My group is ambitious. We decided to make a hand-held crank generator.

Super cute!

It was made out of cardboard, copper wire, magnets, and a few other things. It has a little crank on it that lights a tiny led light. Here’s the webpage for it, complete with a youtube video:

http://www.amasci.com/amateur/coilgen.html

For our experiment, Jersson hooked it up to LabView and calculated the voltage it generates. It works pretty well. We were watching it light up, and Cisnell filmed it.

My favorite part about this experiment is its real world potential for application. I actually own a real hand-crank radio. The hand-crank generator can be used for people who need temporary electricity. It reminds me of the people in Haiti. I read a story about how a few scattered homes still had power after the earthquake in 2010. People were charging guests to charge their cell phones and use their electricity. I know that they sell hand-crank radios, flashlights, and cell phone chargers. I actually just remembered that we have the flashlight in addition to the radio.

So we are going to class on Monday to present out experiment to a group and have them present their experiment to us. Our group is going to do a great job. The other group is going to be impressed and get a kick out of the tiny little light. I’m looking forward to it.