
1) Many types of battery powered electric drills can be used as a hand generator 
to charge small rechargeable batteries. A hand crank is made and mounted in the 
chuck of the drill and cranked by hand.  The trigger is held down and power is 
generated on the terminals that would normally connect to the battery.   The 
voltage at hand crank speeds is usually enough to change one or sometimes 2 
cells at a time.

2) Many types of self standing exercise bicycles and supported regular bicycles 
can be converted to generate power. One way is to use two battery powered 
electric drills facing each other with a lawn mower wheel on a shaft between 
them mounted in each chuck.   The lawn mower wheel is spring loaded to rest on 
the tire of the bicycle that has the drive chain. 

3) In a primitive environment the most damage one will see to vital electrical 
items will occur due to voltage surges. Lighting and electronics are partially 
sensitive to over voltage surges.  Assign someone in the group to monitor and 
periodically watch for this condition. If over voltage is measured at any time 
the engine governor and(or) voltage regulator will need to be adjusted low 
enough that the voltage never gets above a given limit.  For the USA this would 
be 120 V AC and  14.4 V for 12 DC sources.  

4) Run Tungsten filament bulbs at reduced voltage to get longer lifetime. A 
typical 40 watt and 60 watt wired in series running off 120 Volts will last 22 
years running full time.   Using a tungsten filament bulb and lowering voltage 
to 94, 89, 82, 78, 68, 64, 56, or 50 percent increases life time respectively 2, 
4, 10, 20, 100, 200, 1000, or 4000 times for the typical 1000 to 2000 hour 
lifetime.

5) Run LEDs at reduced current to get longer lifetime. One can control the 
current of an LED by use of a series resistor, a simple LM317 constant current 
circuit, or number of series connected mini-x-mass tree bulbs.  Run typical 20 
ma max rated  white LEDs at 10 ma and solid color LEDs at 15 ma to get longer 
life. 

6) X-mass tree bulbs can be used for light when little power is available. X-
mass tree bulbs, both tungsten filament and LEDs can be chopped up and rewired 
to run at many different lower voltages.  Adding extra bulbs in series for a 
given voltage will lower voltage on each bulb to make the result last longer.  
To determine typical run voltage for a given bulb, take the overall voltage and 
divide it by the number of bulbs in the series string.   As an example use 6 or 
7 (longer life) of the 50 bulbs/string-type in series for 12 Volt operation.  

7) Hook cells or batteries of the same current capability in series (end to end 
or positive of one battery to the negative of the next battery) to get the sum 
of there voltages.  Hook cells or batteries of the same voltage in parallel 
(side by side or positive to positive and negative to negative) to gain more 
power or current with the same resulting voltage.

8) Lead-Acid Batteries should not be discharged below 12 volts DC (nearly 
discharged).  Full charge is about 12.8 or higher.  Voltage is measured in 
resting state of no flow in or out.  Lead-Acid batteries will sulfate and will 
not fully charge if left discharged for too long a time (several weeks to 
months). Over charging from time to time at or near 15 volts at a slow charge 
can sometimes help to recover from sulfation and will help to equalize charge on 
all cells. 

9) Too many batteries in parallel can be troublesome in the long run.  Typically 
one cell in one battery will go bad (leaks down to 0volts) and can potently 
cause all the rest of the batteries to go bad if not soon spotted.  One rotten 
apple in the basket will make all the rest go bad applies to batteries wired in 
parallel also.  When hooking batteries in parallel only use equal ages or better 
equal tested condition of batteries.
  
10) Constantly monitor and remove leaky batteries from any battery bank as quick 
as they are suspected or found.  Take one battery off line from a parallel 
combination for a while (days to a week).  Look for weak cells by measuring the 
cell voltage at start and end of the time and determine overall condition by how 
well it holds a charge on all cells.   Give it a condition rating.

11) Primitive batteries of very low power can be made from almost any liquid 
that is basic, acid, or salt solution and two dissimilar metals as electrodes.  
Common battery materials like lead for electrodes and sulfuric acid for the 
electrolyte will produce much more power over the long run.  

12) Sulfuric acid can be made from earth venting of sulfur gas (found near 
volcanic activity) by passing it through water. Use distilled water if possible.  

13) Mine useful materials like refined metals, old battery carbon posts, and 
lead plates from land fills where past garbage was dumped. 

14) Distillation of water can be done any place a temperature gradient (a hot 
and a cold) can be made or found in close proximity to each other.  The greater 
the difference in temperature the faster the distillation.  Hot earth and cold 
flowing water or air are conditions that can be used. 

15) To establish Radio communications use the basic agreed upon emergency 
calling frequencies to establish first contact.  Each band has one primary 
calling frequency.  Keep a list at hand with your equipment. 

16) A crude compass can be made from a steel sewing needle rubbed on one end of 
a magnet or laded in a north-south direction and gently taped with a rock for a 
while.  A few drops of candle wax is then melted over the needle near the 
center.  If enough wax has been added it will float in a small cup of water and 
work as a compass.

17) Ashes and water makes a crude basic lye solution. Mixed with animal fat can 
be used to make soap.

18) Charcoal can be made by heating wood (at wood fire temperatures) in a nearly 
closed container.   For example a 30 gallon oil drum (small hole in bottom) held 
up inside a 55 gallon drum full of wood fire held by several rebar supports 
would work.  

19) In a pinch ground charcoal can be used in conjunction with sand or fine 
weave cloth to filter water.   The slower the flow the better it works.  
Charcoal can remove heavy metals, and hydro carbons from water.  Fine weave 
cloth packed into a small pipe can be used as a particle filter and to slow the 
flow at the outlet to this filter.    The water could still have pathogens in 
it.  So boiling, adding Chlorine, Iodine, Colloidal Silver, or a few drops of 
Grapefruit seed extract would be needed.  

20)  Protect the dry left over burnable material (charcoal, dry wood etc) from 
previous fire to help start the next fire.  While a fire is burning put future 
wet burnable material close to the fire to dry it for future fires. 

21) The trick to fire starting, is knowing materials enough to put together the 
proper gradient of highly flammable at the intended fire starting point to less 
burnable materials on the outside. Fires can be started using, a flammable 
liquid, or dry highly flammable materials by using, a match, flint and steal to 
produce a spark, magnesium chips and flint spark, spark from electrical source, 
a glowing wire (example: car cigarette lighter), spark from a piezoelectric 
crystal (some gas stove, and baroque start this way or from one of those hand 
click on utility lighters).   

22) Blacksmithing Basics:  Fire can be made hot enough by pumping air at the 
base of burning charcoal and laying the metal on top of the coals. When the 
steel is just hot enough that a magnet will no longer stick to it then it is the 
right temperature to work.  Remember this color and you don’t need the magnet 
test each time.  Starting with good steel as in car leaf springs and axels will 
produce high quality knifes or tools that do not easily dull or break.  Final 
test for a knife blade is to  bend it and see it spring back and to pound the 
knife into a ¼ iron rod to show the blade does not dent but the rod is nearly 
cut in two.  

23) Fires burning with wet wood or materials will spit, sputter and pop a lot of 
hot burning material in all directions.  Use a screen to cover the fire and use 
leather, Nomax, welding blankets, or other materials to avoid catching cloths on 
fire. 

24) Use of car or vehicle parts:  The alternator and in some cases the radiator 
fan motor can be used with run off water and a water wheel (made from wood and 
car wheels) with a belt speed changing rig to generate power.   They can also be 
made into a windmill with a bit more effort and parts to make a tower and the 
proper speed. Axel-spindle and break drum or disk can be made into an alternator 
for wind or water power given a bit of magnet wire and some permanent magnets.  
The radiator can be used as a heat exchanger to condense water after it has been 
vaporized.  The steel leaf springs and axel and steering parts can be 
blacksmithed into quality steel knifes and gardening tools.  All of the metal 
parts become a blacksmith resource.  Given lots of available water power the 
engine can be made into a compressor and used to drive air powered tools.  A 
standard transmission (hand cranking point) and rear end can be made into a 
winch (cable or rope around the wheel without tire) to pull a load up a hill.  
With a bit more effort they can be made into wind driven grain grinder.  A bit 
of steel brake or gas line in the hands of a skilled fire starter can apply the 
right amount of well directed air to change a smoldering coal in contact with 
some readily burnable material into a flame and get a fire back going again.   
Rubber heater hoses could be used with water filtering.  The gas tank once 
cleaned of its gasoline could be used to collect the resulting water.  Rubber 
from the tires cut up into shoe soles along with wires for straps from under the 
hood could be used to make sandals.  The rear end, springs and wheels could be 
used as is with a light wagon type bed build on top to make a push or pull cart.   
The horn can be temporally hooked to the battery to call all back to base in 
case of emergency.   The battery power lights can be used for light. The head 
lights used to spot at distance. The tile lights and interior for general task 
lighting.  The seat covers and floor mats can be used for shelter or tough 
clothing or shoes or to hold water.  The spring wire in the seats along with 
some of the under dash wiring can be used to make animal trap snares.  The glass 
windows even if broken can be melted down and blown into other objects. Use some 
steel break or gas line to assist with the blowing of glass. Melt a blob on the 
end and blow.  The windshield washer plastic container makes a small container 
for water.   The hub caps if metal can be used over a fire to cook in.   This is 
not a comprehensive list it is only to get one started to thinking on the 
subject. 




