Alt-BEAM Archive
Message #01028
To: Evan Kwong evanhk@interchange.ubc.ca
From: Steven Bolt sbolt@xs4all.nl
Date: Fri, 26 Feb 1999 17:42:51 +0100 (CET)
Subject: [alt-beam] Re: Solar cell recommendations?
On Fri, 26 Feb 1999, Evan Kwong wrote:
> While we're on this topic, if anyone has the Edmund Scientific
> Catalogue (1998), page 2 shows Solar Powered Watches.
---8<---
> Powered by any light source, the solar watch from Swissolar(R)
> will run for 60 days on a single 30 minute charge.
---8<---
I've got a Citizen "Eco-Drive." The dial face is a solar panel,
which charges a "titanium lithium ion" cell. A full charge is
supposed to be sufficient for 80 days in darkness, if you use the
alarm dayly, and requires 3 hours in the sun (but a few minutes of
charge are enough to run one day, even when it's cloudy). Very nice
watch, with good alarm and stopwatch functions. Quite accurate.
Mine gains less than two seconds a month.
Quite amazing technology, since lithium-ion batteries are difficult
to properly charge. And the dial face looks nice, almost black. You
wouldn't recognize it as a solar panel. No separate cells
discernable. Nothing about voltage in the specs.
Best,
Steve
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# sbolt@xs4all.nl # Steven Bolt # popular science monthly KIJK #
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