Get rid of your batteries and power your remote control with just a shake.
Thanks go to Dhananjay Gadre for the original article in MAKE, Volume 12.
View the PDF of this project. and then subscribe to MAKE Magazine for other great projects
you can do over the weekend.
Very impressive demonstration – there really is no need for a battery in an occasional use low power object like a remote.
Suggestions, based on some similar experiments:
Try going for half wave rectification to save a diode drop (just short out two of the diodes so one leg of the coil is common).
Forget the regulator. If in doubt use a zener diode `or a set of regular diodes in series to limit upper voltage.
With these efficiency gains smaller capacitors are sufficient.
I am currently trying to use a 1 Farad super cap to make a shake battery that fits in an AAA. the cap is a little less than half of the battery size, but only good for a bit over 2.5V, so maybe will make it size of two AAA and us a joule miser type deal to make it 3V. A coil out of a McD’s straw and small rare earth magnets (small as 2x2x3m) works well. Not so many turns are needed maybe ,depending on many factors.