Yesterday, the WEMMS (W)ay (E)xtreme (M)obile (M)usic system achieved initial operational capability. It came in fully loaded at 18.2 pounds:
We had a little scope creep during the build, but what project doesn’t these days? (aside: I started the pond refurb 2 months ago with the intention of just replacing the fountain. It turned into a top-to-bottom rebuild. Ended up tearing everything out, clear down to the dirt.) Anyway, this guy is now also a universal charging station with 3 transformers supporting 2 USB female plugs, with cables and adapters to fit just about anything currently out there in the mobile electronics realm.
It played continuously in testing for over a week before I cancelled the test after the battery was down to under 6v. Recharge time with the big wall wart was about 2 days. The little wart is hardwired for standby charging near a wall socket to keep it topped up in that mode of operation. I still need to make a cigarette lighter and standard car charger adapter plugs, but other than that, I believe it’s pretty well finished and good to go. Camping trip in August will complete the OTE phase.