On a sunny day (Mon, 1 Feb 2010 19:07:48 -0800 (PST)) it happened kiqyou_vf wrote in :
Use a bike with the dynamo and a rectifier and some regulator... At least then the mechacial part already exists, and you can sit down while making electricity :-)
The $ 5 ones might be a hassle too, if they're too cheap!
Emergency gear that breaks easily because it's too cheap would be a problem when you need it.
The Red Cross labeled ones are more like $ 30.
That camiselectronics page with the tree mount Mortley Sprague Hand Crank generator (HD550-HD600) is now a dead page, but I suspect that it would be way too expensive except for military use.
Can anybody find a source/price for that unit?
Notice that the cheapie rechargers are being promoted one Chinese outfit/trade group as a promotional ( advertising giveaway ) item like cheap clocks or ball point pens.
I rather wonder if they really did many tests on them, though, or just took a large payment in exchange for a manufacturer to slap their logo on it in the hopes of better sales.
I practice, I think that crank-powered radios are more a novelty than a true emergency tool -- radio receivers draw so little power that you usually get some tens of hours off of a pair of "AA" batteries, so a pack of, say, 24 "AA" batteries will more than last you through all but the most extreme disasters (e.g., hurricane Katrina) anyway.
Personally I'd go for a good-quality 5W solar panel and a handful of rechrageable AAs...
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