As I may have mentioned before, I’ve been doing some major cleaning and re-organization in my basement. Since I’ve been squirreling away stuff down there for the last thirt years, there’s gonna be a rather interesting collection of stuff down there. And some of it is goes back those full thirty years. Thing is, things change over thirty years… Technology, manufacturing, etc, all changes to some degree. So, what artifact from the the pre-Y2K days do we have today? Why, it’s the ConSci Power Pack:
Very simply and succinctly, this is a manufactured version of the classic battery-in-a-box
The ConSci power pack is a 12v battery (and associated electronics) encased in a .50-cal ammo can to keep everything protected and water tight. It featured a pair of female 12v ‘cigarette lighter’ sockets to allow use of common 12v items of the era. Here’s what it looks like:
This thing has been sitting in my basement, plugged in and charging, for over twenty years. So, I decided to see how well it would work. Remember this lamp from my how-long-will-it-run experiment? The answer to the question of how long the ConSci would run the lamp is two-and-a-half-days of continuous use. Thats about a week of use if you used it for eight hours per day. This is less than what results were when I performed this experiment with the battery jump pack I purchased at CostCo.
The battery in the ConSci is smaller and less capacious than the one in the battery jump pack, so I suppose it isnt a truly fair comparison. And thats fine. What is important is that after twenty years this thing will still perform admirably for most emergencies.
The ConSci was discontinued a long time ago. But the whole battery-in-a-box concept has been done to death on the internet. There are all sorts of websites that give you an Amazin shopping list of everything you need to build your own version. Or, as I’ve done, pick up one (or two) of those battery jump packs and leave them plugged in and ready to go. The newer ones have built in inverters and USB ports. I’d take one of those over the ConSci for its capacity and greater versatility.
Nice to see, though, that this thing still work and the battery hasnt cooked itself after being left on the charger for twenty years.
Following. This unit’s continued function after that length of time is indeed good to know. It must have been manufactured before the NAFTA Era that obliterated the once robust and quality American manufacturing sector that once produced decent lasting products. Winter down time is useful to survey your inventories and assess things. A purge of some things are necessary and inevitable if it is supplanted by new and better tech or features and it’s usefulness versus storage space or continued maintenance is cost or appropriateness prohibitive. This inventory putzing around will aid in any future decamping and relocation with all of your worldly possessions in the future. Being “inventory squared away”, with things sorted and packed up tight like in wood crates for armies on the march will help immensely come go time when it is time to bug out or relocate to those greener pastures and less spicy zip codes areas. Spread sheets and label making machines helps to stay frosty as well.
Most of the newest battery’s in a box are now moved onto being Solar Generators or Solar Power stations. Whichever name you prefer.
Wow, I vaguely remember those from the American Survival Guide magazine from years ago. I cannot believe the battery didn’t cook itself after all those years. Its funny that you posted about the battery packs. I just converted two old jump starter packs from lead acid over to 20ah life4pro batteries. Removed the jumper cables and installed a dual USB plug and a fused SAE extension connection so I can charge it off of a solar panel or 115v charger. I also added a 300w pure sinewave inverter to one of them so I basically have my own 256wh battery bank for 1/3 the cost of anything from Jackery, Ecoflow or the other dozen solar generator/power banks,
Are you using a Battery Management System with your new Lifehouse batteries?