. Battery lights, stereo, and little USB to cigarette lighter adapter can work. I have an MP3 player that uses one AA battery, and turn my phone off for the week, so the USB charger isn't a necessity for me.
My solar set up is simple but indulgent really. I like being able to use a real medium base lightbulb (15 watt flourescent, or led works fine) as a task or area light when I need good camp illumination. What you choose will be based more on your desire than your need, or that's how it is with me anyway. Here's my solar set up. Low on the power side. If you want to run any real small appliances you'll need a bigger wattage inverter. 100 watts is enough for some lights and a radio. My stereo system is 12volts DC and runs off the battery.
15 watt solar panel
15 amp hr battery (basic SLA rechargeable)
7 amp charge controller
100 watt inverter
I use an auto cigarette 12v splitter that has two cigarette lighter outlets and a USB outlet. I also have an alcohol stove that uses denatured alcohol. It spilled some last year... Be careful.


I use a small butane canister stove to cook.

[sharke]

i'm planning to camp solo next burn and i would like to have a little power available for
keeping my phone charged,

Easy - lots of little solar chargers are made just for this. (Though don't count on reception on the playa. I actually turn my phone off out there for the whole week and find it very liberating!)

having some lights at night (strands of xmas lights around the top of my 12x12 structure),

Also easy - I use solar Xmas lights for this and they work great!

running small iPod speakers for a bit of music sometimes,

Check out solar speakers e.g. the Eaton Rugged Ruckus, which also can charge your phone

maybe running a small fan during afternoon naptime.

This is where it gets more complicated, time consuming, and expensive. You'll need a big battery and a very efficient fan. Many build figjam style swamp coolers that run on a big deep cycle marine battery. I built one that runs directly from a solar panel with no battery (see my posting history.) It was really fun for me to build, but realize that the most important thing for afternoon naps is shade, so you may want to focus on that first.

3) if i DID decide to use a cook top (one burner, once a day), how many batteries would i need then?

Electric cooktops are very inefficient and thus not recommended for use even with big batteries. There are lots of gas camp stoves that work well though.

[vargaso]

From my experience:

1) how many batteries would i need if i'm not planning to recharge them while on playa?

One deep cycle battery will last you the week. I've run lights, sound, phone/iPod recharging, and a fan off of my one battery the entire week.

2) how the hell do i go from having a "naked, scary battery that i vaguely know how to attach jumper cables to" to having a "plug-in that looks like what's in the wall of my house"?

One of these 400 watt 12v inverters will do it:
http://www.walmart.com/ip/COBRA-CPI-480 ... r/11020914

3) if i DID decide to use a cook top (one burner, once a day), how many batteries would i need then?

Don't use an electric cook top, buy a used Coleman propane stove off Craigslist and spend 14 bucks on 4 propane tanks:
http://www.target.com/p/coleman-propane ... A-12841958

I'll second (or third?) the motion on using your car, if you're bringing one, to recharge things. Also, as others have stated, you can easily power everything you mention with batteries. Although I think cobbling together a nice little DIY energy system is more fun. Deep cycle batteries are really heavy, so I recommend buying a cover with handles for it. Also helps keep the playa dust off it. If you maintain it properly (keeping it charged, mostly) a battery will last you up to 5 years.