Fake-shake LED "eco" light.

I have a couple of useable LED flashlights with manual recharging features, one has a big button you repeatedly press to give a few seconds of light, the other has a handle you turn. Both take significant levels of energy input, use capacitors for storage and gearboxes/flywheels for energy conversion. Neither are a replacement for batteries, just buy rechargeable batteries and recharge them, it's the best solution.

The Tinkering Shed

I tracked down my old one of these. <a href="https://www.patreon.com/posts/its-light-its-24086305">https://www.patreon.com/posts/its-light-its-24086305</a> Ya want it?

Nani Isobel

These are dispatched from and sold by Amazon so should be real unless they have been duped: <a href="https://tinyurl.com/y7oc6kbh" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">https://tinyurl.com/y7oc6kbh</a> £13.35. I have Amazon Prime so I'm tempted to order one to see if it's real. Should I?

Gadgetman

Apparently Rolson branded ones are real! They are £13 on Amazon but I've seen them as much as £20. However you might receive a non-Rolson fake one! One review said "Very bright light easy to charge to be used to find logs in the log shed in the dark evenings." Yeah right! You'd get more light from a lit match!

Gadgetman

I have what I believe is a real one. After it sits for a year it takes a while with the switch off to charge the cap. I keep it around for the zombie apocalypse but that's all it's good for. I can't seem to unscrew it but it looks like a 4 smd diodes, a zeiner, a cap the size of 2 2032, and a reed switch.

Aaron Nadler

That``s a flash back. Had one years ago. Got so bad in the end. it hardly lit. I called it a W***ers torch.lo

I think these things are targeted for the "emergency use" market. People buy them to have available for emergencies and don't actually use them. Then an emergency comes and they find it doesn't work. Too late to get a refund. Or a real flashlight/torch.

Nani Isobel

I remember in second level school (20 years ago) the science teacher showing alternative energy products and one of them was a transparent torch with a squeezable handle that spun a flywheel inside. It only lit the filament bulb a second or two with each squeeze. The first thing that came to mind is there is no way one could use it more than a minute without getting a sore hand. But now thinking back to it, I do wonder how well it would have worked if it had an LED and super-capacitor. It certainly would have been better than the shaker torches that came out later when white LEDs became affordable and could still shine the torch while squeezing the handle every few seconds.

Seán Byrne

I imagine piles and piles of electronic pieces, parts and junk on either side of the bench.

Lostngone

Do you keep things like this, or just scrape the bits into the recycling once the camera is off?

mikenco

I had one back around 2002 i think. Don't know what ever happened to it.

I have one. Got as a gift ages ago. May just find it and try it

Orkekum

That would make it even less efficient.

Big Clive

My favorite from one ebay listing: "Portable No Battery Shake LED Flashlight Waterproof 7" and led battery flashlight 8" long comes with batterys"

The Griffiths Family

Would adding a joule thief make any difference or is the amps still way too low?

btSchmieds

I had something similar - it was a Halloween-themed black cat with a squeeze handle that powered a little generator. In principle, you would squeeze the handle and the eyes would light up. In practice, they simply lit up all the time when the switch was on.... hmmmm. Took it apart and there was a little button cell inside with apparently no connection to the generator. It was very much a rats nest inside, too - probably didn't work as well as they thought it would.

I came across something similar at my local dollar store. A flashlight supposedly powered by a grip that would turn a magnet as you squeezed it. Opened it up and found a pair of non-rechargeable alkaline button cells. But it did actually generate power, it just had nowhere to put it. So I added a small super-capacitor and rewired it appropriately. But I wonder about the people who bought them for emergencies only to discover it doesn't work.

Ruthsarian

Connor, just for the gimmick.

Neil Tonks

For the gimmick alone or the change to win a fake?

Let’s get a real one and stuff it into one of those paint shakers/mixers!

Lostngone

It does make me want to buy one.....

Neil Tonks

The real crime is that they always sell these POS durring Hurricane Season here in Florida and they're just garbage and mostly fake. What you can do is use the carcas and an 18650 cell where the flying slug used to be and make a see-through disco torch!

On this post alone I can confirm those flashlights are almost uselessly dim and for the amount of work you put in it's a complete waste of energy. Just get a rechargeable flashlight and call it a day.