[DC LoCo] hank crank recharger for new ubuntu tablet

[Gavin Baker]

Phil Shapiro wrote:
> hi ubuntistas,
> 
>      after sending info last week about that upcoming ubuntu tablet  
> that uses eight AA batteries i got to thinking about cool ways of  
> recharging those AA batteries. so on a whim i searched the web for  
> "hacking a hand crank flashlight" and came across this excellent video.
> 
> http://tinyurl.com/o76qf2
> 
>    then i went looking for a vendor for a hand crank flashlight and found this
> 
> http://www.jr.com/mark-feldstein---associate/pe/MFA_ETO100C/
> 
>      which looks a lot like the flashlight shown in the above video.
> 
>       is anyone on this list good with a soldering iron? this might be  
> a fun project for the dc loco to take on and create a video about. the  
> big question is -- how many minutes of tablet usage do you get for  
> each minute cranking the crank? my prediction is that it might be in  
> the 10 to 15 minutes range of tablet usage for each minute of cranking  
> the tablet.

Phil, you may already know this, but the OLPC XO was planned to have a
hand crank charger at one point. They abandoned it (as I recall) because
they were disappointed with the amount of cranking one had to do.
Presumably there's some information, and maybe even specs, available
about the hand crank they tested and what kind of results they go.

-- 
Gavin Baker
http://www.gavinbaker.com/
gavin at gavinbaker.com

You gotta give 'em hope.
    Harvey Milk