Have you ever experienced a dead phone when you need it most ?

I am pretty sure that we all have at some point in time. Never again will you experience a dead phone, if you implement the following suggestions and advices.

It's important to keep your cell phone's battery charged at all times.It will extend and prolong the battery's life.

If you commute, let your car do the cell phone charging (free of charge), while you do the driving. All you need is a vehicle power charger specific to your phone and a functional cigarette lighter receptacle.

There are 3 kinds of chargers:

1. 2-in-1 charger (can be used at home [wall outlet], as well as in your car [cigarette lighter outlet]).
2. Home charger.
3. Car charger.
   

(See illustrative photos below.)

We will show you how to use them all either at home, in your car, or both.

First let's deal with the advantages and disadvantages of the 2-in-1 charger.

Pro: obviously no need for two different chargers. (car charger vs home charger)

Con: if, however, it does get lost, there is no way to charge your phone.

Some cell phone charger manufacturers come up with a clever 2-in-1 charger, non-integrated unit, whereas the wall charger is separate and apart from the car charger, and yet part of the same unit. if one of the 2 components is lost, the remaining one is dysfunctional.

To settle the pro vs con debate of owning a 2-in-1 charger, the ideal solution would be to get a home charger, a car charger, and a 2-in-1 charger. in so doing, you'll have all your cell phone charging bases (needs) covered.

What if you only have a home charger, how do you take advantage of your car's cigarette lighter outlet ?

Inverter to the rescue. An inverter is an electronic device that converts DC (direct current) into AC (alternative current) or household current.

Inverters come in all sizes and shapes, Wattage and Amperage, the scale of quality ranging from Modified Sine Wave (good, inexpensive) to Pure Sine Wave (better, relatively expensive). Pure Sine Wave inverters provide quality, standard household current.

Just plug the inverter into the cigarette lighter socket, plug your AC phone charger into the inverter's AC outlet and the cell phone's port. That's all there is to it.

Make sure the inverter's technical specifications match those of the cigarette lighter socket, in terms of current draw. If the maximum socket's rated wattage (Amp x Volt = Watt) (10A x 12V = 120W) is 120W for example, the inverter's current draw from socket cannot exceed the specified rating. A short circuit (blown fuse) may ensue. To remedy the situation, use a direct connection from the battery's positive (+) post/terminal with an in-line fuse of the same amperage as, or higher than the inverter's fuse amperage. Use the car chassis as ground (-). If you are not technically inclined, have an expert/professional/technician do the installation for you.

Simply put, if the cigarette lighter fuse amperage is 10A, the inverter's fuse amperage should be 10A or less. If the inverter fuse amperage is 15A, it cannot be run off the lighter socket. Instead, run it directly off the battery with specifically rated in-line fuse, socket and gauged (AWG)* wire.

if an inverter is run off the car battery, restart the car from time to time to recharge the battery.

On the market for an inverter? Compare and contrast specifications, follow manufacturer's instructions and warnings.

Inverter A vs Inverter B (see table below)

♦Continuous Use: 100W vs 100W

♦Peak Surge Power: 225W vs 300W

♦DC Output: 12V vs 12V

♦AC Voltage Output: 110 +/- 5V AC RMS vs 110 +/- 5V AC RMS

♦Optimum Efficiency: 90.00% vs 90.00%

♦No Load Current Draw: 0.2A vs 0.15A

♦Input Voltage Range: 10V to 15V DC vs 10V to 15V DC

♦Low Battery Alarm -- Auto Low Battery Shutdown: 10V +/- 0.3V DC vs 10V +/- 0.3V DC

♦Cooling Fan: Yes vs Yes

♦DC Receptacles: Single vs Single

♦AC Receptacles: Single vs Single

♦USB Receptacles: Single vs Single

Inverters A and B are virtually identical in every respect, except for one specification: Peak Surge Power (225W vs 300W). The inverter with the higher PSP is better.

WARNING: An inverter and, for that matter, all the electrical/electronic devices herein mentioned, are not toys. They should and must, therefore, be kept out of children's reach. Improper use of an inverter can literally result in death from electrocution. Inserting one's finger into the Universal AC-DC Power Adapter Converter's receptacle will result in electric shock. Unplug when not in use. Cover cigarette lighter receptacle when not in use.

Cell phones are not mere useful fancy electronic gadgets. When shopping for one, a cell phone's SAR (Specific Absorption Rate) should be taken into consideration. The lower the SAR, the better. When using a cell phone, It's advisable to do so with the headset (or similar devices) that comes with it, to minimize the body's exposure to radiation. Children's exposure to cell phones should be at best avoided. As a concerned parent, if you are debating whether to limit or restrict your child's cell phone use, It would be wise to read Child's Genius Magazine's article: Developing the Child Brain- Children Endangered by Cell Phone Radiation,^*

• www.internationalparentingassociation.org/BrainDevelopment/cellphones.html

and about.com's Study Links Brain Cancer to Children using Cell Phones^*.

• http://environment.about.com/b/2009/03/17/study-finds-cell-phones-increase-brain-cancer-risks-in-children.htm

If you want to dig deeper into Electromagnetic Radiation, an excellent website worth exploring is:

• www.electromagnetichealth.org^*
  

Curious as to the number and location of Towers and Antennas in your neighborhood within a certain radius? Just key in your Street Address, City, State and Zip Code at the following website:

• www.antennasearch.com^*
  

In today's frantic-paced life, we can hardly imagine a world without cell phones. Bottom line: Use them responsibly.

According to Wikipedia, Specific Absorption Rate (SAR) is a measure of the rate at which energy is absorbed by the body when exposed to a radio frequency (RF) electromagnetic field. As indicated by the FCC (Federal Communications Commission), SAR is a measure of the amount of radio frequency energy absorbed by the body when using a mobile phone. The FCC limit for public exposure from cellular telephones is an SAR level of 1.6 watts per kilogram (1.6 W/kg). For more information on Specific Absorption Rate and Radio Frequency Safety respectively:

• www.fcc.gov/cgb/sar/

• www.fcc.gov/oet/rfsafety/rf-faqs.html#Q1

The latest electronic gadgets (Ipods, MP3 Players, Cameras, Cell Phones, TVs, etc.) tend to be USB- powered or interfaced . Therefore, an ideal inverter would have the following essential features: Pure Sine Wave, Reasonable Peak Surge Power (2 t0 3 x Continuous Use), Overload Protection, USB port(s), AC receptacle(s), and DC receptacle(s). If you cannot afford a Pure Sine Wave Inverter, settle for a Modified Sine Wave one.

Always crack open the car window(s) when inverter is in use, or charging a Powerpack Jump Starter from the car's cigarette lighter socket, to allow for heat and gas dissipation.

Absent a home charger, you can use either a car charger, plugged into a Universal AC-DC Power Adapter Converter's socket; or a compact Solar Charger (with optional/standard accessories and adapters) with internal rechargeable battery to charge your phone.The solar panel's rechargeable battery will serve as an additional or external source of power for your energy- depleted cell phone.

A cell phone can also be solar-charged at home or at work (the office) by exposing a Solar Charger to the light output (lumens), as you would charge a solar calculator.

When shopping for a Solar Charger, a scrutiny of the technical specifications is of utmost importance to suit your need.

Solar Charger A vs Solar Charger B (see table below)

♦Nominal DC Output: 3V 1.2A vs 3V 3A

♦Maximum Wattage: 3.6 Watts vs 9 Watts

♦Battery: Rechargeable Lithium Ion 3.7V 1A cell vs 3.7V 1.8A cell

♦DC Input: 5-6V 0.4Ah vs 5-6V 0.4Ah

♦Temperature Range: -4F to 131F vs -4F to 131F (-20C to 55C)

Based on the preceding comparative and contrasting technical specifications, while Solar Charger A is a good investment, Solar Charger B turns out to be a better value: more wattage, more amperage, a better rechargeable battery with greater energy storage capacity.

A Solar Charger can also be used to trickle charge your car battery. Never again will you experience a dead (drained) battery due to energy depletion by ticking clock and dormant alarm system, after prolonged parking. Just display Solar Charger on top of car's dashboard for solar exposure through windshield, plug into cigarette lighter socket, and crack open windows (if hot); for solar panels are less efficient in hot weather. See illustrative photo below.

Did you know that a cell phone can also be charged from a Solar Powered and Crank Radio Set?

Yes it can be done. Here is how to proceed:

1. Plug one end of telephone car charger into the cell phone.

2. Plug other end (male) of car charger into (female) Universal Car Adapter.

3. Plug other extremity of Universal Car Adapter (male) into Solar Powered and Crank Radio Set receptacle (female), and

4. Hand crank Radio Set. Your cell phone will be charged in so doing (see illustrative photo below).

Wanna save money on your energy bill?

Unplug home Phone Charger or Universal AC-DC Power Adapter Converter when not in use. If plugged into a surge protector outlet with individual switches, turn off the switch(es). It's a saving on phantom or vampire loads.

Last, but not least, your cell phone can be charged from a Powerpack Jump Starter, which can be used as a back up source of power/energy in the event of a blackout. Powerpack Jump Starter should be charged at all times (from either cigarette lighter socket, solar panels, or household current).

If you plan on traveling aboard where the availability of 24/7 electricity might be an issue (unreliable grid), forward thinking would dictate that you arm yourself with the following prior to your departure: Solar Panel, Car Charger, Crank Radio Set, Universal Car Adapter, Home Charger, Car USB Charger, and Inverter or Power Inverter for alternative means of charging your Cell Phone. Remember: An ounce of foresight is worth a pound of hindsight!

My research has led me to the discovery of a very neat, nifty, compact and sexy Emergency Cell Phone Charger- no batteries required. It's a Dynamo. It's a must-have. No Cell Phone Owners should be without it. As a self-respectable Cell Phone Owner, depriving one's self of so handy, practical and useful a gadget would border on insanity (LOL!). Check it out.

If the aforementioned suggestions and advices were to be heeded and adhered to, a dead cell phone battery would be a thing of the past.

Some initial investments in hardware are indeed required to take advantage of these wonderful energy and money saving free ideas. The resulting free energy is a return on, or dividend from initial investment. Once made, the rest is all gravy (free energy). Enjoy!

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P.S. Words of wisdom: Energy is free as long you're willing to pay for it. Oxymoronic, isn't It?

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*AWG: American Wire Gauge.

^{*This hub neither denies nor confirms any and all the information contained in the aforementioned article(s) with respect to its content's accuracy or inaccuracy. It is provided solely for informative purpose. Every effort and attempt have been made to provide and convey accurate information to the extent possible. Hub's author assumes no responsibility or liability. Readers are advised to do their own due diligence.}

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