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Hello Mike,<br>
<br>
Yes you can use A LOT of the parts of old cars and vehicles. They are,
without doubt, very usefull to "transform" them in wind, water, human
or animal driven generators (or alternators).<br>
<br>
Our problem in Peru is that we will install 245,000 computers (XOs).
And it is not possible to find that number of "2nd hand" devices (here
in Peru). So we must plan something based on "new parts".<br>
<br>
Regarding some "energy or electricity devices" that came from "not
occidental" countries in old times ... <br>
<br>
a) We have the famous "Baghdad Batteries" ("In 1938 Wilhelm Konig, the
director of antiquities at the
Iraq Museum in Baghdad, found four unglazed ceramic vessels in a
grave that was dated in the time of the Parthians occupation of the
area (248 BC-226 AD). Three vessels had copper cylinders made of copper
sheet with a copper end that was lead-soldered to the bottom of the
cylinders. One of these vessels had an iron spike inside the copper
cylinder, with the remains of an asphalt-like plug, ... the vessels
looked like galvanic cells..." You can see a "working reconstruction"
of the Baghdad batteries in You Tube: <a
href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MlFZ4h4RUwE">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MlFZ4h4RUwE</a>
And you can find more info here: <a
href="http://cat.inist.fr/?aModele=afficheN&cpsidt=13653279">http://cat.inist.fr/?aModele=afficheN&cpsidt=13653279</a>
and here: <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baghdad_Battery">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baghdad_Battery</a><br>
<br>
b) Some similar vessels were found by Jacques Costeau in the
Meditterranean Sea (many meters deep in the water).<br>
<br>
c) There are arguments that these devices produce so few energy... but
then we need to read the old ancient indian books (similar to our
Bible).. one of them explains that you can "attach" some of this
vessels to produce energy... so we have artifacts in one place
(Baghdad) and explanation in other place (Hindu sacred books) that the
old people know how to install them in a "serial" way to produce enough
power. Then, by some reason, we the occidental world, lost this
knowledge. We recover it with Alexander Volta in year 1800. Then we
got the help of the so great giants as Nikola Tesla and Thomas Edison
in the first years of the 20th century.<br>
<br>
d) "Hero's engine was a primitive steam-driven machine found in Egypt,
and like the battery of Baghdad, no one is quite sure what it was used
for, but are convinced it could work."... (<a
href="http://www.world-mysteries.com/sar_11.htm">http://www.world-mysteries.com/sar_11.htm</a>
This link as a lot of useful info about the Baghdad batteries too).<br>
<br>
e) "<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thales" title="Thales">Thales
of Miletus</a> wrote in the <a
href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/6th_century_BC"
title="6th century BC">6th century BC</a> that rubbing <a
href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fur" title="Fur">fur</a> on various
substances, such as <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amber"
title="Amber">amber</a>, would cause a particular <a
href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Attraction" title="Attraction">attraction</a>
between the two, which is now known as <a
href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electrostatics"
title="Electrostatics">static electricity</a>. The Greeks noted that
the amber buttons could attract light objects such as <a
href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hair" title="Hair">hair</a> and
that if they rubbed the amber for long enough they could even get a <a
href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spark" title="Spark">spark</a> to
jump" (<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_electricity">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_electricity</a>)<br>
<br>
I recognize in full that the old civilizations were very advanced in
many areas. Great to know that in Afghanistan there were such great
things like the wind mills. History is written by the winners but that
is not all the history.<br>
<br>
Best regards,<br>
<br>
Javier Rodriguez<br>
Lima, Peru<br>
<br>
<br>
<br>
Mike Dawson wrote:
<blockquote cite="mid:482690F5.6050209@paiwastoon.com.af" type="cite">Hey,
<br>
<br>
<br>
I've just been browsing through - need to check through this in quite a
bit more depth - but would very likely have one built here put it on
our roof (our house is pretty tall) and see how it works on our roof
(here in Kabul, Afghanistan). The other thing we really need to find
out is how it deals with / has difficulties with dust.
<br>
<br>
<br>
One issue I see here is it is often possible to find somewhere nearby
that has some height - however in running the cable we either loose the
money on the cost of the copper...
<br>
<br>
<br>
Maybe we can find some ways that we can use scrap vehicles etc for
conductors / towers? If we take a nice thick section of scrap vehicle
that could allow us to run the power further without resistance
problems as long as it isn't rusted through - perhaps to some nearby
point a bit higher up. We have plenty of those around (old buses,
soviet tanks, abandoned cars, etc.). Not sure if other countries have
such a great supply of those but we sure do... In that case we would
need something like a 'construction squad' that would have a big
generator for welding equipment.
<br>
<br>
<br>
Would love to try it out - as a matter of trivia - as far as I am aware
the first recorded device to harness wind energy for human needs was in
Herat, Western Afghanistan (according to 1001 inventions from the
Islamic World /
<a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="http://muslimheritage.com/topics/default.cfm?ArticleID=328">http://muslimheritage.com/topics/default.cfm?ArticleID=328</a>) - so would
be great if we can do some experiments in the 'home' of wind Energy...
<br>
<br>
<br>
I look forward to reading what happens in Peru...
<br>
<br>
<br>
Regards,
<br>
<br>
<br>
-Mike
<br>
<br>
<br>
<a class="moz-txt-link-abbreviated" href="mailto:info@olpc-peru.info">info@olpc-peru.info</a> wrote:
<br>
<br>
<blockquote type="cite">Hello Caryl,
<br>
<br>
Wind is fine, Savonius is fine. Everything works but with its own
limitations (and advantages!)
<br>
<br>