Medialab Posted May 2, 2018 Share Posted May 2, 2018 Hi, I'm traveling South America at the moment with a 4WD vehicle and an electric unicycle that I use for getting around when I'm in cities. In some countries here you are required to drive with your lights on during the day and... my vehicle doesn't have a warning sound when you shut off the engine telling you that you left your lights on ? So twice now I've drained the battery and needed a jump. Since I'm carrying around this mobile battery pack in the form of an EUC, I was wondering if it would be possible to rig it for jumping the car battery in case this happened in a remote area. Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eddiemoy Posted May 2, 2018 Share Posted May 2, 2018 28 minutes ago, Medialab said: Hi, I'm traveling South America at the moment with a 4WD vehicle and an electric unicycle that I use for getting around when I'm in cities. In some countries here you are required to drive with your lights on during the day and... my vehicle doesn't have a warning sound when you shut off the engine telling you that you left your lights on ? So twice now I've drained the battery and needed a jump. Since I'm carrying around this mobile battery pack in the form of an EUC, I was wondering if it would be possible to rig it for jumping the car battery in case this happened in a remote area. Thanks The packs that are in the EUC are not 12V, they are 67v or more. Even if they did it in 12V packs, it would be in series and you wouldn't want to single out a pack to jump start a car. They sell USB powerbanks now that are really cheap that can jumpstart a car. When they first came out it was $99 now you can get it for $35. https://amzn.to/2HOhVEu Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Medialab Posted May 2, 2018 Author Share Posted May 2, 2018 Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
meepmeepmayer Posted May 2, 2018 Share Posted May 2, 2018 In an emergency, you can disassemble the battery, take 3 cells in series out (4.2V * 3 = 12.6V closest you'll get to 12V) and use that to jump start (assuming you need 12V, which I don't know). But probably there are better ideas. Also no guarantee this will work or you won't start a battery fire during disassembly or whatever Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keith Posted May 3, 2018 Share Posted May 3, 2018 On 5/2/2018 at 12:03 PM, Medialab said: I was wondering if it would be possible to rig it for jumping the car battery in case this happened in a remote area. Thanks To my way of thinking the Lead Acid car battery ought to have long had its day by now. We didn’t use my wife’s sports car all winter and by spring it’s battery had gone completely flat and wasn’t holding charge well. I simply put one of my 3S 3000mAh model flying LiPos in the car with a lead I made up for it and that started the car when the battery left us stranded no problem. A 20C discharge LiPo like that will handle 60 Amps for 3 minutes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RayRay Posted May 3, 2018 Share Posted May 3, 2018 Were talkin' bout 'technical convergence' (important biz innovation topic). We need to brainstorm for more convergence ideas (to encourage euc adoption). Theoretically, could you rig a EUC to be used to... jump start a heart (defibrillator) taser and incapacitate someone direct drive a centrifuge create a Frankenstein monster power 'ghost catching' equipment No idea is too wild (or someone would have thunk it already). Let's go people! (Try it, it's fun!) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EUCMania Posted May 3, 2018 Share Posted May 3, 2018 16 minutes ago, RayRay said: Were talkin' bout 'technical convergence' (important biz innovation topic). We need to brainstorm for more convergence ideas (to encourage euc adoption). Theoretically, could you rig a EUC to be used to... jump start a heart (defibrillator) taser and incapacitate someone direct drive a centrifuge create a Frankenstein monster power 'ghost catching' equipment No idea is too wild (or someone would have thunk it already). Let's go people! (Try it, it's fun!) 1. 12 V power outlet from EUC to power my UPS for my computer. This can run my computer for 1-5 hours during power outage. 2. Same power outlet can jump-start a car. 3. Put EUC on a mowing machine to power it, no more noisy gas engine needed. Power my other yard tools. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tudordewolf Posted May 4, 2018 Share Posted May 4, 2018 You could rig up a step-down converter to run off of the charging port - 67v to 12v. Drawing 1 amp off the charging port, it'd provide about 5 amps at 12V, enough to jump start a car after 5 minutes of charging the lead-acid battery. I got a converter rated for those voltages and 10 amps off aliexpress for about $15, about the size of a pack of cigarettes. You'd probably also want a $5 DC Volts and Amps display to use inline with the charger. Edit: I've thought about it a bit more. The output voltage on the converter is adjustable, so you'd set it just above the "dead" battery's voltage and adjust it to get the right current draw. Considering you can safely charge unmodified unicycles with up to 5A, you're probably fine drawing 2A off the port for 10 amps at 12 volts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chriull Posted May 4, 2018 Share Posted May 4, 2018 7 hours ago, tudordewolf said: You could rig up a step-down converter to run off of the charging port - 67v to 12v. Drawing 1 amp off the charging port, it'd provide about 5 amps at 12V, enough to jump start a car after 5 minutes of charging the lead-acid battery. I got a converter rated for those voltages and 10 amps off aliexpress for about $15, about the size of a pack of cigarettes. You'd probably also want a $5 DC Volts and Amps display to use inline with the charger. Edit: I've thought about it a bit more. The output voltage on the converter is adjustable, so you'd set it just above the "dead" battery's voltage and adjust it to get the right current draw. Considering you can safely charge unmodified unicycles with up to 5A, you're probably fine drawing 2A off the port for 10 amps at 12 volts. Lead acid batteries are charged (almost) like the li ion batteries by CC/CV (http://batteryuniversity.com/learn/article/charging_the_lead_acid_battery). There are step down converters available with adjustable max current and voltage - so they should work perfectly as lead acid battery charges. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RayRay Posted May 6, 2018 Share Posted May 6, 2018 I recall someone being severely mocked for suggesting it, but what about a rotating pedal attachment for charging/exercise. Obviously, trying to charge a wheel this way would be a waste of effort, but an euc could double as portable exercise equipment. Mock away... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dbfrese Posted May 6, 2018 Share Posted May 6, 2018 1 hour ago, RayRay said: I recall someone being severely mocked for suggesting it, I think the mocking was more for refusing to accept the physical laws of the universe! For an internet forum, very little mocking goes on around here, unless there is a stubborn refusal to learn! As for using an EUC as an exercise device, there's no doubt that you could do it. In fact, if you could hook the pedals up on either side for pedaling while riding, those in jurisdictions where any sort of motorized vehicles are prohibited might just be able to trick authorities into believing that it is human powered. On the other hand, I have my doubts that it is possible to sustain a pedaling motion while riding on an EUC. It would be fun to watch someone try to do it though! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RayRay Posted May 10, 2018 Share Posted May 10, 2018 Adding: 'Theoretically, could you rig a EUC to be used to make frozen margaritas' to the list... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Medialab Posted June 10, 2018 Author Share Posted June 10, 2018 Lots of great ideas here, thanks! I especially like the idea of lawnmower mod (would be a lot more fun and cut down on noise). Also, makes you wonder why car battery tech hasn't been updated in like forever. Why are we still using these heavy, inefficient, underpowered behemoths when so much better tech is available!?!? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ir_fuel Posted June 10, 2018 Share Posted June 10, 2018 44 minutes ago, Medialab said: Also, makes you wonder why car battery tech hasn't been updated in like forever. Why are we still using these heavy, inefficient, underpowered behemoths when so much better tech is available!?!? Because it has been updated? http://www.super-b.com/en/automotive/sli-starter-batteries/car-1 There are several Porsches you can order from the factory with a Lithium battery instead of a lead one. Biggest issue is the price. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RayRay Posted June 10, 2018 Share Posted June 10, 2018 Mow the lawn, trim the weeds, water the plants, and what the hell... spray manure! We've got the next big-thing in gardening and landscaping here! ? The EUC is not just for personal transit... While I don't recommend, using them in 'bumper car' fashion, I believe grid-powered roadways could actually change everything. If we can just make euc's part of people's normal, everyday lives then we may start finding them useful for just about anything. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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