I should have thought to get a pic of the packaging too, but it's $6.24 in my local Wallyworld, and probably about that in most places. It's touted as "no wires needed!" and other sheeply baloney like that, but what it is, is that it takes eight AA batteries, which it promptly eats within a few days if it's used much at all. Not very frugal or thrifty at all, and seemed kinda stupid to use rechargeable batteries in it, pulling them outto charge them on a 12v rechargeable battery charger. It even looks redundant when typed! So.... I set out to see if I could convert the thing to a wired 12 volt light fixture. Metrowash of Frugal's Forums had sent me a light he had gotten from a website called Mountain Mods (link is to the light he sent me) which, according to my little Harbor Freight three dollar multimeter, draws .65 amps after startup. Not too shabby, but still, the shipping ran this $5.99 light up over twelve dollars to buy just one, so when I saw this six dollar fixture in Wal-Mart, my mind started churning.
To the how-to:
The hot and ground connections are at the far end from the battery access door in this little critter, so I used a half inch diameter dowel rod cut to the length of four batteries as a "spacer" to get the wires pushed up against the contacts:
I cut the dowel the exact length of four batteries and drilled an 1/8 inch hole a bit deeper than the length of the #8 x 3/4" wood screw I had on hand.
I then took a couple of chunks of 16 gauge automotive wire I had left over from putting a trailer plug on my old pickup and stripped them back and tinned the bare end, then wrapped a loop in it that would fit around that wood screw:
Now, I know I should have used some more standard color for hot and ground, but this is what I had. The alligators I put on it (thanks again, MW!) had little red and black grip pieces on 'em, so I used that to indicate which was which.
I then screwed those wires onto the ends of the two pieces of dowel I cut then bound the two dowels together with a couple wraps of electrical tape:
I then marked 'em with which one's positive and which is negative:
and then slid the whole shootin' match into the battery compartment of the light fixture.
Now, to get the little pigtail of wire out of the semi-sealed battery area. A quarter inch hole drilled in the door solved that problem:
Lid snapped on and the critter ready to hook up and see if it's gonna make sparks or light:
So let's do it:
Notice I've got the little multimeter in line, set at 10A DC, and the wires plugged into the appropriate sockets on the multimeter to read 10 amps without blowing the fuse in it.
Let's turn it on....
Notice, .32 amps after startup. About half the cold cathode light kit, and comes with a slick lookin' cover to boot! I think I'll get a few more of these to stick here and there where we want some general lighting for more than just reach in and grab, then shut it back off. Places like the kitchen counters (under the cabinets, to shine on the counters) and maybe in the bathroom.
What this goes to tell me is, and I'm surprised as heck I never thought of it before, is that ANY critter that uses eight batteries can be converted to work on a 12v off-grid home system. Radios, lights, all these things can be adapted to work to your advantage in an off-grid situation.
With the solar flare coming tonight, you might just want to copy this onto your hard drive and maybe print it out.... This one (or the next) might not be as tame. No, I'm not saying the sky is falling, but what if it does? Are you ready, if not in fact, but in knowledge and theory so that you CAN adapt and overcome? A dear family member of mine said that falls into the category of 'the unthinkable', but does not thinking of it prevent it? Damn sure doesn't prepare you. 'Unthinkable' doesn't mean 'ain't gonna happen'
