Clockwork radio
From Free net encyclopedia
A clockwork radio is a radio that is powered by clockwork wind-up mechanism driving an internal generator, rather than batteries or solar cells or mains electricity or thermoelectrics. It is intended primarily for use in areas of the world where there is no mains supply and replacement batteries are hard to obtain. It sometimes incorporates a flashlight or other useful device. Some models have a multiple power sources: wind-up, solar, conventional batteries, A/C, etc.
The modern clockwork radio is a patented design by Trevor Baylis through a company called Baygen the key to it's design is the use of a constant velocity spring to store the potential energy.
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Development
Baylis claims to have devised his clockwork radio in response to hearing a news broadcast about the spread of AIDS in Africa. Baylis thought that the people at greatest risk from AIDS -- poor, isolated communities in Africa -- would be unable to afford a supply of batteries in order to receive broadcasts educating them about the disease. Thus, a clockwork-powered radio would be an elegant solution to the problem.
In 1994 the radio was shown on the BBC's Tomorrow's World.
Usage
The clockwork radio is used in isolated communities in Africa, but is also sold in advanced countries, where it may be used for camping or emergencies.
Antecedents
Early antecedents of the clockwork radio would include:
- potter's wheel - hand or foot operated.
- Singer sewing machine - pedal operated, leaving hands free.
- Royal Flying Doctor pedal powered two-way radio developed in 1920s, but these are too heavy to be portable.
- School of the Air - students in remote locations use RFDS radio to talk to teachers.
See also
- Clockwork torch
- Clockwork computer - was described on BBC World on 30 September, 2005.
- Alternative technology
- Appropriate technology
- Dynamo
- Electrical generator
External links
- Behind the Clockwork radio - how it works, who uses it. EnginuityTemplate:Sustainability-stub