Batteryless Mobile Phone Charger

[cast123]

i'm quited interested in this new gadget east gear selling:
http://www.eastgear.com/shop/product_info.php?cPath=76&products_id=374
anyone came across similar products? :dunno:

 

[Terence]

You going to sit there for 3 hours winding the dynamo to charge your mobile phone?

 

[kahheng]

i'm quited interested in this new gadget east gear selling:
http://www.eastgear.com/shop/product_info.php?cPath=76&products_id=374
anyone came across similar products? :dunno:

I have one and I have bought three of them in the past to give away to friends. All purchased from duty free on board flights.

It's quite the conversation piece when you take it out at the pub and crank it a few times before using your mobile.

The first time I tried it was when I bought one on board an SIA flight - can't remember which one. I think a lot of people were frightened because of 9/11 and gave me worried stares when I started cranking it and it made a lot of noise. I guess some folks thought I could have been charging up a detonator for dynamite. Interestingly I notice that SIA doesn't sell them anymore. It's probably a coincidence eh? You can still get them onboard Emirates and sometimes on Gulf Air.

I wish they made a bigger heavy duty one with a handle the size of the one on those Baygen crank radios.

 

[jsbn]

Its a little silly methinks, but its a good concept of pushing environmentally friendly products.

Now if only we can convert body heat to usable energy...

 

[Bluestrike]

Its a little silly methinks, but its a good concept of pushing environmentally friendly products.

Now if only we can convert body heat to usable energy...

hmm.. I was thinking.. body fat.....

 

[jsbn]

Think Matrix...

 

[Terence]

hmm.. I was thinking.. body fat.....

If that's the case, Im a nuclear power plant.

 

[mpenza]

The first time I tried it was when I bought one on board an SIA flight - can't remember which one. I think a lot of people were frightened because of 9/11 and gave me worried stares when I started cranking it and it made a lot of noise. I guess some folks thought I could have been charging up a detonator for dynamite. Interestingly I notice that SIA doesn't sell them anymore. It's probably a coincidence eh? You can still get them onboard Emirates and sometimes on Gulf Air.

thanks for the info. think i'll get one too ;p how much did it cost on the flight?

 

[kahheng]

thanks for the info. think i'll get one too ;p how much did it cost on the flight?

Probably about S$30 ea. Damn, the Eastgear package incl the flashlight looks really cheap in this case. Then again, in-flight duty free is not exactly cheap. The international plug adapter I once bought cost about 25% more than local prices. But if you need one and you're already on the trip, you just have to buy it. It's the same with bottles of Johnnie Walker.

 

[cast123]

You going to sit there for 3 hours winding the dynamo to charge your mobile phone?

this thing needs 3 hours to charge up? :dunno:

 

[yanyewkay]

i rather go without my hp than to crank for 3 hrs.. :faint:

 

[MDZ2]

thanks for the info. think i'll get one too ;p how much did it cost on the flight?

thanks for the info. think i'll get one too ;p how much did it cost on the flight?

Don't bother, I bought the same thing a few months ago in Funan mall, And I must say. . .it totally crap (pardon my french).
The torchlight is really rubbish. You spend about 3mins shaking the thing in a obscene way and get only 30sec of useful light from the single led. After that, the light is about as useful as a glowstick.
As for the wind me up gizmo, there is really nothing to shout about either. For the price that you pay, you get a brighter led (that to its credit can last an eternity on just 3mins of winding) and a built in FM radio. Great if it costs just $10.
If you are thinking of buying it to charge the handphone, forget it. Though the manual says you can get about 8mins of talk time on just about 3mins of winding, there is a big catch, you can't wind it more than 3mins before letting it cool down, and you can't charge a completely flat battery. So there really is no way to determine if the claims are true unless you are able to tell exactly how many minutes of talktime is left in your phone before charging it...Now how many of us can do that. Most of the time, then the phone starts beeping, there is usually more than 20mins of talktime or 1/2 day of standby time left.

As an experiment, I tried, once, to charge my phone, that had just begun to beep, for about 20mins using that charger. After about 1min, the phone started beeping again. :angry:

so remember. . . buyer beware!!! :devil:

 

[kahheng]

Don't bother, I bought the same thing a few months ago in Funan mall, And I must say. . .it totally crap (pardon my french).
The torchlight is really rubbish. You spend about 3mins shaking the thing in a obscene way and get only 30sec of useful light from the single led. After that, the light is about as useful as a glowstick.
As for the wind me up gizmo, there is really nothing to shout about either. For the price that you pay, you get a brighter led (that to its credit can last an eternity on just 3mins of winding) and a built in FM radio. Great if it costs just $10.
If you are thinking of buying it to charge the handphone, forget it. Though the manual says you can get about 8mins of talk time on just about 3mins of winding, there is a big catch, you can't wind it more than 3mins before letting it cool down, and you can't charge a completely flat battery. So there really is no way to determine if the claims are true unless you are able to tell exactly how many minutes of talktime is left in your phone before charging it...Now how many of us can do that. Most of the time, then the phone starts beeping, there is usually more than 20mins of talktime or 1/2 day of standby time left.

As an experiment, I tried, once, to charge my phone, that had just begun to beep, for about 20mins using that charger. After about 1min, the phone started beeping again. :angry:

so remember. . . buyer beware!!! :devil:

Hahahahahahaha! ROTFLMAON You sound really upset! :bsmilie:

 

[cast123]

tks for sharing, guess have to reconsider liao

 

[hongsien]

Don't bother, I bought the same thing a few months ago in Funan mall, And I must say. . .it totally crap (pardon my french).
The torchlight is really rubbish. You spend about 3mins shaking the thing in a obscene way and get only 30sec of useful light from the single led. After that, the light is about as useful as a glowstick.
As for the wind me up gizmo, there is really nothing to shout about either. For the price that you pay, you get a brighter led (that to its credit can last an eternity on just 3mins of winding) and a built in FM radio. Great if it costs just $10.
If you are thinking of buying it to charge the handphone, forget it. Though the manual says you can get about 8mins of talk time on just about 3mins of winding, there is a big catch, you can't wind it more than 3mins before letting it cool down, and you can't charge a completely flat battery. So there really is no way to determine if the claims are true unless you are able to tell exactly how many minutes of talktime is left in your phone before charging it...Now how many of us can do that. Most of the time, then the phone starts beeping, there is usually more than 20mins of talktime or 1/2 day of standby time left.

As an experiment, I tried, once, to charge my phone, that had just begun to beep, for about 20mins using that charger. After about 1min, the phone started beeping again. :angry:

so remember. . . buyer beware!!! :devil:

It can be useful for emergency if you are in the Iranian Gobi dessert..........

HS

 

[digipat2003]

:think: guess the techno is not there yet :bsmilie:

 

[MDZ2]

Hahahahahahaha! ROTFLMAON You sound really upset! :bsmilie:

You are right Kahheng, but more mad at myself as I tend to be a very impulsive buyer and made many mistakes. My Minolta camera is currently my most expensive one

 

[MDZ2]

It can be useful for emergency if you are in the Iranian Gobi dessert..........

HS

Probably might work if you practice good habits like charging the phone for 3 mins every 1/2 hrs or so to topup a full battery. Just make sure you don't let the phone go dead :nono: :bsmilie:

 

[limhousen]

I have both the torch and charger (both gifts) and I can confirm MDZ2's comments. For your info, there is no way to charge up the battery no matter what regime you use. You just need to crank and speak on the phone at the same time.........for the duration of your conversation.

Have seen both items selling for far less in Sim Lim Tower. Less than $5.

 

[jsbn]

Whilst this form of silly cranking ain't gonna get us anywhere, this sounds like a slightly more practical and viable solution for cleaner energy.

http://www.voltaicsystems.com/solarpanels.shtml

A whopping US$229 for a backpack though.