Tag: charger

DIY Light Up Cable Protector

written and updated 3/04/23

What: Outdoor rubber cord and cable protector ramp that lights up

Why: To charge a Battery Electric Vehicle (BEV) from a 120-Volt outlet by running an extension cord over a sidewalk. This is for very infrequent use (emergency charging in the event of poor memory or inclement weather). Not only is it a ramp which lowers the chance of tripping, but when placed at night, having it pulse-shine increases visibility. Couple it with a spotlight or porch lighting, should be plenty of indication of a hazard.

Supplies: Cable protector ramp, utility knife, razor scraper, battery powered/cuttable/outdoor-rated LED strip with light modes, double sided sticker dots, pliers (optional), paint scraper (optional), Shop Vacuum

Cost: 2-Channel Cable Protector Ramp ($54.19) + LED Strip ($11.99) + Double-Sided Stickers ($5.99) = $72.17

Time: 1 – 2 hours

Process

  • Gather Supplies (the rubber ramp, itself, is extremely smelly, so would recommend a few days of off gas unless storing in a shed our outside)

  • Test fit, measure, and mark
Permanent marker

  • Start cutting. Use of razor blades are the best for cutting through thick rubber. Make sure to use safety glasses and gloves. Be careful!
Cut wedges

  • After removing pieces in increments, use the razor scraper to clean up the bottom.

  • Test fit again. In this case, the battery case still doesn’t fit, so now to widen the side.
Doesn’t fit with the cord in there, too

  • Use pliers, the paint scraper, blades all together to remove the rubber

twist, pull, whatever it takes
levering
There it is!

  • Yay! It fits now!
This is a 10-gauge extension cord

  • At first, I thought I’d need to drill holes to make the light more visible, but I wasted time doing that because it works perfectly without the holes!

  • Sticky dots now, to hold the LED lights in place. I am aware that the LED lights have an adhesive, too, but for ease of removal/replacement I opted for the sticky dots
They were so annoying to stick, I needed something metal and thin to help me place them

  • Test time!
No porch lights

  • Yay!! It works! I was really, really nervous about it out there all night long, but it worked really well, and nothing bad happened according to the cameras I had trained on it. I also had the porch lights on, but without the lights, it looked really great, too. You can’t tell in these photos, but I left the mode on a fade in and out. Granted, this was winter, and there are typically very few people wandering around in the cold, dark, but I’m glad to see that in a pinch, the option is there to charge my EV overnight.