Today, hand crank generators are not as popular compared to other power generators. With the constantly evolving technological advancements in the world, hand crank generators would seem very outdated.
However, these hand crank generators are extremely underrated. This technological invention can be very useful, especially when you are out somewhere with no electricity. For instance, when you go out hiking and camping in the mountains with no electric supply when you are lost in the wilds, and your cellphone runs out of battery, or when you experience a power outage due to strong typhoons and other natural calamities, these hand crank generators would be very handy in times like these.
Hand crank generators allow you to recharge your small gadgets, just like your phones and tablets. They can be an ideal portable power solution in times of emergency or only even when you want to make sure that your phone and other gadgets have enough charge during your travels. Crank electricity gives people reliable and self-sustainable electricity wherever they go.
What is a Hand Crank Generator?
A hand crank generator is a portable device that produces electricity when someone cranks it. This generator consists of a lever or a pedal, which people crank to generate power. They are called hand cranks for a reason, and it is because they are small and portable that people may use only one hand to crank this generator’s lever.
A hand crank generator is a technology that was invented in the 1960s. At first, the military utilized these portable generators to produce power or energy without grid power. Even until now, you can still see hand crank generators in the military and self-protection facilities.
Hand crank generators are ideal to power up or charge small devices that do not use so much electricity. They are ideal for charging phones, tablets, flashlights, radios, or even laptops. Most current models of the hand crank generators already come with a minimum of one USB port and a torch, which ensures people that they can charge their gadgets securely.
The main reason why hand crank generators are ideal and helpful to use is that they only rely on human strength and nothing else. You would not have to worry about not having fuel or gas to power up this generator. All you need is your full strength, and then it is ready to power up your small devices. This is why this hand crank generator is easy and very helpful to use anytime and anywhere.
How do hand crank generators work?
Hand crank generators are like your usual generator. However, like what was stated earlier, you will not need gasoline or fuel, steam, or water, to generate power from hand crank generators. Only your strength is needed to make them work. The coils in this generator are turned on by using hand strength.
When the crank on the side of the hand crank generators is turned, the coils start moving around the magnet inside the generator, then will eventually produce current. Mechanical force is only needed to produce a current to generate electricity; it is pretty simple, as you can see.
One of the excellent parts about hand crank generators is that they are easy to create. This device is an electric motor operating in reverse, so they are not that complicated to replicate. If you learn more about the principles of magnetism by Michael Faraday, an English scientist, creating a hand crank generator would be a piece of cake.
The science behind the hand crank generator is based on Faraday’s discovery about electromagnetism. Faraday learned that it is possible to generate an electric current in a wire when you pass a conductive wire along a magnetic field. He discovered that when you spin a coil around a magnet, you may produce a steady current. You could convert this current into electrical energy that you can use to power things.
All the best hand crank generators revolve around Faraday’s principle. This discovery is very beneficial as it made powering up things using crank electricity possible. Even though these generators are portable in size, they can still be of huge help to most people.
Some hand crank generators can only work on specific things, while some may be more flexible. However, remember that not all devices can work on crank electricity. Devices that have the same current and voltage produced by hand crank generators will work on crank electricity.
How much power can hand crank generators produce?
The voltage hand crank generators can produce depend largely on your strength and how fast you turn the generator’s crank. To produce more power, you need to crank longer and harder. There are also built-in voltage regulators on these hand crank generators that will aid in maintaining the production of a steady current – sustained power output may be from 40 to 60 watts.
However, some hand crank generators do not come with built-in voltage regulators. Note that using crank electricity on sensitive gadgets or equipment can be extremely tricky. For instance, turning the crank faster and harder while connected to a light bulb may cause the filament of the light bulb to burn. But, you do not need to worry since, in this modern world where technological advancements are very rampant, most hand crank generators have built-in voltage regulators so that they can properly power up the specific devices intended for them.
Usually, hand crank generators can only produce crank electricity from five to fifteen watts. If you try to run your gadgets, like a laptop, using crank electricity, then one hour of continuous cranking will take you approximately six to ten minutes of usage. On the other hand, one hour of hand cranking may run your phones for approximately sixteen minutes.
In the end, the crank electricity or the power hand crank generators can produce largely depends on the person’s effort in hand cranking. It is important to understand that you can generate more power if you crank faster and longer.
Most standard units of hand crank generators can bring out approximately 5V (volt) for every 1.5rpm (revolutions per minute). These hand crank generators are 78% efficient and have a max power output of 400 watts.