Battery and power

Introduction

The OLPC has put a lot of effort into building a device that uses very low power consumption because it will be deployed in areas with no power infrastructure, or poor power infrastructure, or just plain expensive electricity costs. The laptop is capable of taking a DC input ranging from 5 volts to 25 volts to charge the 5-cell NiMH battery inside. This is far more flexible than most portable devices.

In addition, the early concept devices were shown with a hand crank on the side to demonstrate that they would work in areas where the only electricity available comes from devices like the Freecharge portable charger. The units will ship with some kind of human-powered charger that plugs into the DC socket.

Read more details in Hardware specification.

Ideas for Alternate Power Sources

Server with Solar Power

This server version could be built with a project laptop with the lid sealed shut. This machine should be a low power device -- a server should operate by solar panel in the lid or wind. It can be left unattended at high points in the area. This could be mounted on a pole or large tree at a hill/mountain top.

Hand cranked power

First of all, remember that the hand crank shown on the side of the original prototypes will not be used in the shipping units. The mechanical forces of cranking turned out to be incompatible with the laptop case. In addition, the hand crank relies on some of the smallest and most delicate muscles in the human body, namely hand and wrist muscles. As any anatomist will tell you, the strongest human muscles are in the leg. Therefore the shipping units will come with a pedal-powered recharger. If you want to prove this to yourself then try the Freecharge portable charger. You can buy both a hand crank unit for mobile phones and a foot pedal unit.

Hand cranked power:Byke Adaptor

Bykes are very good pedal units and are often used by many students and workers A simple add-on could allow to charge the computer while , for example ,going to school or to work by bicycle as usual,this kind of add on could be really welcomed in many country

The simple add on it's just 2 rims( one to be added to the user byke,one to to the charger ),and a chain. Something as 2 U-bolt applied on the byke rack used to transport the laptop could avoid any stress to the computer case when charging This tool has not to replace the hand crank but to complete it

it cost less then any pedal units for all users that have alredy a bike ,and doesn't require additional effort ( or waste of time) from all the users that already are using bykes to go to work or to school

Salvage Old Motors

People could salvage old electric motors and turn them into a generator which could be run by bullock power or running water.

Car and Motorcycle Batteries

People who have the use of vehicles can charge up extra batteries and rent them out to OLPC users.

Low voltage infrastructure

The power connector should be widely available, allowing connections to a variety of low voltage devices. I believe there are other projects promoting low-voltage, high efficiency lighting for the third world. These systems might be a source of laptop power.

There are two such connectors on the laptop. One is where the power generator plugs in to recharge the batteries. Obviously you could use the generator to power other things as well. The other such connection is called a USB port. One of the gadgets that you will find in computer stores is a light that plugs into the USB port.

Reuse of dead car batteries

Related to the above, it is my understanding that most 12 Volt vehicle battery failures involve a short circuit in a single cell, reducing the total voltage at full charge to a bit over 10 V. Such batteries should still be able to power the lap top and could be charged by solar cells or a manual generator. They could even be placed in a car or truck and charged from a cigar lighter adaptor during work trips. A discarded vehicle battery should be able to run an OLPC machine for a few days after a full charge.

Now that is a prime topic for an e-book to be distributed with the OLPC. Some guy will take his kid's generator, adapt it to water buffalo power and use the beast to charge up car batteries for a fee.