Hi everyone,
Yesterday evening, I received a radio call from David that they have reached ABC (Advance Base Camp – 6500m).
The team will be resting at ABC today. According to schedule, tomorrow, they will attempt to climb to North Col (7000m) for the first time.
The weather at BC is normal – very windy, cold, and sunny. Hardly any clouds today.
This morning, I had a power supply failure (serious). We used solar energy to power all our electronic equipment. The solar panel supplies 24V, 2.5 amps nominal to a “charge controller”, which distributes the electrical energy between the backup sealed lead acid batteries and the equipment.
When I plugged in the battery outlets into the charge controller, I noticed the usual voltage (12.5 Volts) displayed. I then plugged in the solar panel output but failed to see the current (in amps) displayed on the controller. Also, there was no output power sent to the electronic equipment (Apple Powerbooks, Nera Worldphone, etc).
So, I dug out my usual tools and of course, the faithful FLUKE DMM and went to work. In 20 minutes, I saw my problem – a broken wiring (which is very common here – because of the severe environmentals – a daily temperature change from -20 deg C (at night) to 20 deg C (during the day). A 5 minute job with my battery powered soldering iron and presto …. everything works normally.
Thanks, Fluke!
Ting Sern
Today’s sponsor focus features:
SINGAPORE POOLS:
We thank Singapore Pools for their continued support for national mountaineering expeditions. Pools has an extensive community contributions programme and has helped many Singapore cultural, charitable and sporting causes. We’re proud to carry the Pools flag once more. See http://www.singaporepools.com.sg
Top from left: Ting Sern, Gil and Roz;
Bottom from left Beng Cheong, David.
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