diy - DIY & Electronics

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File: 1413078493613.png (349.53 KB, 627x457, Tesla_v.png) ImgOps iqdb

Anonymous 2014-10-12 01:48:13 No.7

Free energy.
Let's discuss ways to charge batteries using alternative sources of energy.

My issue: How can we use solar energy without buying an expensive solar cell?

Anonymous 2014-10-12 01:49:52 No.8

>How can we use solar energy without buying an expensive solar cell?

switch to nuclear?

Anonymous 2014-10-12 01:54:03 No.9

>>8
Doesn't nuclear use heat (from fission or something) to make electricity?
The sun can heat.

Anonymous 2014-10-12 01:54:54 No.10

Use mirrors to redirect heat to a water container and produce steam by boiling the water using the sun heat. Use the steam to feed and electric motor. Make sure the water condensates in a high place of the structure. You can then use the falling water to produce a secondary power source to the electric motor.

Anonymous 2014-10-12 02:18:12 No.12

>>10
I would use a radiator-like structure to avoid the mirrors. Water can condensate in a conduct at the top that drags it to the bottom again; it should be easy to use that flow as a secondary power source.

Wouldn't it be better to use the energy to charge capacitors?
Then you can charge whatever device's battery with them, and maybe build a device that uses them to output current continuously to power some thing that doesn't use batteries.

Anonymous 2014-10-12 03:15:07 No.13

>>12
That's a relatively weak power source, though. Could certainly be fun, but to really extract a lot of power you need to focus it. Here's what 10 was referencing: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solar_power#Concentrating_solar_thermal_power

This sort of power plant can operate on a standard Rankine cycle, which is the same used by nuclear or coal power. The reason you don't charge capacitors is because you have AC power coming out of the generator. Some of these power plants do utilize thermal energy storage, which is usually done by heating a material with a high specific heat (I think molten salt is used sometimes). Later, when it's darker but demand is higher, you can extract energy from the heated material.

Anonymous 2014-10-12 04:22:34 No.14

>>10
I've heard about something like this, the difference being they used salt instead of water to direct the light into, and then the molten salt evaporated water to run a turbine or whatever you want to do with it

Anonymous 2014-10-12 04:31:22 No.15

>>13
Yeah, a small water container is a better approach.
Anyway, in my case I want to store the energy, being able to use it right away would be a plus.
I'll go read some theory about this.

Anonymous 2014-10-12 06:03:25 No.17

File: 1413093805521.jpg (482.74 KB, 1600x1200, power strip plugged into i….jpg) ImgOps Exif iqdb

Anonymous 2014-10-12 10:44:50 No.26

I once saw this small thing that could generate power from heat, for instance from your skin to charge your phone or watch

Don't remember what it was called, could someone help me out?

Anonymous 2014-10-12 11:28:55 No.28

>>26
http://english.etnews.com/electronics/2942182_1303.html

Anonymous 2014-10-12 11:43:25 No.29

You can also use a bicycle generator;
http://www.popularmechanics.com/technology/how-to/gadgets/pedal-power-how-to-build-a-bike-generator-16627209

If you get less bulky materials skip the bicycle and mount it using a bike brake cable on your less dominant leg, it might not be steady, but it might get you some energy on the fly.

Anonymous 2014-10-12 12:50:56 No.31

implants with blood sugar power source!
http://www.gizmag.com/biological-fuel-cells-use-blood-sugar/19261/
i don't think this really works yet though, but i love the concept

Anonymous 2014-10-12 12:58:09 No.32

>>31
STAY OUT OF MY BLOOD SUGAR, YOU TECHIE VAMPIRE!

Anonymous 2014-10-12 17:18:34 No.33

>>31
How does it handle hypoglycemia? Was it built with the knowledge that your body takes priority? Your brain and erythrocytes will be gasping for glucose and it would suck to have some parasitic implant harvesting what little is left.

Anonymous 2014-10-12 18:32:43 No.36

http://hacknmod.com/topics/diy-free-energy/

Anonymous 2014-10-13 21:30:15 No.49

>free energy
I hope you mean "inexpensive, passive power collection"
Ain't nothing "free" in this universe.

You could make a solar boiler or thermopile, but that suffers the same problems as solar in general, plus is likely something you're not equipped either materially or financially to do (and it could kill you in an explosion, or is just grossly inefficient)

Anonymous 2014-10-13 21:55:33 No.50

>>49
I think he meant "no bills to the electricty company"

Anonymous 2014-10-13 22:41:35 No.52

>>50
Well, then he's out of luck unless he's got about $20,000 for solar equipment, plus whatever renovating his home would cost.

Anonymous 2014-10-13 22:42:55 No.53

>>52
" How can we use solar energy without buying an expensive solar cell?"
Dude…

Anonymous 2014-10-13 22:49:58 No.55

>>49
I meant making cheap devices that transform libre forms of energy into cheap electricity, heat, etc.

I think eolic energy is a better start for a beginner. I haven't researched much about it, but attaching one of those things that spin with the wind to a generator sounds easier than a solar boiler.

>>52
In my case, being able to charge my dumbphone's battery every 10 or 15 days and powering the netbook I use as a server (only device I use 24/7) would suffice. So, something like >>10.

Anonymous 2014-10-14 01:03:09 No.57

>>55
A 50 watt solar panel is about $90 on amazon. That's less than you'll spend on whatever rube-goldberg contraption you're considering, and will be more efficient by at least a magnitude even if you live in an equatorial desert.
And you'll still need to come up with a stable storage/regulation system regardless of what power source you decide on.

Anonymous 2014-10-14 02:20:43 No.58

>>55
I actually lived in an RV for a few years, so I might be able to help.

Solar panels themselves are actually increasingly cheap and convenient. A small array won't cost much and can cover the entire load of a household.
What's NOT cheap is the electronics required to drive the solar panels. Even crappy inverters and chargers are expensive, and there's a huge performance difference between the "cheap" and expensive MPPT controllers.
And that's without considering the price of batteries.

Anonymous 2014-10-14 02:52:50 No.59

>>12
One of the hardest things with solar power is storing the energy. (Which you must do unless you use something else during the night or cloudy days.) There's some cool stuff on storing energy in chemicals, like plants.

Anonymous 2014-10-14 10:57:32 No.60

>>59
What about using an old fridge compressor to store high pressure gas?

Hobby/Student Electrical Engineer!IGEMrmvKLI 2014-10-14 16:12:23 No.61

>>59
>>12
There is a thread about supercapacitors

Anonymous 2014-10-14 21:13:12 No.62

>>60
How well do you think you could regulate it, and how long do you think it would last under normal use?
I'd be worried about it exploding

Anonymous 2014-10-14 22:54:03 No.63

>>62
My usual approach is to assemble it, bury it and start it. Factory specs might mean nothing in these Frankenstein project.
http://airbrushdoc.com/discussion/diy-air-pressure-switch/

Anonymous 2014-10-15 00:39:16 No.64

>>60
It isn't my specialty, but I remember reading something about how using water pressure would require more compressors than we can fit on the earth to store some standard amount of energy. I don't remember the exact wording.

Anonymous 2014-10-15 03:03:10 No.65

>>64
yeah, some chem 101 is that water is hard as shit to compress.

Anonymous 2014-10-15 19:39:47 No.69

anyone read this pdf? found it on /g/…
http://www.sifferkoll.se/sifferkoll/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/LuganoReportSubmit.pdf

Anonymous 2014-10-15 20:07:51 No.70

Plug your batteries into the neighbourhood fusion plant
www.reuters.com/article/2014/10/15/us-lockheed-fusion-idUSKCN0I41EM20141015

Anonymous 2014-10-15 22:14:32 No.74

>>64
I would use regular air. It' just to store energy for later, it must be ndependent of the water ystem.

Anonymous 2014-10-15 23:18:34 No.75

>>69
>1200°C
That's a lot of Sun. That's meant to be done in a lab.

Anonymous 2014-10-21 01:45:48 No.86

>>26
piezoelectricity right? can any lains corroborate?

Anonymous 2014-10-24 17:46:59 No.91

>>29
Note that it's actually more efficient to not use the bicycle,
http://www.lowtechmagazine.com/2011/05/bike-powered-electricity-generators.html

Anonymous 2014-10-24 18:09:18 No.93

File: 1414174158683.gif (29.99 KB, 225x310, kneefigure3.20.gif) ImgOps iqdb

>>91
Yes, my idea was to scrap completely the bicycle and just use the brake wires, and the generator; and power it by the difference in lenght of a bend leg, and a straight leg while walking. A weighted overrunning clutch attached to the waist belt might solve the problem of using chemical batteries.

Anonymous 2015-01-12 22:13:06 No.255

>>7
You chaps not come across lasersaber on youtube? All things free!

Watch ALL his vids on his channel - no nut job this guy is for real!
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCIKzUKkh7XtnSYPW0AJb-9w

Anonymous 2015-01-17 21:40:21 No.286

>>93
What is that picture about?

Anonymous 2015-01-19 00:35:37 No.288

>>286
I just looked for a diagram of a flexed leg. You can see the difference in the frontal leg section between a straight and a flexed leg. Which could be used to generate some little electric power using just a by-product of the natural walking movement.

Anonymous 2015-01-19 03:36:02 No.289

File: 1421638562687.gif (884.59 KB, 250x250, 1418483693509.gif) ImgOps iqdb

Provided you had sufficient wind, how large would a home made, or small & cheap commercial, wind generator have to be to power your house year round, pulling from the grid when low wind/peak hours?

Anonymous 2015-01-21 17:49:56 No.292

you can apparently trickle charge batteries through phonelines but I can't say I've ever tried it

Anonymous 2015-01-22 09:43:13 No.297

Those el-cheapo solar lights people put in their gardens.
Often they use an alkaline battery instead of a rechargeable one, and it leaks and corrodes the battery contacts, so they will throw them out/let your punk ass have at them.

You could also build a mirror and fluid based solar thingie.
Mirrors focus light on pressurized fluid container, fluid operates dynamo.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Concentrated_solar_power

Anonymous 2015-01-22 12:12:32 No.300

>>289
I don't want to derail the thread but I would just like to thank you for posting that gif.Thank you so much.

Anonymous 2015-01-24 05:23:30 No.305

>>10

Speaking of which, what are the cleanest and most environmentally friendly ways of producing strong steam power?

Anonymous 2015-01-31 01:59:18 No.338

File: 1422669558832.jpg (84 KB, 550x413, andersol_1a.jpg) ImgOps Exif iqdb

>>305
Harnessing steam would probably be the turbine.
Generating the staeam would be very dependent of geography.

Wood, Sun, Geo, ect.
Sun setup would be to have mirrors reflecting and focuasing onto a tube of hot pressurized water running the length of several of these missors to gain the heat upto 100°C+ with pressure and good sun, this can clime to 200°+ … outpunt that through a turbine and profit on the expansion of the super heated staeam!

Anonymous 2015-02-03 18:30:59 No.369

I remember someone on the diy board at 4chan mentioned you could charge a car battery by parking under a distribution transformer anyone care to confirm or deny this?

Anonymous 2015-02-18 17:11:46 No.439

>>305
Solar

>>338
>Sun setup would be to have mirrors reflecting and focuasing onto a tube of hot pressurized water running the length of several of these missors to gain the heat
Actually, heating the water directly is more trouble than it's worth, due to the pressure and low specific heat capacity.
You're better off heating up a transfer liquid like oil (or molten salt), and then passing that through a boiler to make steam.

>>369
Sounds like nonsense to me.

Anonymous 2015-02-18 19:17:48 No.440

Tidal power looks pretty cool.

Or geothermal, through volcanoes or really deep holes.

Anonymous 2015-02-18 19:18:43 No.441

>>440
vid related.

Anonymous 2015-02-19 20:58:19 No.444

>>440
>Or geothermal, through volcanoes or really deep holes.

This is actually already used in greenland/iceland (i forgot which one it was, please do not judge).
The use this geothermal energie all year long, pretty convenient i think.

Anonymous 2015-02-19 21:47:39 No.445

>>444
Also, hot water everywhere. Iceland.

Anonymous 2015-05-07 16:11:01 No.656

What would you say is a good way to start with green energy?

i like the idea because green energy is more passive then other more traditional energy resources

how much money would you say it would take to start?

Anonymous 2015-05-07 17:58:32 No.657

>>656
I agree. I do not think we will ever fully stop using oil, though. It will just be kept to a minimum; used for the most important tasks.

>how much money would you say it would take to start?
Are you talking about you, your family, your neighborhood, town, society? On what scale are we talking? Either way, it will be expensive at first, but may pay off over time.

A good link for you: http://www.fastcoexist.com/3041300/portlands-new-pipes-harvest-power-from-drinking-water
A new way to generate green energy using gravity.

Anonymous 2015-06-02 12:53:36 No.701

My plan is to have the following energy sources available on my own property when I buy one (I'm only 19).

Home made wind turbines, I have seen some cool low profile designs made from tin sheets, metal poles, bicycle gears and a DC motor.

Home made Bio-fuel Ethanol, because I plan to have my own Garden and make my own alcohol it will only be a bit more effort to use waste vegetable matter and distill 180 proof or higher ethanol. This can by stored and used to power a vehicle or a generator for power on demand.

Thermo electric power generation, I have always liked wood fires and will probably have one, so I could utilize waste heat and turn it into electricity by either a steam turbine or Peltier chips (which produce a current the bigger the temperature difference from the cold side to the hot side).

If I had a property with a large hill I would set up a shed and large water tanks at the top, then when I release water from the tanks it powers a water turbine like a dam. The water can also be used for my garden, alcohol distilling, bathing and drinking of course.

Anonymous 2015-06-03 02:38:13 No.702

>656

Here in Australia I have seen one person do it with his whole family, he is rich AF though.

I asked him some questions one day;
>Off the grid property $60,000AU
>Shed to temporarily live in and store batteries $15,000AU
>Solar panels $25,000AU
>Small kit built wind turbine $10,000AU
>Power inverter and batteries $10,000AU
>Eco house $150,000AU

All this lets his kids stay home all day and and play Games on four computers each with high end tripple way GPUs, That's a lot of power being wasted by gaymes.