[Peripherals] Alternative Power for Developing Countries

Sun May 11 22:30:19 EDT 2008

Funny.  I did use one of those Singer machines for quite a while in 
rural Uruguay, the 10 or so years before we finally got electricity. 
Made camping tents with it, and whatever else we needed to sew.

Now, the real practical problem with Potenco was that XO batteries like 
a trickle (slow) charge.  You need to be running the handheld charger 
for 3 hours to do the job right.

Nobody will be running the sewing-machine, or the Potenco thing, or the 
threadle for 3 hours.  Not rational to expect that.

So the best thing I see left is to set up something that provides more 
power (say, 4-8 Ah), and that feeds a deep-charge (thick-plate) lead 
battery, or a battery recuperated from a truck or so.  Then have kids 
take turns.
Then they can share the output from the battery to achieve the slow 
charge on their XOs.  Then sign them up for their country's national 
soccer teams!  Those legs will be something.

I do not think a former sewing machine setup can output that much, 
mostly because of ergonomics and the small size of our clients.  You 
would need something where the leg power has better purchase.

A fit adult can output about 10 Ah, on a bicycle generator

Now, so far I might as well be talking nonsense.

I have never wanted to be a coffee-shop development expert, and I have 
little appreciation for such.  While we did depend on a wind-powered 
dynamo for our TV in the farm, which I would fix hanging from a rope, I 
have never built this kind of bicycle thing.

Yet, like Javier has pointed out, we do need some alternative for the 
Andes, where 4-5 months of the year it is common you will have a whole 
week without enough sun to feed solar panels even a few minutes.  This 
might be a problem elsewhere also (monsoon rain season?)

This website is amazing:

http://www.scienceshareware.com/DIY/BYO/U-gen/test-results-car-alternator-pedal-power-generator-diy-byo.htm

It makes me feel this can be done even by me.

However, right now I cannot invest in this, so I'll just go hide 
somewhere until this gets sorted out one way or another.

I really thank you all for your deep concern for our issues in places 
where power hasn't made it yet.

If it were my money I'm spending, I would say wind power has the best 
chance.

Yamandu

Arjun Sarwal wrote:
> typo, I meant if the belt starts to 'slip' we might need to see how to
> rectify that...
> 
> On Thu, May 8, 2008 at 12:37 PM, Arjun Sarwal <arjun at laptop.org> wrote:
>> This looks good Javier.
>>
>>  One thing I would be concerned about would be the tension on the belt
>>  going over the large and small wheels, because this setup would be
>>  causing some sort of reduction. If the belt/string starts to sleep we
>>  might need to increase the area of contact or make it thicker etc.
>>
>>  regards
>>  Arjun
>>
>>
>>
>>  On Tue, May 6, 2008 at 6:19 AM, info at olpc-peru.info <info at olpc-peru.info> wrote:
>>  >
>>  >  Hello Caryl,
>>  >
>>  >
>>  >  This is the sewing machine that you talk about.  The feet goes in the
>>  > "green" lines that I have draw.  This machines exist in Peru.  They cost
>>  > around US$100 new.  They are out of the reach of the poor people.  Low
>>  > probabilities to find used ones (they are so good for the task that they are
>>  > kept during generations... my mother gave me her old one... all the metal
>>  > parts work as new, but the wood parts are destroyed due to lack of care by
>>  > more than 20 years (that the machines was stored in a garage).  My ex wife
>>  > got in love to the machine and she has kept it, fix it and use it for many
>>  > things (well... she got the car and the house too! :-D )
>>  >
>>  >  My idea is that we can develop the "pedaling" or "treadling" machine with
>>  > "spinning wheel" technology.  In the spinning wheels typically the foot
>>  > (just one is good enough) goes over the "red line" that I have draw.  It is
>>  > a simpler mechanism.   It is efficient and it has been used by human beens
>>  > from very old times.  At the end some paintings that reflects how they were
>>  > used normally by old people and children (just to comment that you don't
>>  > need to spend huge energy for moving these spinning wheels, the spinning
>>  > wheel of the girl is a "mini" spinning wheel.. in both cases they need to
>>  > sit down and move one foot.. not the whole leg... every kid can do it... no
>>  > damage involved... I speak from first hand experience because I have managed
>>  > a group of ladies that spin natural yarns using spinning wheels... I
>>  > imported models from India and USA and then I have found the ones that exist
>>  > in Peru... from all that experience I order to some artisans to manufacture
>>  > them, they build them with amazing results.  Lucky we are that I have some
>>  > spinning wheels in the garage yet, so we can do pilots and testing.  Other
>>  > advantage is that they are manufactured here in Peru, with wood.
>>  >
>>  >  More on next message.
>>  >
>>  >  Javier Rodriguez
>>  >  Lima, Peru
>>  >
>>  >
>>  >
>>  >
>>  >
>>  >
>>  >  Caryl Bigenho wrote:
>>  >  Hello Javier Rodriguez and, all the other folks on the peripherals list,
>>  >
>>  >  After seeing the creative things Arjun Sarwal is doing with cow-power in
>>  > India, I started thinking of other possibilities. I remembered my
>>  > grandmother's old treadle sewing machine and how excited she was to have it
>>  > electrified.  Later, I saw many being used 35 years ago in regions in the
>>  > Yucatan where there was no electricity.
>>  >
>>  >  Here is a link to a picture of what they look like.  It is the one on the
>>  > left.
>>  >
>>  >
>>  > http://www.sil.si.edu/DigitalCollections/Trade%2DLiterature/Sewing%2DMachines/
>>  >
>>  >  Many of these machines still exist.  i see them at estate auctions every
>>  > summer in Montana.  There must be thousands throughout the world.  I have
>>  > twice tried bidding on just the treadle mechanism of one on ebay. I lost out
>>  > on the bidding for both, but have hopes of finding one in Montana this
>>  > summer.
>>  >
>>  >  When I get one, I intend to try to set it up as a combination desk/power
>>  > source to run an XO.  If it works and doesn't cost too much to set up, it
>>  > might be something that could be replicated all over the world where these
>>  > old machines still exist...some probably still being used without
>>  > electricity.
>>  >
>>  >  Javier, have you seen any of these machines in rural Peru?  Are they still
>>  > being used to sew?  Would there be a need to try to design it to continue to
>>  > be used as a sewing machine but to generate power at the same time?
>>  >
>>  >  It might also be possible to manufacture a similar mechanism, at a modest
>>  > cost.  But, the idea of recycling the old ones has a lot of appeal. I was
>>  > also wondering if an old automobile generator could be adapted to work with
>>  > it.  Perhaps it would require too much torque to work.
>>  >
>>  >  It may be just a crazy idea, but if cow-power works, maybe this will too.
>>  > If and when I do this project, I will probably need some advice from you
>>  > folks.  Any suggestions for starters?
>>  >
>>  >  Caryl
>>  >
>>  >  BTW, Could AJ's Cow-power generator be adapted to run on Llama power?  How
>>  > about donkey power?  Goat power?
>>  >  ________________________________
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>>  >
>>  >
>>
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>>
>>  --
>>
>>
>> Arjun Sarwal
>>  http://dev.laptop.org/~arjs
>>
> 
> 
> 