Famed Modder Can Charge Android Phones With A Crank

Now that's pretty handy

Jan 25 2011, 5:13pm CST | by Mark Raby

Famed Modder Can Charge Android Phones With A Crank

Ben Heck knows how to captivate a crowd. His latest creative invention is a portable Android phone charger that requires nothing more than some good old-fashioned elbow grease.

Heck, a renowned modder with his own Internet show, created a unique device that allowed him to charge an Android phone by using an altered wind-up flashlight to redirect the energy to his phone, and it worked.

The wind-up flashlight was the kind you can buy for just a few bucks. Then he took some solder, a micro USB adapter, a 10 Ohm resistor, and a Zener diode to create the contraption.

If you don't know what some of those things are you probably won't be able to recreate the device. Nevertheless, it's pretty cool that someone could solve the problem of a short battery life with a wind-up charger.

In fact, he took it one step further by taking a regulator circuit to use kinetic energy to charge the phone. Unfortunately, Heck's great idea with the gadget didn't really work out. He was hoping that by setting up the charger to spin while walking, he could charge his phone by simply strolling down the street. But it turned out walking didn't emit enough energy to get the thing to kick in.

In any event, if you want a device that lets you charge your Android phone by turning a crank, you can enter to win it at Heck's website

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Mark Raby
Based in New York City, Mark follows the consumer electronics industry like a hawk. A published book author, he has a particular affinity for 3D technology and video games, and as such will surely be in the market for a new pair of glasses soon. Mark can be contacted directly at mark@i4u.com.