Monday, June 27, 2011

[Review] Ikea SUNNAN solar rechargable desk lamp

Why would I write a review of an Ikea product? Since when did someone get excited about cheap Ikea stuff?

Well, this lamp is an LED lamp, and solar powered. Also, the solar module is detachable and packs three AA NiMH batteries. At $20 this makes a cheep solar battery charger.

The LED part seemed to be constructed by three LED units; however I did notice that there are also some in the store with a 4x4 array of tiny LEDs instead. I'm not sure which is better, but I picked the three LED one.

Removing the bottom four screws of the solar recharging module reveals three AA-size NiMH 1200mA batteries. The innards are surprisingly simple. The solar panel, three batteries, connections that lead out to the lamp, and a logic board with a resistor and a fuse. I hope the fuse wont blow under normal use, but maybe it's there just in case you leave the unit under some strong desert sunlight for too long. This simple construction also means that there is no over-charge protection, so you should follow the recommended charge times if you want the batteries to survive through more charges.

Just imagine the possibilities of this as a stand-alone battery charger. This could be very useful on hiking/biking/camping trips. I recall on many previous camping/biking trips we were always looking for power outlets in camp site bathrooms and visitor centers, just so we can steal an hour or two's worth of juice for our power-thirsty bike headlights and cameras. With this baby we could just fix the unit on somewhere with ample sunlight and it will be charging as we go.

Oh, and the LED is pretty bright.

Friday, June 03, 2011

The Internet is full of Bull Shit

...and then bull shit gets shared on Facebook, effectively proliferating into perpetuity.

怪車

誰能告訴我「碳纖跑車車架+淑女車握把+單速飛輪」是什麼怪車?