UrJar

Batteries and Chargers Rechargeable Batteries
1

I read about this on the BBC webiste earlier today, and thought I’d pass it along. http://www.dgp.toronto.edu/~mjain/UrJar-DEV-2014.pdf
Basically, they are using cells from discarded laptop battery packs to power lights (that sounded vaguely familiar…) in areas of India that are off the grid. Interesting, isn’t it?

2

Thanks for the link, although the article is a bit slow-going, I read it with interest.

It would have been nice if they had got a bit further than their makeshift first prototypes. And I see a safety problem making 3s2p battery packs (at least in these prototypes without monitoring electronics); although I get why they want to get 12V out of them, having recovered laptop batteries in parallel would be safer.

3

I found this report quite interesting.

Perhaps not so much the device "Urjar" itself. But the considerations of these "bottom of the pyramid" people to whom the paper refers. I find it encouraging that though they find themselves in dire straits of life they still have considerations such as wanting to move away from burning of fossil fuels in their homes for light because it is unhealthy for them and their family and because it gives inadequate light for their children to read and do homework. Bravo "bottom of the pyramid" people :-)

I also find it encouraging that they have most if not all of the same considerations for a product that a consumer higher up the "pyramid" has. Ease of use, able to do multiple things (light, power bank charging of mobile devices, power small fans etc.) and be desirable to both look at as an item in its own right but also in use. It seems such properties are universally desirable.

Again, thank you for posting this.

4

Very cool writeup nojar…thanks

Pretty much a DIY LED lightbulb using those cheap Chinese modules…but still very cool

5

I think some of the people using those lights could benefit from combining some of the knowledge here with all that computer trash that’s in their neighborhood.

6

I was interested to read that paper this weekend.

I’ve been thinking about more concerted efforts at lithium cell recycling, particularly in the developing world. Its actually part of the reason I worked on PackProbe. I was a little bummed, though not surprised, to see that someone else was working on it. Plus, their introduction and bibliography has saved me some research.