This should be filed under "Do not try this at home"
While installing my solar panel, I realized that I had left my drill driver's 19.2v battery at home. Since home was 1.5 hours away, I tried to just use a screw to bore a hole into the fiberglass, and promptly bore a hole into my finger with the screwdriver. Then I thought about alternative sources of power for the drill. Luckily, I had a pair of alligator clip wires, and I was able to connect them to the correct terminals in the drill. The terminals in the drill each have two sides, I connected the alligator clips to the furthest side on each one. THEN, once I was sure they were secure and far enough apart not to transmit 680 cold cranking amps between them, I test hooked them up to the old deep cycle battery I had just replaced. It didn't spark or catch fire or anything, and the 12v from the battery turned the drill just fine, and just a little slower than normal. I was able to drill the holes normally being careful not to dislodge the wires. Oh yeah, it may have been 14v. I had a 1.8w battery maintainer solar panel hooked up to the battery.
Really though, if you do anything like this, be careful and use a fuse or something, there's a lot of power even in old batteries and you can get yourself killed. I had the wires connected for as little time as possible and was at least slightly aware of the danger. Lessons learned: First stop and think, maybe you can adapt a cigarette lighter that is fused; second, directly wire in a fuse; Third, use electrical tape between the contacts to prevent accidental touching of the energized wires even if it is fused.
While installing my solar panel, I realized that I had left my drill driver's 19.2v battery at home. Since home was 1.5 hours away, I tried to just use a screw to bore a hole into the fiberglass, and promptly bore a hole into my finger with the screwdriver. Then I thought about alternative sources of power for the drill. Luckily, I had a pair of alligator clip wires, and I was able to connect them to the correct terminals in the drill. The terminals in the drill each have two sides, I connected the alligator clips to the furthest side on each one. THEN, once I was sure they were secure and far enough apart not to transmit 680 cold cranking amps between them, I test hooked them up to the old deep cycle battery I had just replaced. It didn't spark or catch fire or anything, and the 12v from the battery turned the drill just fine, and just a little slower than normal. I was able to drill the holes normally being careful not to dislodge the wires. Oh yeah, it may have been 14v. I had a 1.8w battery maintainer solar panel hooked up to the battery.
Really though, if you do anything like this, be careful and use a fuse or something, there's a lot of power even in old batteries and you can get yourself killed. I had the wires connected for as little time as possible and was at least slightly aware of the danger. Lessons learned: First stop and think, maybe you can adapt a cigarette lighter that is fused; second, directly wire in a fuse; Third, use electrical tape between the contacts to prevent accidental touching of the energized wires even if it is fused.
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) I bought a cute little Li-ion 18V drill gun just to keep on the boat. But now I'm thinking that maybe I should have just got an old yankee drill or brace and bit set for it. No electrical complications. Nah... can't work a brace and bit with one hand while clinging to the top of the mast with the other hand. The only drawback is the home depot brand doesn't have a ring to attach a lanyard.
