EnviroGadget » crank

Lego Dynamo Torch

Anita (EnviroGadget Writer) — Wed, 20 Apr 2011 09:00:28 +0000

The Lego Dynamo Torch is a cool and fun way for both children and adults to enjoy using an eco-friendly torch. The friendly Lego character has two torches built into his feet, while his arm works as the wind up/crank handle to power him by, providing you with light whenever you need it.

The Lego Dynamo Torch uses a dynamo and crank/wind up handle to provide the electricity for powering the LED torch lights. This allows you to have the reassurance that the torch will always be ready for action, be it to find the fuse cupboard in the dark, or hunt out monsters under your bed.

The brightly coloured friendly Lego character is appealing to both young and old, reflecting our age old love of lego. The Lego Torch man has movable arms, head and legs, as with a standard Lego man, allowing you to pose him however you wish and be able to use him easily to provide light. Due to it’s shape the torch has two light points, one in each foot, which can be used pointing together for a brighter, wider beam or can be pointed in different directions.

The Lego Dynamo Torch is suitable for ages 5 up and is not recommended to those under 3 due to small parts. The torch measures 19 cm (7.5 in) tall, perfect for both a child’s hands or those of a nostalgic adult. The torch gives peace of mind that there will not be a continual stream of batteries to replace, nor will you need to remember to leave it in the sun to charge before use, it is ready to go as soon as you wind it up. This allows a child to forget to turn the torch off without running through batteries needlessly and means the torch can be used as a teaching aid over the benefits of eco-friendly energy sources.

Want to buy this gadget? Check out the Lego Dynamo Torch article on EnviroGadget to see the lowest prices for this gadget.

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Hand-powered Windup Mobile Phone Charger

Dan (EnviroGadget Writer) — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 09:40:56 +0000

The Hand-powered Windup Mobile Phone Charger is a perfect and affordable little gadget that allows you to top up your mobile phone using nothing but hand power. We’ve seen hand-powered chargers before, but this one stands out as it’s so cheap at just £5.99 (around $10) and it supports a number of mobile phones (sadly not the iPhone though).

The phone charger is really light and compact, and is able to give you 8 minutes of talk time with just 3.5 minutes of hand power (where you average at around two and a half turns per second). Counter-intuitively, it’s not the speed of cranking that determines how much talk time you get, but more the number of turns that you do. This is because the energy generated by a dynamo is directly proportional to the number of turns completed, rather than the speed of the magnet moving within the coil. However, the faster you go, the less time it will take to charge your phone!

The compatibility list includes (which is sadly a little short):

Nokia 3210/3310/3330/8210/8250
Motorola Star tac/cd920/930/928/V3688/V8088/V3690
Ericsson T28/T20/T29/T39M/T39/T60/T65/T68/R320/R310/R380/R300/R520m
Siemens C25/C35/C35i/M35/A35/A36/A40/SL45/S45/SL45i/SL42

For just £5.99, it’s a pretty neat gadget. However, I’m sure the lack of compatibility for the newest mobile phones will put people off.

Want to buy this gadget? Check out the Hand-powered Windup Mobile Phone Charger article on EnviroGadget to see the lowest prices for this gadget.

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Crank-Powered Rechargeable Batteries

Dan (EnviroGadget Writer) — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 09:00:46 +0000

Your portable batteries will never run flat without a charger again! Designer Qian Jiang’s rechargeable batteries fit into a traditional household charger, or alternatively, with a little elbow-grease, can be recharged by hand from a built-in hand-crank.

Similar to the wind-up radio, a small hand-crank folds out of the battery and turns an internal dynamo to provide an electrical current. Just five minutes of turning will generate nearly 50% power, whilst an indicator light shows the level of charge.

Battery storage capacity will grow in the future and the hand-crank concept will work on various types, including the common AA and AAA sizes. If your arm grows tired the cells also fit into a traditional household charger that draws power from the mains. Battery recycling is all the rage at the moment with new battery-saving gadgets coming onto the market all the time. We think this concept is a great addition. Ingenious!

Source: Yanko Design

Want to buy this gadget? Check out the Crank-Powered Rechargeable Batteries article on EnviroGadget to see the lowest prices for this gadget.

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Wind Up 8-Channel Walkie Talkies

Dan (EnviroGadget Writer) — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 10:00:19 +0000

I used to love walkie talkies when I was younger, but it was so frustrating when the batteries ran out so quickly (and when it eventually broke!). The Wind up Walkie Talkie solves the problem of expensive batteries, since the unit is completely rechargeable using a mains adaptor as well as good ol’ hand-crank power.

The walkie talkies are ideal for camping, the seaside, shopping centres or festivals when there’s no mobile phone reception. Of course, since you don’t pay for talking, using the radio is cheaper than using a mobile phone! After a full charge, each radio will give you 90 minutes of talk time or up to 8 hours of standby power. If you decide to charge up the radio, 1 minute of cranking will give you 2 minutes of talk time and 10 minutes standby power.

The Wind Up Walkie Talkie kit come as a pack of two for £49.95. Each radio has 8 communication channels to avoid interference, and will reach up to 3 kilometres line of sight.

Want to buy this gadget? Check out the Wind Up 8-Channel Walkie Talkies article on EnviroGadget to see the lowest prices for this gadget.

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Benex USB Wind Up Eco Charger

Dan (EnviroGadget Writer) — Tue, 17 Feb 2009 10:00:15 +0000

There are plenty of hand-powered and solar powered chargers out there, so what’s new about this one? The USB Wind Up Eco Charger doesn’t have an internal battery like other chargers. Instead, it has a USB socket that can be used to directly charge any gadgets that are charged via a USB cable.

Although this means that gadgets are only charged whilst you are cranking away, it does mean that the Benex Eco Charger produces up to 5 times more energy compared to the hand-crank-charger-with-battery variation. Since all batteries degrade eventually, since this eco charger doesn’t haven an internal battery, it’ll last a really long time too!

Want to buy this gadget? Check out the Benex USB Wind Up Eco Charger article on EnviroGadget to see the lowest prices for this gadget.

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Crank-Power Active Trax Audio Player

Dan (EnviroGadget Writer) — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 10:00:15 +0000

The Active Trax Audio Player eco-gadget is an amplifier and FM radio that can charge up using solar power, hand power (via the handle) and good ol’ AC mains power. Using a 3.5mm audio jack, you can play your iPod or any other MP3 music player that has a standard headphone socket.

A single charge of the battery lasts for 7 hours, although it’s not clear how long you need to use hand power or the solar panel to achieve a full charge. It’s great for camping and being outdoors, a great way to break the silence if you’re feeling a little bored out in the open. What I really like is that the amplifier comes with its own case, perfect if you want to make sure it doesn’t get damaged during your travels.

Source: ChipTrick

Want to buy this gadget? Check out the Crank-Power Active Trax Audio Player article on EnviroGadget to see the lowest prices for this gadget.

© 2008 to 2011 EnviroGadget.com. You can now keep up with the latest eco-gadgets on the EnviroGadget Facebook page. Why not help us to spread the word?

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