Whichever is the case, the best wireless controllers for PC appeal to both types of gamers, and they do so without the restriction of cords.įirst, know that most wireless controllers are compatible with multiple gaming systems - either inherently or with the right adapters. On the other hand, even if something was meant for PC all along, some players simply prefer the classic controller experience over a keyboard. Once I work out the kinks, I'll work on a second version controlled with the microcontroller.A good controller can vastly improve a game's playability, especially if you play games that were created for console and adapted to PC. This should be good enough to get me rolling. The DIY charger can do the bulk charge, and the individual chargers will top off the batteries and keep them equalized. If I have money in the budget, I'll also buy some individual chargers. I'll put a GFI circuit breaker and basic timer in it and I'll consult the experts in my family for safety tips. So here's my plan: Start with a very simple dumb charger. That's unacceptable for a car that will be a daily driver. It could take as long as 30 hours to recharge a dead pack. Going this route allows me to manage each battery individually, but the penalty is the sloooooooow recharge time. Getting 10 of them would be cheaper than buying a pack charger. The best I can do without a microcontroller is to use one of those household wind-up timers to make sure the charger shuts off before causing trouble.Īnother option is using 10 individual chargers, one for each of the batteries in my bug. I can accomplish similar results, but it will take a lot of time, research and testing to program the microcontroller and get everything right - and safe - and I need a charger soon. Not only do they shut off by themselves when the batteries are full, but most of them also have a multiphase charge profile, which is better for battery health and maximum charge. The main benefit of manufactured chargers is the managed charge. If I'd dropped a few grand on batteries, I might be leery of subjecting such an investment to an experimental charger. I figure I don't have too much to lose, since I got my batteries for $5 apiece. They confirmed my plan would work and even suggested it wouldn't be hard to control the charger with a $30 open source programmable microcontroller. That information tucked away, the next step was consulting my brothers, and a nephew, who happen to be electrical engineers or at least experienced with such things. I was pleasantly surprised to see how easy and cheap this would be to do. I can achieve small voltage modification with an inductor to bump the 110 volts to the 130 or so that is optimal for charging. It's a relatively simple matter to convert AC to DC with a bridge rectifier and a few other parts. Doing it yourself is most tempting when your battery pack's voltage is close to the 110 in your house. I did a little digging and found some plans for a DIY charger.
All a charger really does is apply direct current to a battery, right? How hard can it be? Building my own might get me rolling without breaking the budget. I've heard of people building their own chargers and wondered how difficult, how safe and how expensive it might be.
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