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Gravity Light
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Flamin'Panda



Joined: 09 Feb 2014
Posts: 464
Location: Azores
PostPosted: Wed Feb 26, 14 10:48 am    Post subject: Gravity Light Reply with quote
    

Brilliant piece of engineering

https://deciwatt.org/

Flamin'Panda



Joined: 09 Feb 2014
Posts: 464
Location: Azores
PostPosted: Wed Feb 26, 14 11:54 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

This one item is about as ethical and sustainable as it is possible to get... please click on the link and have a look...

https://deciwatt.org/

onemanband



Joined: 26 Dec 2010
Posts: 1473
Location: NCA90
PostPosted: Wed Feb 26, 14 6:06 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

It's been on here before.

waits for link fairy. It's titled "It's blindingly obvious"

dpack



Joined: 02 Jul 2005
Posts: 45374
Location: yes
PostPosted: Wed Feb 26, 14 6:06 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

if they work and last well i recon they are a very good idea

having had a few wind up radios i would want to try one before getting several

Flamin'Panda



Joined: 09 Feb 2014
Posts: 464
Location: Azores
PostPosted: Wed Feb 26, 14 6:29 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

onemanband wrote:
It's been on here before.

waits for link fairy. It's titled "It's blindingly obvious"


Sorry, didn't know that. Just wanted to show it to other people.

The Problem with wind up items is that for some reason in the third world they are not really liked/wanted. Also, need to put in a lot of effort for little effect.

I applaud these guys and hope they do well.

RichardW



Joined: 24 Aug 2006
Posts: 8443
Location: Llyn Peninsular North Wales
PostPosted: Wed Feb 26, 14 7:30 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

Flamin'Panda wrote:
Also, need to put in a lot of effort for little effect.



The same effort would be required to lift the weight as turn the winder for the same output. Gravity is not magically adding power to the equation.

link to old thread

Flamin'Panda



Joined: 09 Feb 2014
Posts: 464
Location: Azores
PostPosted: Wed Feb 26, 14 7:40 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

What is brilliant is that it doesn't need a battery or super capacitor, the energy is in the weight. The gearing is very high, ok, a bit of effort to lift it, but no one is having to wind wind wind wind wind. All in all, I think it's super.

RichardW



Joined: 24 Aug 2006
Posts: 8443
Location: Llyn Peninsular North Wales
PostPosted: Wed Feb 26, 14 8:05 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

Ok look at it this way.

We have known about this for 2 years. I would guess that they have been working on it now for about double that. Yet they are still looking for a mug oops sorry a venture capitalist to fund it.

The date for its availability have slipped back every 6 months. Its not exactly cutting edge stuff or subject to huge advances in technology.

If it was a good idea it could be up & running in less than 6 months with a dragon behind it.

It produces 0.1 watts using a 12.5kg weight (max allowed).

They want to price it at $6. That would buy about 10 watts of PV ok you would then need a light & battery but vastly more usable as a light source or a recharge point.

Flamin'Panda



Joined: 09 Feb 2014
Posts: 464
Location: Azores
PostPosted: Wed Feb 26, 14 9:18 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

What is your source for the pv at that price?

RichardW



Joined: 24 Aug 2006
Posts: 8443
Location: Llyn Peninsular North Wales
PostPosted: Wed Feb 26, 14 9:31 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

sub 50p per watt is available EVERYWHERE

Flamin'Panda



Joined: 09 Feb 2014
Posts: 464
Location: Azores
PostPosted: Thu Feb 27, 14 4:52 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

Ok, just done my homework... yes, but you still have to buy the light and the battery. And when your battery has run down you are... um... up the creek sort of thing... It doesn't detract from my original post that this is good lateral thinking engineering and we, as a whole, need more people in the world like this.

If you look at where this came from, these guys originally took part in a competition to provide a light/solar power for less than (sorry can't remember exact amount), they came up with this. Good on them.

RichardW



Joined: 24 Aug 2006
Posts: 8443
Location: Llyn Peninsular North Wales
PostPosted: Thu Feb 27, 14 5:20 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

10 hours of use of the gravity light could be had with 1 hour of sunlight.

The PV could out perform it every day of the week & twice on sunday.

Hairyloon



Joined: 20 Nov 2008
Posts: 15425
Location: Today I are mostly being in Yorkshire.
PostPosted: Thu Feb 27, 14 7:36 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

If it helps to put gravity into perspective for energy storage, then if you lift a tonne of water 10 metres and drop it through a generator which is 100% efficient, it would run a standard electric kettle for about half a minute...

Flamin'Panda



Joined: 09 Feb 2014
Posts: 464
Location: Azores
PostPosted: Fri Feb 28, 14 6:38 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

You're all missing the point about the cost of purchasing everything. It was and still is a good piece of lateral thinking... it's a starting point, this is how changes are made to basic problems. I almost feel like saying, 'if you're so blooming smart, you come up with something better'...

Hairyloon



Joined: 20 Nov 2008
Posts: 15425
Location: Today I are mostly being in Yorkshire.
PostPosted: Fri Feb 28, 14 8:17 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

Flamin'Panda wrote:
It was and still is a good piece of lateral thinking...

Not really; even when you're thinking your way around a corkscrew, to do it well, you still need to do your sums.
It is a gimmick; a fun demonstration of scientific principals. No bad thing in that, but it's not going to change the world.
Quote:
I almost feel like saying, 'if you're so blooming smart, you come up with something better'...

Try this. Ok, he beat me to it, but...

Last edited by Hairyloon on Fri Feb 28, 14 8:22 am; edited 2 times in total

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