h a l f b a k e r yI CAN HAZ CROISSANTZ?
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radio waves are energy. they gave me the baseball game for free when i built the crystal radio set from my Radio Shack 150-in-1 kit. no batteries. no power cord. just free radio forever. why did we stop at the crystal radio? what else can we make that runs off radio waves?
ex- perpetual FreePower
LED blinker can be used for markers in dark places, monuments (like an eternal flame), tiny wattage flashlight for keyholes, goofy goggles, promotional items.
why are teeny weeny FreePower crystal radios not sold in stores for one dollar (you supply headphones)?
FreePower! We had it! Where did we put it?
"Diode-Based Energy Source"
http://www.escribe....freenrg/m10443.html With a big honkin' antenna and an earth ground, you can get about 20 microwatts of power. Whee... [egnor, Feb 14 2001, last modified Oct 21 2004]
The Xtal Set Society
http://www.midnightscience.com/ [egnor, Feb 14 2001, last modified Oct 21 2004]
Nokia Developed Wireless Power-Harvesting Phones
http://mobile.slash...ng-Phones?art_pos=9 Slashdot discussion [xaviergisz, Jun 11 2009]
[link]
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i dont know if 20 microwatts is a lot or a little, but my radio worked great and the only antenna was a single wire from the kit. |
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Basically, there isn't enough power to be interesting. |
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However, as anyone who has lived close to a radio transmission tower can tell you, the "inverse square law" means you can get a lot more power under some circumstances. |
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Rmutt recalls a great article in some RF geek magazine. Apparently the Saudis built a soccer stadium right next to a 100 KW AM radio transmitter (used to broadcast the call to prayer to the failthful). Had to rebuild the stadium with insulators between the steel beams because they were arcing great bolts of lightning. Not quite micropower, but what, 5 times more powerful than the FCC limit? |
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Why use radio waves for power when there's far more to be had in another part of the electromagnetic spectrum, namely the visible? |
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Radio communications is practical only because the natural background noise at radio frequencies is so low. Direct sunlight gives you 100 milliwatts per square centimeter, while a digital cell phone might put out only a few milliwatts and yet still work in the daytime. |
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How would the energy density look in the 50-60 Hz range? Would it be worth it? |
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A more useful kind of "free" energy source can be found in the Freeplay (www.freeplay.net) or Baygen radios and flashlights. Basically, you wind up a big spring that then drives a motor in reverse, generating power. |
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I hear radioactive salts could do wonders for wireless power. |
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[travbm] Please stop trolling. |
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Nano wires also work to convert infra red em rays directly into electricity. |
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