OT: Lowest-power small server solutions( wandering farther )

[Scott Stevens]

On Wed, 2 Nov 2005 12:58:19 -0600
"McFadden, Mike, A" <mamcfadden at cmh.edu> wrote:

> Chuck wrote
> >Tangentially OT:
> >
> >I've got a friend who owns some rental property.  When a tenant moves
> out, he replaces all >of the smoke detectors as a matter of routine.
> Because he doesn't want to be bothered >with replacing batteries, he
> equips all of them with 9v lithiums.  I've arranged for him >to give me
> the castoffs, if they've been installed for only a year or so (which is
> quite >common).  I've got the batteries installed in everything from my
> garage door openers and >metronomes to my DVM.  Great stuff and best
> when you get it for nothing. One even serves >as backup for my lawn
> sprinkler system's clock.
> >
> Actually many smoke detectors have two 9 volt batteries one for the
> detector and one for the light.  Since the light is rarely used the
> battery is basically new.  Most people replace both batteries.  I
> volunteer at a recycling center, we take household batteries, I have a
> little handheld tester and when things are slow I test the "donated"
> batteries.  I have several shoe boxes full of batteries.  I give the
> scouts some of the batteries, they camp every month all year.  We had a
> donation last month of 4 cases of batteries that were date expired 2
> months ago, new never opened, they still work great.  
>  
> It's amazing what is discarded.  
> 
> One side affect of recycling in a small town is everyone knows I also
> recycle/collect computers.  They appear on my door step or are dropped
> off at the monthly recycling.  One of my neighbors called up and offered
> me 2 PDP-11/70's and a VAX 11/785 from an engineering film.  My wife was
> not very happy about the space they filled in the garage.
> 
> 

I once worked at a place where the main product used a 9 volt battery.  One day I was bored and connected end-to-end about 100 semi-discharged batteries.  That was a DANGEROUS voltage source as I found out when we were checking it out.  A lot voltage and a substancial peak current behind it.  The wire didn't just arc, it caught fire.  

The foolish things one does when young...


> Mike
> 


-- 
http://sasteven.multics.org/MacSE30/MacSE30.html