25.01.08
Hi, Ruth here's what I did today - the principle is ok but I think the scale is wrong -too small. I rigged up 4 magnets on a disc of ply and two coils on another so I could spin the magnets and hold the coils close to them. Sure enough, I got a reading of a few volts. Now for the problems : you have to spin the mags quite fast - too fast for an ordinary crank.[ There is the possibility here of using the 'yo-yo' principle to get the speed. but that complicates things ...] and we should be thinking bigger - not too big obviously and that takes us back to making coils - these are much too fiddly but they showed the thing will work. How do we set about making coils? It should be not too difficult to show kids how to make the basic [empty] bobbins out of card and push a core into them. Or am I being over optimistic? Or is it all getting too complicated?
I don't think one can use cotton bobbins nowadays because they are mostly plastic and anyway there is not sufficient room for winding wire on unless you remove wood /plastic first. Enough for today Ruth - let me know your thoughts please, love Dave XX
26.01.08
Hi Ruth, I have found some internet firms who look possible suppliers of Spools because however I figure it, they will be the most difficult part to make in quantity. Let me do a search in obsolete electrical bits . Will come back later... love, Dave
27.01.08
I have moved and everything is in its place now.
Did you read the e mail I forwarded you? Morgan projects on
sustainable energy in remote Sri Lankan communities is really
interesting...I wish I had studied something useful..
Thanks for already putting in so much effort! it sounded really hopeful
when you discovered the coil in the quartz clocks. I have pondered the
question that Morgan raised in his email and I think the energy produced
by the dynamo is more symbolic than practical purposes, so even if it only
produces enough to create a small light for only a short time, then
perhaps that is enough..but anyway, the question of how to move the
magnets fast enough..the yoyo effect sounded quite fun and playful and I
remember the yoyos that used to create little lights..that could really
compliment the fact that I want to teach kids how to make them..could we
develop that idea further??? I think working with the kids on this project
is becoming more and more important to me. I have also been thinking about
the Chile exhibition. I thinl the work should be made and happen here and
that the work I present in Chile should be documentary. I did what you
said and worked back wards. I cannot gurantee that I would get funding to
send a work of any size over to Chile and presenting documentation of a
live work would be far more in keeping with the historical body of my
work. I don't think i would be wise to break away from this for Chile.
Do you still want me to source the copper wire? I will get some led lights
ordered tomorrow.
okidoki, it's a bit late now and I have a busy week. I will probably dream
about dynamos tonight, if I have any revelations, I'll let you know!
love, Ruth
The word "yo-yo" and the modern yo-yo design come from the Philippines. Unlike the original Chinese and Greek yo-yos, Philippine yo-yos (the word means "come come" or "come back" in the native Tagalog language) had the ability to "sleep." This unique toy may have been an adaptation of the Chinese yo-yo, or it may have developed out of a Philippine hunting weapon. In any case, it dates back at least a few hundred years in the region.
Potenco Power Generator
One Laptop Per Child's hand-crank power generator . A simple but very effective hand-powered spindle (or salad spinner, or yoyo)
Potenco is estimating one minute of pulling its human-power electricity generator can give a user 1 hour of light, 25 minutes of mobile phone talk time, 45 minutes on the Nintendo DS, and an impressive 230 minutes of iPod shuffle music - about one song per pull!
