Just Green Gadgets

Charge your mobile phone with your movement

2010-09-04T13:06:00.000-07:00

It looks like the ball is finally rolling and gaining speed in terms of developing new cheap and affordable forms of renewable energy; in fact a quick search online for solar chargers will show you just how many cost effective portable solar powered chargers are currently available. The latest offering from a company called nPower is the ‘PEG’, a small 9” long kinetic energy generator made from titanium, unlike many of the renewable energy chargers out there; this little green gadget packs a powerful punch. It boasts a 1000 mAh battery that delivers electricity to your mobile phone or digital camera at the same speed as your home power outlet. It uses a USB connector to transfer energy to your handheld devices and come with a universal iGo tip connector that should be able to attach to most standard electronic devices. So how does it work? This is the best part, all you have to do is pop it in your pocket while you’re going about your day and it will slowly harvest the kinetic energy from your movements. If you’re interested in buying or learning more about this neat green gadget, you can have a look at npowerpeg website.

Make your own ‘solar barbeque grill’

2010-08-31T08:35:00.001-07:00

Are you a fan of relaxing weekend barbeques? Sizzling sirloin steaks, herb infused Cumberland sausages and butter topped grilled vegetables……. Though getting the fire started can be a long procedure, you have to wait all that time for a plate of grub and then it’s back to cooking duty again. Well for anyone that is lucky enough to live in a country that sees the sun all year round, you could opt for the latest ‘Solar barbeque grill’

They haven’t really taken off in popularity yet, but the idea seems sound; they are currently selling for abut 125 pounds in the UK of all places. The solar grill works on a very simple design, there is a curved sheet of metal with a highly reflective surface; in the center is a black metal holder bar onto which the suns rays are focused. There’s not lot of mention about cooking times, but one site says it can take as little as 25-30 minutes on a hot day; to prevent burning you simply tip the barbeque into a less reflected angle to the sun.

If you don’t have the money to buy a solar barbeque, they are apparently very easy to make the greeniacs.com website offers up their own step by step guide; check out the finished product in the video below.

Get better with Ringtone medicine from Japan

2010-08-30T05:24:00.000-07:00

The Japanese have always been known for their innovative and zany inventions, but the latest craze to come from the East has caught the attention of people from around the globe and it’s called ‘ringtone therapy’. A company named ‘The Japanese ringing tone laboratory’ has developed a range of specialized ringtones for your mobile phone, which they claim can help people to deal with several illnesses and emotional conditions. One of the conditions that these tones can alleviate is hay fever; the idea is that a sufferer of this condition holds his or her hand set in the normal way and plays the ringtone on loud. The frequency of the sound resonates at a level strong enough to shake the tiny pollen particle from the person’s nostrils. If your phone is a more up to date version, you also have the option of adjusting the vibration rate to fit to your facial type, so that the treatment is more affective.

It doesn’t end here; there is a list of ringtones that are supposedly able to help with different forms of ailment. Do you feel a little overweight? 30 minutes of listening to a specific selection of sound is can substantially reduce your waistline and loosen your belt buckle. Are you a woman feeling less than adequate in the chest region? Well not to worry, Dr.Hideto Tomabechi, one of the first researchers involved in the project believes that women are more sensitive to certain frequencies of sound and he has designed a ringtone that can stimulate growth.

However far fetched these claims may sound to you, millions of Japanese and other people from around the world are buying these ringtones in large numbers. Mr. Matsumi Suzuki head of the Japan ringing tone laboratory, admits that there has been limited testing, but comments that there must be some positive affect from his products otherwise why would so many people be purchasing and using them?

Sanwa Power adapter - know how muchenergy you're using

2010-08-30T05:22:00.000-07:00

This is a great gadget for anyone trying to conserve energy out there. Designed and manufactured in Japan this multi socket power plug extension adaptor has a built in watt out put reader, so you can see exactly how much power you are using at one time.

So how does that help me save energy I hear you say? Actually I was tryinging to figure that out myself, but if you know how much is going out you can take measures to reduce this number by the only means possible; stop plugging so many things in at once.

Currently this product doesn’t seem to have a main outlet source, after hours of checking I’ve only found a wholeseller on Alibaba.com

Keep your mobile running with YoYo power

2010-08-28T22:37:00.000-07:00

This neat little device is a step up from the small portable crank lever wind up models, instead it uses a mechanism similar to a yoyo toy. It’s very compact and can easily slip into your top pocket so is ideal for emergencies, for example if you’re stuck out in the countryside with car trouble and no power left in your mobile. It uses a USB cable with a number of different extension heads to charge your cell phone, games console, MP3 player, camera and many other small voltage devices.

Unfortunately, like the crank windup charger it produces a tiny trickle of electricity so it isn’t really a realistic replacement for home power mains charging. The gadget costs $39.99 and can be found at the Yogen homepage.

Check out the cheesy advertisement video below for more details ;)

Never get a flat battery again with this solar powered laptop charger

2010-08-28T00:10:00.001-07:00

I came across this great green gadget while searching the net and thought it was a great idea. Anyone with a laptop knows what a pain in the neck it is to run out of batteries while working on something in a coffee shop; where do you find a power output?

This ingenious products is fitted with a highly absorbent solar panel that charges your laptop for free. On a relatively sunny day the bag can charge a standard laptop battery to full in about 5 hours. The only downside to this gadget is its price at $449 each, it probably won’t see many buyers, but if you think about how much it will save you and the environment in the long run it’s a very good buy.

The company that produces these innovative little devices is called ‘voltaicsystems.com’ and they sell a whole range of solar powered bags, some at much lower prices.

Make your own Bamboo Bicycle

2010-08-28T00:09:00.000-07:00

Have you ever thought of constructing a top of the range road bike? How about a bamboo bicycle? It turns out that a lot of people are starting to turn to using strong bamboo for their main frames and body. But why use bamboo? It’s actually been used for years in countries like Hong Kong and China as scaffolding to construct huge skyscrapers, it’s extremely strong , some even believe as tough as steel.

*How does it help? It is renewable and sustainable with a fast growth turnover; as this plant grows in humid climates lie those found in many developing South East Asian countries it could provide farmers there with a lucrative source of income. It is long lasting and when prepared and coated with a protective covering it an easily make it through wet weather without warping. The idea has actually been around since the 80′s and first introduced to biking by Craig Calfree who has his own specialized bamboo bicycle frame for sale. Apparently they are not that difficult to make, if you’re interested instructables.com have a concise step by step manual.

Wind up portable mobile charger and light

2010-08-27T10:04:00.001-07:00

While looking for interesting gadgets to read and write about I came across this one and thought that it was worth a mention. The ‘LED self powered charger and flashlight’ does exactly what its name says, it’s a small hand held device that can be easily carried with you wherever you go or kept in your car. It looks like a small bicycle light, but has a small crank lever on one side to get the juice flowing and build up a kinetic energy charge simply by turning the lever with your hand. You can use this gadget as a a small portable flash light or use the several included adapters to plug in your mobile and charge it up a little, great for those times when you’re stuck out in the wilderness with a flat mobile battery and no lamp.

Costing a measly $25 each I truly believe that this would be a hot seller and an amazingly useful device, but unfortunately there is a downside; it doesn’t generate a hell of a lot of power. The device is just for dire emergencies, if you get stuck out in the middle of the forrest and get into trouble, this device can provide light, plus keep your mobile going long enough to make an SOS call…..Let’s just hope you have some sort of global GPS signal coverage that reaches the wilderness.

If you like this gadget there are others like it at sosready.com

Black pixel project – Save energy through your computer

2010-08-27T09:55:00.001-07:00

The Greenpeace group in Brazil has come up with an innovative way for people around the world to help reduce CO2 emissions by reducing their power consumption. There are hundreds of possible ways to do this, but their solution is a spark of genius that requires very little effort and anyone with a computer screen can do it.

The project named ‘ The Black Pixel Project ’ has been running for a few months, but has just now started to gain momentum with millions of people actively taking part around the world. To join in their project all you need to do is turn off a 50 x 50 box of pixels on your monitor screen, sounds simple right. It may not seem like much at first, but if you think that each box of pixels switched off will save 0.057 watts of power and that if 1 million people took part it would be a total of 57,000 watts of energy saved every hour; that is the equivalent of turning off 1425, 40 watt bulbs. The organizers believe that 1 million participants can save 70 kilogram’s of CO2 from leaking out into the atmosphere and causing more harm to our already fragile eco system.

To take part in this Action in power conservation, visit their website to learn more about their intentions, then if you’re satisfied and want to be a part of the event you can download a special program that will help you switch off a small 50 x 50 pixel box on your main screen.

http://greenpeaceblackpixel.org/

Water or Pee power – the choice is yours

2010-08-27T09:54:00.000-07:00

Are you sick of having to pay out every week for a new set of batteries for those odd household appliances that don’t have built in rechargeables? Well a few budding entrepreneurs have come up with some ingenious ways of powering low powered devices using cheap (even free) liquids that you can find in any home.

(1) “Pee” powered nopopo batteries – This has to be the strangest alternative energy invention ever built, it’s a small AA battery cell that runs on urine. To get the charge started simply squirt a small amount of urine into the battery, attach the cap and shake. It’s the magnesium and carbon fillers inside the cell that react with the urine to spark a tiny 500mAh trickle of power, probably just enough to keep your TV remote going for a couple of weeks. Though it’s a pretty innovative idea, I can’t imagine this one taking off….How exactly do you go about getting the pee?

If you want to know more about the nopopo batteries and others like it, including “saliva powered” batteries check out http://www.aps-j.jp/english/

(2) Bedol Water powered clock – This has been going around for some time, it runs on 100% natural power; water with a dash of lemon to get the electrons flowing. Besides being an ingenious green gadget it looks cool too; one refill will last from between 8 – 12 weeks and you never have to worry about the plug cord dropping out or buying new batteries again. If you remember the lemon powered bulb from science class, the Bedol clock works on the same principle, with a zinc and copper filler included to get the energy going.

Check out http://www.bedolwhatsnext.com

All Green Solar Powered transformer toy for kids

2010-08-27T09:52:00.000-07:00

Do you remember when you were about 8 years old and it was Christmas morning your parents had hinted that Santa was definitely going to bring you that great remote controlled 4×4 that you’d been eyeing all year. You sat under the tree, ripped the wrapping off the box in under 0.1 seconds and eagerly ripped the toy from it’s box only to find the words printed ‘Batteries not included’.

With leaps in technology this new ‘Green’ toy doesn’t really have a function except for fun. It runs entirely on solar power, either from the sun or a 50 watt halogen bulb. This is a great introduction to the possibilities of solar power technology for kids and even adults. It comes with 37 parts that can be constructed into 6 different moving machines:

- A Dog, Boat, Plane, Car, Windmill and a Desk top plane

Amazingly this whole package is sold for $16.95. To find it go to your favorite search engine and type in ‘6 in 1 Solar Kit ‘

Finally an affordable, small, lightweight, portable solar charger!!

2010-08-27T09:50:00.000-07:00

I’ve always had high hopes for solar power, I mean the sun is a massive ball of immense energy sitting right there in front of our eyes waiting to be exploited it’s amazing that it’s only recently starting to be explored effectively. There are a number of great solar gadgets available these days and each is unique in its own way, but one particular portable solar charger that has come onto the market deserves to be mentioned. The ”Solar Strap” from Suntrica is small measuring just 164 x 96 x 27 when folded up. It’s made from a flexible, light weight foam with the solar panel embedded in the front, on the inside i a small battery that stores the collected power for later use. Though this devices won’t charge a fan or even a lamp it’s great for your portable devices, like mobiles, cameras or PDA’s anything with a 5V charge adapter. Though it’s a solar charger, you do also have the option of cheating and pluging it into your computer via the USB cable. In full sunlight the solar panel can absorb roughly 50 mAh and the battery has a capacity of 950 mAh more than enough power to keep your mp3 player going on those long road trips or keep you mobile charged. The best thing about these solar panels is the price tag, at $40 they are great value; see as one of these will save you so much in electricity taken from home. You can check out their line of solar panels and other items at the suntrica home page

Eco 2 solar charger for Apples iphone 3G / 3GS / 4G

2010-08-27T09:49:00.000-07:00

I don’t have an iphone, but I know that if I did I would be constantly loading in new applications and games, as well as connecting it up to the internet to keep in touch with friends. This new powerful solar charger from a Japanese gadget company called “Strapya” is about the size of a match box and weighs just 30 grams, you could easily pop it in your pocket or keep it in your bag for those times when you’re stuck without a power plug in sight. In fact when you think about it, this little green gadget will help reduce your homes total power consumption and you’ll never have to charge your iphone through the main grid again

You have 2 choices for charging, either connect it to your computer via the USB lead or point the solar panel directly at the sun and wait about 6-12 hours for a full battery. It works best if you leave the charger and phone outside, taking light coming in through a window is not as efficient. It costs about USD$22 which is not a bad price considering the amount of money it will save you each month.

Check out this and loads of other wierd and wonderful gadgets at the Strapya Website