Most of the time, we take our electricity supply for granted, assuming that we will always have easy access to power whenever we need it. It’s something we’re so used to having every day, and when power runs out, we realize how much it makes our life convenient.
There are a few situations where electricity isn’t easy to come, and places we might find ourselves going where there’s no outlet to plug our phone chargers into. For instance, you might go camping in the wilderness or get stranded off the grid for whatever reason. And when powerful storms arrive, it may take days or even weeks for power companies to reconnect downed lines. The batteries of your gadgets and power banks are not going to last long.
A portable crank generator is a tool you can use to generate electricity that never runs out of power and is easy to carry anywhere. It’s a travel gadget that can help power your other gadgets, like your phone, GPS tracker, emergency radio, and more.
What is a Portable Crank Generator?
A crank generator is a device that generates power by cranking a lever or a pedal attached to the device. It’s a portable item that can be used to power multiple travel devices that don’t require much electricity like phones and other handheld gadgets. Some can have enough power to work a blender and other small kitchen gadgets.
Hand crank generators use mechanical force and transform it into a current to produce electricity. The best thing about this type of generator is that they only need your strength to generate power. These generators don’t rely on batteries, stored energy, gas, or other weather aspects like sunlight or wind to produce power. All you need is a muscle, and you’re good to go.
Crank generators are often viewed as an outdated source of power, but it comes handy whenever your power bank runs out of power, and you’re in a place with no electrical outlets.
How Does a Portable Crank Generator Work?
The mechanics of a hand crank generator is straightforward. These devices have a crank that needs to be turned, and the generator transforms the muscle power into electrical energy. This is possible due to the inbuilt dynamo. When you turn the crank, it creates mechanical energy that is converted by the inbuilt dynamo to electrical energy.
Most hand-crank power generators come with an integrated battery for storing harvested power. Some are only meant to be used for a specific device, like a certain brand of phone. The special connector allows you to hook it up to the phone. Then you can turn the crank for a couple of minutes to charge your phone’s batteries. The voltage you will generate depends on how fast you turn the crank. The longer you crank, the more power you can harvest. These portable crank generators also come with a built-in voltage regulator so you can maintain a steady current, so it won’t cause damage to your phone’s batteries as it is charging.
Most modern hand generators can give you around 5 volts with just 1.5 rpm. If you crank faster for 2 rpm, you can get about 6.2 volts. Usually, these portable generators can generate up to 6 volts, while some come with gearings to enhance the cranking and create even higher voltages.