> please excuse any idiotic comments I may make, Im new to this (I
> think
> that pretty much sums it all up).
Well, welcome to the list! Nice to have you here.
> ideas for new power sources.
Hooray! One of my favorite subjects -- electrochemical cells are
NOT the only way to carry power.
Years ago, some researchers (MIT I think) came up with nano
turbine designs which could function as "batteries" which run
on hydrocarbons.
> The first idea is to use a small sterling engine to run a pager
> motor and
> generate electricity to recharge a battery pack. The sterling
I like the idea of a Stirling (notice the spelling) engine, but
what's the purpose of the pager motor? Is it that the DC motor
can be used as a generator? If so, a generator designed for the
job would be more efficient, but the pager motor has the benefit
of being cheap.
Possible down side: How much power can be generated from
the differential between your body temperature and the ambient
environment, and how would you handle days when the ambient
temperature is ~98 degrees F? (I live in Texas, and upper 90s to
lower 100s are common summertime temperatures)
There are more direct ways to generate power from differences
in temperature -- look up the term thermocouple on the net, and
see what comes up. It's a junction of 2 dissimilar metals which
when exposed to heat differences generates an electrical current.
You can build a crude one out of (from memory, so this may be
inaccurate) copper and aluminum wires.
> (Though
> I have a tough time imagining why anyone would put it over their cup
> of coffee:))
How about embedding it in the coaster, under your cup of coffee?
Those cups can get pretty hot. Not the ideal spot, I know, but it
wouldn't get "in the way" if it was in a coaster. Or, maybe as a "cozy"
around the cup?
> Ive seen some mention of using solar cells but I might be able to
> suggest
> a somewhat cheeper alternative. A couple of months ago I recived a
> small
> book with plans for creating solar cells based on copper instead of
> silicon for mere pennies (the cells, not the book). I havent been
Name of the book, ISBN, etc? Or, perhaps you could scan a few
relevant pages and put them on a site, so we could read them? If
there's merit, we could buy the whole book, I guess...or do an ILL
through the local library.
Sounds a little like a Lindsay book, actually.
> a acetalyne (I think thats right) torch. If anybody were interested
Acetylene. Check with a local plumber or welder -- they may be
willing to help you out. Some bike shops also have acetylene
available for building/fixing bike frames, etc...especially if they build
custom frames.
Is the acetylene involved chemically, or is it just for heat?
> http://members.aol.com/JNaudin509/index.htm This sight is one of
> those
> Free Energy sites. I know what your thinking, crackpot wacko right?
Actually I'm local to KeelyNet, Jerry Decker lives within ~20 minutes
of my house.
Fun stuff, really.
Socrates, Plato, Galileo, DaVinci, Columbus...all crackpot wackos.
Good company, all. Remember -- at this stage of the game, only
crackpot weirdos use wearable computers, too. :-) And, 20 years
ago, only crackpot weirdos had computers at home.
> try to keep my mind open but there may be some devices that could be
> of use to others.
Some of them are based on real and viable principles, like the devices
which are really just tuned 60Hz (50Hz in Europe) antennas that
parasitically draw power from power lines. Illegal, but quite ingenious.
Others are sealed steam engines, like the Minto Wonder Wheel, which I
personally contributed to KeelyNet (and its mirrors). The liquid piston
Stirling engines are also kind of neat.
The "free energy" and "perpetual motion" machines raise too many
flags in my mind, but some of the experiments are kind of neat.
-- Chuck Knight
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