Hi guys:
How does a wind-up generator (like in a wind-up radio) work? Is it simply a dynamo that charges a NiCd battery, or is energy stored in a power spring (or neither)?
Thanks for any replies.
Don
- posted
18 years ago
How does a wind-up generator work?
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- posted
18 years ago
....Just to clarify. I realize that a power spring can't produce electrical power. I just wondered if the mechanism truly winds up (like a wind-up toy) and then this mechanical energy is converted into electrical energy somehow.
Don
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- posted
18 years ago
I have a FreePlay radio with both wind-up and solar power sources.
The wind-up mechanism on this radio works like a clock. You wind the spring and it drives a small DC generator (via a speed control mechanism) to power the radio for about 30 minutes.
Other "wind-up" radios may have NiCad/NiMH cells and either use the spring mechanism / DC generator to charge the batteries, or use a crank-driven DC generator to charge the batteries directly (not exactly "wind-up", but does use a hand-crank ;-)
John