Portable Solar Chargers

 Designers of solar chargers need to deal with a certain issue: how to build a charger so that it had easy access to maximum sunlight, without much effort on the user's part.

Utilizing a USB port suitable for numerous portable gadgets, the Ray solar charger reportedly stores enough energy to fully power a cell phone. Its suction cup can be used on any glass surface, such as house windows, or windows in cars and planes. In-car use while driving (as suggested by the picture) is a dubious idea, however, given the prevalence of lighter-based car chargers.

The tilting kickstand allows users to place the charger on flat surfaces, and also serves as a place to store the USB cord.

  

Canada's Kiwi Choice has announced the release of a strangely familiar-looking portable solar charger for mobile devices. The three-panel photovoltaic fan design first used by Solio has found its way to Kiwi's U-Powered charger. Featuring a powerful battery, LED flashlight and magnetic feet, the product also comes with multiple device connector tips for maximum compatibility.

The U-Powered solar charger is the first of four green products to be announced by Kiwi Choice. As well as being a backup power source or outright charger for portable electronics such as smartphones, cameras and media players, the device also offers the versatility of not being wholly dependent on the sun for its power. When sunlight adamantly refuses to appear or when users just need a quick power boost, the unit can be hooked up to just about any power source via USB, car or wall charger.

 

The charge level of the U-Powered's powerful 2000 mAh Lithium Polymer battery is shown via a simple four LED charge level indicator, and the unit is said to be good for over a thousand recharge cycles. The product also has a built-in LED flashlight and sports magnetic feet for secure placement on metallic surfaces. Universal mobile device compatibility is helped along by the inclusion of 11 connector tips.

The U-Powered will be available from retail stores and online shortly, and has a manufacturer's suggested retail price of US$49.99.

Of course, fellow solar products company Solio also has a shocking pink hybrid charger which is compatible with a number of devices for about the same price as the U-Powered - although it does have a somewhat weaker 1600mAh Li-ion battery, lacks a torch, and has a suction cup instead of magnetic feet. 

 Of the other chargers available from Solio, the MAG offers the highest battery capacity at 1800mAh. Whereas Kiwi's product is said to need at least 17 hours of good sunlight to reach full charge, the MAG needs to sunbathe for only around ten.

Low-Cost,High-Density Energy-Storage Membrane

The low-cost, high-density energy-storage membrane, created at the National University of Singapore 

Researchers from the National University of Singapore's Nanoscience and Nanotechnology Initiative (NUSNNI) have created what they claim is the world's first energy-storage membrane. Not only is the material soft and foldable, but it doesn't incorporate liquid electrolytes that can spill out if it's damaged, it's more cost-effective than capacitors or traditional batteries, and it's reportedly capable of storing more energy.

The membrane is made from a polystyrene-based polymer, which is sandwiched between two metal plates. When charged by those plates, it can store the energy at a rate of 0.2 farads per square centimeter - standard capacitors, by contrast, can typically only manage an upper limit of 1 microfarad per square centimeter.

Due in part to the membrane's low fabrication costs, the cost of storing energy in it reportedly works out to 72 cents US per farad. According to the researchers, the cost for standard liquid electrolyte-based batteries is more like US$7 per farad. This in turn translates to an energy cost of 2.5 watt-hours per US dollar for lithium-ion batteries, whereas the membrane comes in at 10-20 watt-hours per dollar.

Details on how the material works, along with data on factors such as charging/discharging times and longevity have not yet been released. Principle investigator Dr. Xie Xian Ning, however, has stated "The performance of the membrane surpasses those of rechargeable batteries, such as lithium ion and lead-acid batteries, and supercapacitors."

Quickly Repair your Mobile Phone dropped in water

    Many of you get your mobile phone wet by one way or another. You worry as you mistakenly drop your mobile phone in water. It can also get wet if you are out in a heavy rain. However, there is no need to panic. It is possible to save your wet mobile phone by quickly repairing it. In order to save your mobile phone from water damage, you can consider these easy and simple solutions:

Act rapidly :

The first thing you have to do in order to save your wet mobile phone is to act rapidly. Quickly remove all the detachable parts as well as covers possible such as the back cover, battery, the SIM card, memory card etc. Next, take a piece of cloth or a tissue paper to wipe the excess water you are able to notice within the mobile phone. Make sure that you dry it completely. If you don' t do this, the water inside the mobile phone will begin to evaporate and gather in places which will be difficult to reach.

This will save your wet mobile phone and it will start working if it was under water for just a little while.

Using a hairdryer :

Take a hairdryer and begin drying the mobile phone while giving more consideration to the place where the battery is located. The battery housing usually consists of tiny holes to let in air (so giving more space for water) inside the mobile phone.

Make sure that you are not holding the hairdryer very near to the mobile phone. Keeping it too close to the mobile phone may harm the electrical mechanism of the mobile phone. Keep on drying the mobile phone from a safe distance for about twenty to thirty minutes.

If solution number 1 and solution number 2 don't work, try solution number 3. 

Drying for a long time:

Take off the covers as well as battery from the mobile phone. Put the phone in a dry as well as warm place to let the water inside the phone evaporate gradually from the little holes in the mobile phone.

Reset Your BIOS

Did you recently upgrade your PC, change its components, or test a setting in the BIOS that now stops it from power up all the way? Here's how to reset your BIOS.

First of all, if you have, read the manual to the motherboard and look for BIOS or CMOS Reset.

Generally, the easiest and least fiddly method is to remove the power cord from the computer, open it and look for a button battery (usually bigger than the ones in a watch) remove it for for five or ten minutes. Theoretically this should work.

If no manual is handy and removing the battery did not work try the following methods:

METHOD 1

1. Power down your PC.
2. Open your CPU
3. Find the 3-pin jumper near the power supply on the motherboard, typically labeled "clear cmos" or "reset bios".
4. Remove the jumper from the default position (typically connecting the 1st and 2nd pins).
5. Replace the jumper to connect the 2nd and 3rd pins.
6. Push the power button on the front of your PC once.
7. Wait a minute.and switch off again 
8. Return the jumper to its default position, connecting the 1st and 2nd pins.
9. Power on your PC with its front power button.

METHOD 2

1. open Command Prompt , click Start Menu > Run > type CMD (enter).
2. type debug (enter).
3. then type this bellow code

o 70 10

o 71 20

type quit.

exit.

METHOD 3

1. Open the CPU
2. Remove the CMOS battery. This should be a regular 3V, round, flat watch battery.
3. Wait at least 5 minutes.
4. Reinsert the CMOS battery.
5. Move the rocker-style switch at the back of your PC (if applicable), to the on (I) position.
6. Power on your PC with its front power button.

METHOD 4

1. Turn on your computer and press the key on your keyboard to enter the BIOS. This is typically the Del (delete) key. Pre-built systems from major manufacturers may use a function key such as F1, F2, or F10.
2. Go to the last tab or page of your BIOS.
3. Select an option similar to "restore factory settings".
4. Save your changes and confirm your selection if necessary. This will often be combined with the process of exiting a BIOS. Some BIOS types may have this as a separate option such as "F10: Save Changes".