One AA Plus One AA Doesn't Equal Two AA, Or Does It?

Before we get started with today's lesson in electricity, I have to tell you this bit.

The day started off as usual with a walk with the girls. That went as you would expect. After a shower and breakfast, I made a quick trip into town to get some groceries. Nothing unusual there.

Dianna beat me to the pool this morning, so I made it to the pool about 10:30 AM. Roughly about 11:15, Cecil showed up with my ShopVac motor. Cecil had taken it the day before to see if he could get it working. I plugged it in at the gate to test it.

Oh yeah, it worked! Damn near took my finger off when it fired up. Two things - 1) I forgot to check the on-off button of the motor, and 2) I was holding the part of the motor that would rotate at about a bazillion RPM.

So, I plugged it in and promptly dropped it after it savagely mauled my finger. Dropping it didn't do much other than cause the motor to separate into two parts - both trying to go faster than the other, and with a great deal of sparking and noise. The two parts were still connected by wires. After a mili-second or three (it seemed much longer, believe me), I reached up and yanked the power cord out of the outlet.

After picking up the pieces, I returned to Cecil at the gate, and told him the motor worked fine, but would he mind trying to fix it again? I know he thought something  like Geez, what a loose cannon here. But he was too polite to say anything other than "I'll try and bring it back tomorrow."

I then returned to the pool, stopping first to clean up and bandage my finger. As I returned to the pool, I was telling Dianna what had happened at the gate, and suddenly felt a sharp stinging in my left forearm. I saw some little black bug on my arm, which I promptly whacked, and fished it out of the water. It was one of those microscopic wasps. Stung pretty good for such a small critter too.

As I finished telling Dianna about the episode at the gate, and telling her about the wasp, I got bit on the right thumb by a doctor fly. So, what else could happen now? By the time I was finished telling Dianna of my travails, she reminded me that it was a little past noon, and if I was going to catch any of the game (USA v. Germany in the World Cup) I better get a move on.

Thank God for the break. The way I was being attacked left, right, and center, it was not looking good for me to survive the rest of the pool session, much less the afternoon. So, I went back up to the house and turned on the tube to watch USA lose to Germany, but that was OK, as both sides were advanced to the next phase of the Cup.

Now, what I was really going to write about. If you follow the blog, you know I've been having problems with the weather station. After some time, I finally narrowed the problem cause to one of possible electrical error, which I wrote about several times. Billy had read some of those postings and sent along some amplifying information that I'll pass on to you.

All this technical stuff reminds me of when I was in Radar 'A' School, in the Navy, at Treasure Island. Treasure Island was a cold, bleak, wind, rain, and snow swept lump of rock in the middle of San Francisco Bay - within easy view of Alcatraz, the infamous Federal prison. There were some similarities beyond just being co-located. But, that's another story.

What Billy's bit reminds me about, is one of the instructors at the 'A' School. Of course, they were all Navy Radarmen from the fleet, serving a tour ashore. This particular instructor, Radarman First Class, Petty Officer Fogbound (No lie. That was his actual name.) was usually assigned to us for the afternoon lecture - right after lunch. Anyone who's been in the military knows it's a cardinal sin to doze off during a lecture.

Petty Officer Fogbound's favorite topic was advancing our knowledge of electricity and electronics beyond the basics (which we had just spent 8 weeks in San Diego learning about). his favorite tool or example was a character he called Joe Electron, and every time he mentioned Joe Electron, he would give a thunderous clap to the blackboard, guaranteeing that even the sleepiest of us young sailors in the class would snap to and be alert for the next little while.

You know how names sometimes fit the action. Well Petty Officer Fogbound's lectures were just that - fogbound and as obtuse as could be. Thankfully little Joe Electron (BANG!) frequently came along and jarred us awake.

So, here's Billy's piece on AA batteries. Watch out for Joe Electron...

Billy is a friend of ours, who, with his wife Pam, have lived here in Belize, and in Oregon, for several years now. Billy worked in the battery business for around thirty years, so you might say he has some experience in the field. Billy sent me this information about the various AA battery types after reading my posting of the problems I had been having with my weather station and my amazement at finding out that all AA batteries are not necessarily created equal.

Billy said; "A little insight into rechargeable AA batteries. [First, their voltages]: Alkaline - 1.5V; NiCd - 1.2V; NiMH - 1.2V; and Li-ion - 3.6V."

"When multiple batteries are used, you must know the voltage of the device to know whether the batteries are series or parallel. For instance, three Alkaline AA batteries in series are 4.5 volts; and in parallel they are 1.5 volts."

"You can replace Alkaline batteries with NiCd or NiMH batteries in most devices. Due to different charging characteristics you must use the proper charger for each rechargeable [battery] chemistry. Just remember, in batteries, the amount of voltage you get from a cell depends on the chemistry."

"An easy example is lead acid. A lead acid cell is 2.1 volts. A 12-Volt car battery is actually six - 2.1-Volt cells hooked together in series, in a container or case. A 6-Volt Alkaline battery is actually four - 1.5 Alkaline cells in series. A common 6-volt Alkaline lantern battery is really four - D-cell batteries in series, in a case."

"Replacing two NiCd or NiMH batteries with two Li-ion batteries would not be possible. In fact you could ruin the device. Also NiCd and NiMH batteries must be cycled down [discharged] completely before recharging for the longest total life. Li-ion batteries will last longer if they are not totally discharged before recharging."

"Most chargers operate on a timer principle, but some actually measure the charging current and shut off when the battery is charged, thus preventing overcharge or undercharge."

"Some other useful information: you will only get the capacity (amount of energy) of the weakest cell in a series. Kind of like links in a chain. That's why you should always replace all the batteries in a device at the same time."

"And one last thing comes to mind. Sometimes the current draw on a device is so low or the circumstance of its use is such it doesn't make sense to use a rechargeable battery. In fact sometimes it makes more sense to use the cheapest battery you can get. A good example is a smoke detector. They have a very low current draw, but also they should be replaced every year, no matter what battery you use, so why get an expensive battery? I gained a lot of happy customers when they came in expecting to spend $10.00 and left spending $1.99. Also when a battery says Super Heavy Duty don't think it has more capacity than Alkaline. It doesn't , but that is the battery I would use in my smoke detector if I was prudent and changed them every year, if I didn't change them. than I would use alkaline as super heavy duty are more prone to corrosion with age. That's the lesson for the day." 

Thanks Billy. That helps me to understand why my weather station has been kaput for a while now. Hopefully as soon as I get some Li-ion rechargeable AA batteries, I'll be back in business.

I don't think Joe Electron surprised us once, did he?

Amid All the Dire News

I got the following email yesterday from my friend Billy Waldon, Jr. It reminded me that even with all the reports of gunshots, etc., we seem to be inundated with continually from Belize City and elsewhere, grand sparks of humanity at it's best continue to shine and remind us that there are mostly decent, caring people who live here. It's nice to be reminded of that now and then.

October 30, 2010

Hi Dave,

I read your blog and I have my own story to tell. Last Saturday, our car broke down 15 minutes from Belize City Airport. Since we were catching our plane back to Oregon we had to leave the car by the side of the road.

There was a young man there who said he would make sure our car was safe until someone came and got it. We paid him $8.00 US with the promise of $20.00 more if the car was intact when someone came to retrieve it.

We had just put new tires on it the week before and our tools were inside. Needless to say, I had no idea if I could get anyone to tow it back to Corozal, so I pretty well said goodbye to the old Subaru and the new tires.

When we got to Oregon I called Rick Magaña ( it was the day after Hurricane Richard hit.) He said he would see what he could do. He called some relatives to confirm the car was still there and at 5:00 pm Monday, drove the distance to tow it back to Corozal.

Yes, the car was intact, the young man did as he promised and kept an eye on it. When I spoke with Rick on Tuesday morning I couldn't thank him enough. All he said was, "Billy, you are my customer, what else could I do?"

THANKS for referring me to Rick when I asked about a mechanic.

See you soon---Billy

Have a great Halloween.

Cheers,
Dave

Party Across the Street

The day before yesterday, Mae and Craig threw a party at the house across the street from us. It was to celebrate several things: Mae's birthday, Jim's birthday, selling the house, Denis and Vivian buying the house... I guess that's about it.

Everyone brought a dish to share - the usual pot luck fare. Additionally, there was a birthday cake and two others and a couple of gallons of delicious Western Dairy ice cream - chocolate and vanilla.

It was great weather, not too hot and certainly not too cold. Here's a few shots of the crowd attending.

Margy and Sandra

Judy Wearing a Mask

Craig With Michelle and Carole

Elsie and Craig

Billy and Sandra

Craig With Carole and Michelle

Tony and Mae

Tim, Bill and Gail

Julie, Loreta and Richard

Nellie and Tony

Mae, Julie, Elsie, Lynn and Dianna

Mae and Vivian

Lynn and Dianna

Jim Holding Forth

Elsie, Lynn and Dianna

Carole and Craig

Dianna, Craig and Elsie

Everyone Under the Palapa

Dianna, Jim and Pam

Denis and Peter

Craig Making Obligatory Announcements

Dave, Lynn and Cindy

Craig

Christina

The Cakes

Bill, Denis, Vivian and Julie

Our Next get-together will be this Friday at Jim's to celebrate his birthday (again), eat some food and trade books.

We just don't have time to cram all these social obligations into the days...

We Just Had Second Christmas

Yesterday was a fun day. We had visitors from Succotz, a small village southwest from Belmopan, right next to the Guatemalan border. Linda and Mickey. Great folks. They're more or less from Ocean Shores, Washington (near where we used to live). I met Linda on the Belize Forums (http://www.belizeforum.com/belize/).

They're building a house in Succotz and living in an apartment in Belmopan while doing it. Linda is on her way for a visit to the States, so, with a pause for a day in Corozal while on their way to Cancun and the airport, they stopped by to visit. I hope we see more of them.

While they were visiting, Billy and Pam stopped by, having just returned from Oregon. They brought the holy grail of Oregon beer (well, one of them, anyway) - a couple of bottles of Black Butte Porter for Dianna. Of course, she'll have to share it with Midas, our elderly, beer-loving kitty. That was always his favorite brew. Billy and Pam will be here for about the next six months, then it's back to Oregon, and so on.

I was going to take photos of everyone while they were here, but with a few Belikins and good conversation, I forgot.

It was really nice having all those folks visiting at the same time. That's one of the nice things about living down here. It's hard to get much done because of interruptions - visitors, etc.

Guesthouse Construction Update

It's getting close to time for the guys to cast the roof. Here's a new load of rebar. Most of it will be for the roof with ome is being used to extend columns and other stuff.

Money in Metal

Along with the rebar, you need to have a stick forest. This is what holds the roof forms up and in place when the roof is cast and afterwards while the concrete cures.

Forests by the Trailerfull

Some more images of the column forms being positioned. Here's two views of the same corner - inside and out, showing how the forms are positioned. They're tied together with tying wire (what else?) run through the concrete blocks and then twisted to draw the wood closer together against the blocks.

Corner Forms Going In

Corner Forms From the Inside

A nice view of the back of the guesthouse, showing the corner forms in place and a central form getting ready to be positioned.

Forms and More Forms

Second Christmas

We just took delivery of a shipment of stuff we had ordered from the States. Generally, instead of shipping it directly to us, we have it sent to one of two shipping companies with regular runs between the US and Belize (Clifford Marage Shipping and Roy and Son Trucking).

We got about 7 boxes this time from Marage. A swimming pool cover and reel (in 4 boxes - fun to put together); Web cameras and headsets; a doggie pack for Cindy; and a couple of springy floaties for in the pool.

Here's our solar pool cover and its reel. The reel is mounted on locking casters, so it's easy to wheel out of the way. I'm going to have Alex the tailor make a nylon tent for it to protect it from the sun when it's rolled up.

Our Nice, New Pool Cover and Reel

And not only did we get this stuff, but miracle of miracles, my workbench showed up too! Here you can see the top piled with stuff still waiting to be put away. Still to come is the upper cabinets for my workshop, and largish set of shelves for my workshop alcove, and a bookcase for Dianna's workshop. But, it's progress. We've only been waiting about three months for the workbench. After all, it's Belize!

Fancy-Dancy Workbench

Since we each have our own laptops, it's only fitting that we each have our own webcams and headsets. Here's Dianna enjoying her new webcam as she's talking to her dad, Norman, and her brother, David in Pueblo, Colorado. She's using Skype, which works quite well for us... Unfortunately, at the present, not that well if both parties are using webcams. The system tends to dump the call in that case. Still, it's fun to play with and is a real improvement over old-fashioned phone calls.

Dianna Enjoying Her Webcam

While on the Walkabout

Yesterday morning on the walk with the girls, we stopped by the Thunderbolt pier, just to see what was going on. A couple of guys with castnets were fishing off the end of the pier. I got a shot of them doing just that. It's kind of a dark photo - the sun had yet to break through, but if you click on the photo, you'll be able to see an expensive blue castnet (they're pretty high-tech) in mid-air.

Early Morning Fishermen