Tag: batteries

Bike Lights

On By Michel McDonaldIn Cycling, ExerciseLeave a comment

When I was 16 my parents bought me a bicycle so I can get to work a lot easier and they won’t have to drive me.  The bike was a cruiser bike and since I would be riding at night I would need lights and all I can remember is that I thought my step-dad was so cheap by buying me the kind with a generator.  I didn’t need batteries because it generated light as I rode.  However, if you think about it, this is probably a very good idea because batteries cost a lot of money.

If you buy lights that are rechargeable they are very expensive.  Yeah the lighting is a lot brighter and probably better but they cost a lot of money.  And I’m talking $200+.

I have been looking for this light with generator for a while and I can’t find it anywhere.  Bike Nashbar doesn’t have it, neither do any of the other well known online bike stores.  Target, Wal-Mart, sporting good stores, Sniders etc.  Nobody has it.

I found it on eBay for $49.  Wow.  What a deal.  I have to wait 2 weeks before I can buy it but I’m going to get it when I get some money.  Here is a picture.

I don’t plan on riding at night unless I need something from the store and I need to get there fast but what I do plan on doing is riding early in the morning.  I’m talking 5am early.  Yeah at 6am it’s still dark but there are cars out on the road that early.  I’d rather get out at 5am.  This way I can get in as much bike time as I can without any traffic and any pedestrians.  I want to get my exercise in without any dangers of getting hit by a car hehe.  I haven’t been on the streets in over a decade and I’ve already made a couple of mistakes and I need to relearn the rules of the road before I go back out there with the cars.  I think getting to where I need to would be a lot faster with no traffic too.

Dell DJ Battery On Hold

On By Michel McDonaldIn Gadgets, MusicLeave a comment

Well, since I bought the pump and frame bag for my bike I now have to wait on the battery for my Dell DJ.  In order to ride my bike I need stuff for it.  If my tire blows I can’t pump it up without the tools in a bag on my bike frame so the Dell DJ is a moot point because the whole reason I wanted to get a new battery was so I could enjoy music while riding the bike, if I can’t ride the bike then no reason for music.

There are a few other things I need as well like a new headlight and backlight preferably the kind that attach to the back wheel that turns on while you are riding the bike.  What can I say, I hate buying batteries.

I also need a bike shirt that absorbs the sweat and makes me cooler while I ride.  Cotton is so bad for riding a bike because it sticks to your skin.  It doesn’t absorb the sweat and then dry while you are riding.  Ok, don’t worry, I won’t subject anybody to bike shorts.  Believe me, it ain’t gonna happen.

I do need a helmet too though.  I know it’s the law for teenagers but it’s only common sense for an adult to wear one.  I tried buying one at this thrift store one time and Darrin laughed at me and it was a very nice one so if he laughs at me then it makes me not want to wear it which is a very dangerous way of thinking because if I got into an accident I’d DIE!

Hopefully when I get all that I need to ride then I will be able to get a battery for my Dell DJ.  I just can’t ride without music.  It’s so boring without it.  I do have a solar charger that plugs into the Dell DJ so that’s not a problem, the solar charger works as a battery.  But still, I’d rather have a proper battery.

Dell DJ Battery a No Go

On By Michel McDonaldIn Gadgets, MusicLeave a comment

Well, I got an email from that website about their Dell DJ battery and the one they sell is definitely for Gen 1 DJ’s and that will not work on a Gen 2 DJ.  They said that people have bought it in the past and found it did not work and had to return it and pay a restocking fee.  This sucks.

They told me to go to 2 websites pdaparts.com or pdasmart.com.  The first website didn’t have anything for Dell.  They had lots of batteries that looked like mine but they were specifically for iPods.  The 2nd website has a battery but it doesn’t specific generations.  It just says “DELL Digital Jukebox, DELL Digital Jukebox DJ, DELL Digital Jukebox Series”.  I emailed them asking if it will work on a 2nd Gen so I have to wait for their email.

The thing that really  bites here is that the battery from this other site batteryship.com is that they were only charging $25 for a battery plus shipping which was like $7.50 or something and it would’ve been more economical to buy 2 because they offer a 10% discount for the purchase of 2 or more.  So because their battery won’t work for me I have to go to pdasmart.com and that battery is a whopping $48.

It just occurred to me to check via part number and came up with 1 thing on eBay.  Someone is selling the exact battery I need and the starting bid is .99 cents and there are no bids.  I’m tempted to bid $30.  The auction ends the day before I get my check.  The only thing is if I buy it on eBay I have no warranty and no guarantee that it will actually work and not die within a couple of months.

Dell DJ Battery Replacement

On By Michel McDonaldIn Gadgets, Music, Products I LikeLeave a comment

Darrin bought me a Dell DJ for Christmas 2004 and during 2005 I was listening to it all the time everyday, on the way to the gym or sitting at my desk or even while doing the dishes.  I was always listening to it.  But over time the battery would die sooner than it was supposed to.  Sometimes it would even freeze up and I had to just wait for it to start playing again.  I couldn’t turn it off or do anything.  I just had to wait for it.

The battery is supposed to last like 5 or 6 hours or something and over time the amount of time it actually played kept going down until eventually it only played for half hour.  Now when I unplug it, it just dies immediately and gives me a screen saying the battery is low.

I’ve treated that Dell DJ like a baby by never dropping it or losing it.  I’m a good nerd, I respect my electronics enough that I don’t get them broken or stolen.

I’ve called Dell that first year when the battery started dying and they wouldn’t help me even with my warranty.  I was too late in renewing my warranty and so when I called for help they said sorry you don’t have the right warranty for this.  I was like dude, I have a $318 paper weight now.  Thanks a lot.  They were like I know, I can understand how frustrating you are but we can’t help you.  I was like well can I just buy a new battery and ship it to you to replace it and they said yeah for like $75 or something like that.  I’ve never had the money to do that.

Every once in a while I do a search on the net for Dell DJ Batteries and I found a website that has them for $24.95 + shipping and it has the tools to do it yourself.  It says it takes a few min but a testimonial says 10 min.  I don’t care, I just want a new battery and $25 is not a bad deal.  I will have to wait until I get some money because I’m tapped lol.