Home Page link

Wind up flashlight

Home| Search | About
Login Password
Register Now! Lost Password?

Home Repair - - If it ain't broken, don't fix it. Otherwise look here. 

Bookmark this page:  YahooMyWeb Yahoo!  Google Google  Windows Live Favorites Windows Live  del.icio.us del.icio.us  digg digg  Add to Netscape Netscape
Subject Author Date
Wind up flashlight Jim 12-26-2007
If you were  Registered and logged in, you could reply and use other advanced thread options
Posted by Jim on December 26, 2007, 5:05 pm
I have had a wind up flashlight for a couple of years. Intended as
backup lighting these are meant to provide about 30 minutes of lighting
after a 5 minute cycle of winding.

Reality is 10 minutes of winding results in about 30 seconds of
lighting. What holds the charge? Might there be a rechargeable battery
inside which would warrant finding a way to open the case or is it some
form of solid state capacitor which would mean just tossing the thing
away?


Posted by Tony Hwang on December 26, 2007, 5:18 pm
Jim wrote:
> I have had a wind up flashlight for a couple of years. Intended as
> backup lighting these are meant to provide about 30 minutes of lighting
> after a 5 minute cycle of winding.
>
> Reality is 10 minutes of winding results in about 30 seconds of
> lighting. What holds the charge? Might there be a rechargeable battery
> inside which would warrant finding a way to open the case or is it some
> form of solid state capacitor which would mean just tossing the thing
> away?
>
Hi,
Sounds like battery is gone bad. Instead of replacing battery, they are
cheap. Just buy another unit. Mine has light, AN/FN/SW radio, cell phone
charging adaptor plugs, solar cells so I can chaqrge the battery leaving
near the window.

Posted by Jeff Wisnia on December 26, 2007, 7:43 pm
Jim wrote:
> I have had a wind up flashlight for a couple of years. Intended as
> backup lighting these are meant to provide about 30 minutes of lighting
> after a 5 minute cycle of winding.
>
> Reality is 10 minutes of winding results in about 30 seconds of
> lighting. What holds the charge? Might there be a rechargeable battery
> inside which would warrant finding a way to open the case or is it some
> form of solid state capacitor which would mean just tossing the thing
> away?
>

I've got a 1920s Collins "no battery" flashlight in my "toy collection".

Its small incandescent bulb is powered by a PM generator driven by two
"clock springs", each one about the size of a D flashlight battery.

The two springs are located end to end in the flashlight barrel the same
way that batteries would be. They are in series mechanically and
twisting the back end of the flashlight relative to the front winds 'em up.

The "on-off" switch is a mechanical device which jams or releases the
speed up gear train between the springs and the generator.

The springs run down in a couple of minutes.

There's a photo of a Collins one up from the bottom the right side of
this guy's page:

http://hometown.aol.com/charnes5/FlashlightCollectionTwo.html

The large "head" houses the gear train and generator.

Jeff
--
Jeffry Wisnia
(W1BSV + Brass Rat '57 EE)
The speed of light is 1.98*10^14 fathoms per fortnight.

Posted by Joseph Meehan on December 26, 2007, 7:47 pm
Replace it with a LED flashlight and buy a few new cells every five
years.

> I have had a wind up flashlight for a couple of years. Intended as
> backup lighting these are meant to provide about 30 minutes of lighting
> after a 5 minute cycle of winding.
>
> Reality is 10 minutes of winding results in about 30 seconds of
> lighting. What holds the charge? Might there be a rechargeable battery
> inside which would warrant finding a way to open the case or is it some
> form of solid state capacitor which would mean just tossing the thing
> away?
>


--
Joseph Meehan

Dia 's Muire duit




Posted by Stormin Mormon on December 26, 2007, 10:37 pm
Usually a nicad button cell. Sure, rip it open and unsolder the button cell
(probably three cells in series). Wire in three real Nicad or NiMH AA cells,
and you'll have much longer life.

Helps to be an electrical engineer, though.

Or you can buy a new crank light for between $5 and 15 and throw that one in
the trash. No, you can't, cause it has so much neat stuff on it. You can't
trash it.

--

Christopher A. Young
.
.

I have had a wind up flashlight for a couple of years. Intended as
backup lighting these are meant to provide about 30 minutes of lighting
after a 5 minute cycle of winding.

Reality is 10 minutes of winding results in about 30 seconds of
lighting. What holds the charge? Might there be a rechargeable battery
inside which would warrant finding a way to open the case or is it some
form of solid state capacitor which would mean just tossing the thing
away?



Similar ThreadsPosted
best source for flashlight bulb? February 1, 2008, 11:51 am
need flashlight that takes a regular edison light bulb May 29, 2008, 4:59 pm
Wall-Eye Flashlight to View Wall Cavity January 30, 2006, 12:13 pm
Wind powered car March 19, 2006, 5:05 am
Wind force June 14, 2006, 9:57 am
Wind fence question January 6, 2006, 11:56 am
Shingles / wind question June 14, 2006, 4:50 pm
wind in the fireplace insert February 2, 2007, 7:43 pm
Round House more wind resistant? July 17, 2005, 4:00 pm
Wind electric generation question January 31, 2006, 1:33 pm

Contact Us | Privacy Policy

XML SitemapXML Sitemap