Personal Telco Weekly Meeting - Green Dragon

[Michael Weinberg]

Our next weekly meeting will be at 6:30pm, Wednesday, May 14th at the
Green Dragon (928 SE 9th Ave)

Post agenda items to the wiki here:
http://wiki.personaltelco.net/index.cgi/WeeklyMeeting20080514

See you there.
--
Michael Weinberg
President
Personal Telco Project, Inc.

[Sam Churchill]

Here's my thinking on an emergency hotspot service that might be used
for The Van.

To make money I'd offer photobooth services (with uploading to Flickr)
and well as live webcasting and event blogging.

My real goal is to have a transportable, one piece, solar-powered,
always-on communications link. Everything would have to fit inside one
Pelican carry-on case (with wheels). It would provide local WiFi with
WiMAX backhaul. And it could be used in emergencies. In kit form.

Setup should be easy. Open the case, connect the solar panel,
establish connection with WiMAX backhaul and local WiFi devices.
You're done.

Here's what I'm thinking could work:

(1) Pelican Case. A Pelican 1510 Case with Foam ($142).
(www.amazon.com/s?ie=UTF8&search-alias=photo&field-brandtextbin=Pelican)
(www.pelican.com/cases_detail.php?Case=1510)
This is the largest carry-on case allowed by airlines.
Interior Dimensions of the Pelican 1510: 19.75" x 11.00" x 7.60"
Total: $150

(2) Solar Panels. Two (4 would be better), 10 watt solar panels ($79/each).
(www.excellentpower.com/servlet/Detail?no=37). Size in Inches: 14 x 1 x 12
The Mono-Crystalline panels are the most efficient (and smallest).
Two waterproof solar panels would be placed on either side of a
ripstop folding notebook, and placed inside the case.
Total: $160

(3) Battery. I have an Optima D34/78 deepcycle battery ($200)
and a Xantrex Power Pack (with AC out) ($140). I'd put the one-piece
Xantrex in the case. It has a 10 amp-hour battery. The Optima has a 55
amp-hour battery.
(www.xantrex.com/web/id/245/p/1/pt/32/product.asp)
(www.optimabatteries.com/optima_edge/technical_specs.php#yellow1)
The Xantrex dimensions (L x W x H) are: 15 x 4.5 x 10.25"
Total: $140

(4) Charge controller. A simple model, something like the Sunforce 7
Amp Charge Controller ($25) would probably do okay.
(www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0006JO0XI/ref=pd_cp_hi_1?pf_rd_p=277661601&pf_rd_s=center-41&pf_rd_t=201&pf_rd_i=B000VM9H8I&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_r=1B4KR0XB7B53Z39EAV1R)
Total: $25

5. Access Point. I would like a one-piece access point (mobile router)
that has both WiFi (a/b/g) and provides a Mobile WiMAX backhaul (with
external antenna). I'm sure mobile routers with WiMAX will soon be
common, but right now something like the Motorola WAP 800 Access
Point ($800?) could work as a placeholder.
(http://www.motorola.com/business/v/item.jsp?vgnextoid=3db19ffbede46110VgnVCM1000008406b00aRCRD&localeId=33)
Total $500 (in the real world)

For about $1000, you'd have an emergency hotspot. Anywhere, anytime.
Add a couple of Nokia Webtablets ($400/each), and you'd have a system.

Of course the back-end collaborative software, with lots of instant
solutions for emergency managers, would be where the real money is
made. That's where Android comes in.

I'm halfway there, in assembling this stuff, already.
My problem is in making it work :)

- Sam

[Aaron Baer]

Sounds fun. However, this doesn't seem to relate to the Weekly. Sam don't you think this is worth it's only thread instead of buried under a weekly meeting announcement?

A-

--
----
Aaron Baer
aa...@slyness.org
http://aaron.slyness.org/