Whatever turns your crank?
August 28, 2012 9:46 AM Subscribe
Resourceful mefites, can you help me crank my hand crank radio with a stationary bicycle or elliptical trainer?
I'm in New Orleans, and we're riding out hurricane Isaac at home. Since we might lose power, I just bought this little hand crank radio that can charge a usb cell phone.
The problem is, 10-15 minutes of cranking is necessary to be able to make a one minute phone call. All of you MacGyvers out there: can you think of a way to attach the radio's crank to a stationary bicycle or elliptical trainer using household objects?
I'm in New Orleans, and we're riding out hurricane Isaac at home. Since we might lose power, I just bought this little hand crank radio that can charge a usb cell phone.
The problem is, 10-15 minutes of cranking is necessary to be able to make a one minute phone call. All of you MacGyvers out there: can you think of a way to attach the radio's crank to a stationary bicycle or elliptical trainer using household objects?
I'd enlist a kid since I have them ... Wait, I'd think you'll need duct tape at least.
Be safe, charge up your phone as much as possible before it hits.
Whatever the rig, it will have to hold the crank steadily on the right angle while the radio is held to not simply spin around.
posted by tilde at 9:53 AM on August 28, 2012
Be safe, charge up your phone as much as possible before it hits.
Whatever the rig, it will have to hold the crank steadily on the right angle while the radio is held to not simply spin around.
posted by tilde at 9:53 AM on August 28, 2012
I have one of those and, from my experience, that plastic crank -- both the crank itself and the connection to the rest of the device -- is really not built for superhuman strength.
posted by griphus at 9:55 AM on August 28, 2012 [2 favorites]
posted by griphus at 9:55 AM on August 28, 2012 [2 favorites]
Those cranks are super flimsy and will probably not perform as expected if duct taped to a stationary bike, I think.
posted by elizardbits at 9:59 AM on August 28, 2012
posted by elizardbits at 9:59 AM on August 28, 2012
What tools and/or parts do you have that might help?
I would try to replace the crank with a wheel and then have the "crank" wheel turned by the bike's wheel via friction. You'd need to secure the radio somehow.
Attempting to turn the crank with the bike's wheel would be tough. There's be no way to get past the fork that holds the bike wheel.
Rather than the bike, do you have a cordless drill? If you remove the crank and there is some sort of rod/pin along the axis where the crank attached, you could then tighten the drill chuck around the rod and use the drill to turn it. Kind of a waste but then again you can't run your phone from your drill.
Honestly, I'm not sure this is even wise. I think even if you didn't destroy the radio when you modified it it might break while you're turning it with the bike. Keep you phone charged and the use it as little as possible.
posted by bondcliff at 10:06 AM on August 28, 2012
I would try to replace the crank with a wheel and then have the "crank" wheel turned by the bike's wheel via friction. You'd need to secure the radio somehow.
Attempting to turn the crank with the bike's wheel would be tough. There's be no way to get past the fork that holds the bike wheel.
Rather than the bike, do you have a cordless drill? If you remove the crank and there is some sort of rod/pin along the axis where the crank attached, you could then tighten the drill chuck around the rod and use the drill to turn it. Kind of a waste but then again you can't run your phone from your drill.
Honestly, I'm not sure this is even wise. I think even if you didn't destroy the radio when you modified it it might break while you're turning it with the bike. Keep you phone charged and the use it as little as possible.
posted by bondcliff at 10:06 AM on August 28, 2012
Using stuff laying around:
If you've got a 12v drill, use it's battery and a car charger to charge your phone. positive to tip, negative to sleeve. This might even work up to 18v or so.
posted by Orb2069 at 12:14 PM on August 28, 2012
- Support the rear of the bike somehow so you can pedal without going anywhere.
- Take several layers of cardboard and glue them together to make a disk (Wheat paste would work.) the same thickness as your bike tire and put a few more on either side an inch or two larger in diameter.
- Cut a slot in the center just thick enough to put the handle through, sticking straight out.
- Pedal bike slowly,
- have friend hold charger against wheel or rig up a method where the radio gets held against the tire by gravity.
If you've got a 12v drill, use it's battery and a car charger to charge your phone. positive to tip, negative to sleeve. This might even work up to 18v or so.
posted by Orb2069 at 12:14 PM on August 28, 2012
Assuming it was engineered (that is to say thoughtfully designed) at some point in it's development cycle then the people who put it together probably directed their thinking at how it would see use as a hand crank unit.
I don't say this to be a smart ass, I'm just saying that my gut feel as someone with non-negligible engineering/redneck engineering/modding experience is that you won't get the results you're looking for without a huge amount of trouble and you'd probably break the item anyway. The bearings and shafts driving the generator just wouldn't handle the additional rpms/stresses.
Some things, like certain Linksys routers/certain engine configurations in cars/altoid tins/blah, are certainly capable of being modified to do more than they may be doing in their current configuration/usage, don't get me wrong. I'd just hate to see you burn daylight on this mod/hack and end up with a cracked case or broken driveshaft and a paperweight instead of a usable radio.
All that aside, the variable speed drill chucked onto the driveshaft is likely to be your best option but it kinda defeats the purpose since you're talking about a off the grid problem/solution, you might as well wire the batteries from the drill directly into the radio and save the efficiency losses if you had taken the long way around...
posted by RolandOfEld at 12:36 PM on August 28, 2012 [1 favorite]
I don't say this to be a smart ass, I'm just saying that my gut feel as someone with non-negligible engineering/redneck engineering/modding experience is that you won't get the results you're looking for without a huge amount of trouble and you'd probably break the item anyway. The bearings and shafts driving the generator just wouldn't handle the additional rpms/stresses.
Some things, like certain Linksys routers/certain engine configurations in cars/altoid tins/blah, are certainly capable of being modified to do more than they may be doing in their current configuration/usage, don't get me wrong. I'd just hate to see you burn daylight on this mod/hack and end up with a cracked case or broken driveshaft and a paperweight instead of a usable radio.
All that aside, the variable speed drill chucked onto the driveshaft is likely to be your best option but it kinda defeats the purpose since you're talking about a off the grid problem/solution, you might as well wire the batteries from the drill directly into the radio and save the efficiency losses if you had taken the long way around...
posted by RolandOfEld at 12:36 PM on August 28, 2012 [1 favorite]
Response by poster: Thanks for all the thoughtful responses. The wise naysayers have convinced me not to risk breaking the crank, at least for now.
posted by umbú at 8:51 PM on August 28, 2012
posted by umbú at 8:51 PM on August 28, 2012
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by Grither at 9:51 AM on August 28, 2012