HYmini Wind-Powered Gadget Charger
by Collin Dunn, Corvallis, OR, USA on 10.12.07
We've seen lots of solar chargers before, and though sunshine on our shoulders makes us happy, it can't always be counted on to shine when we need it. Enter HYmini, an honest-to-goodness wind-powered charger for the list of small consumer electronics that have become familiar to alternative-energy-charging enthusiasts: iPods and mp3 players, cell phones, PDAs and digital cameras. It's due in stores at the end of the month.
Strap it to your bike handlebars, hold it when you go for a jog, or stick it out the window in the car(pool) when you're driving down the road, and you may never have to plug your gadgets into the wall again. If that weren't enough, you can further extend its ability to harvest renewable energy with some optional solar panels. More details below the fold. ::HYmini via ::Core77
TreeHugger picked up on a similar example in a cab in Japan, but that was just one cab, and it didn't have a battery to store the power generated by the mini turbine. Performance details, according to Swept Away Media, are as follows:
“Spend an hour outside in the sun with HYmini and you’ll get enough power for 2 full hours of MP3 playtime. Ride your bike for an hour, with HYmini strapped on your arm, or mounted on the handlebars, and you’ll have enough power for over 50 digital photos or about 15 extra minutes on your cell phone. Mount HYmini on a car window, drive about 40 MPR, and you’ll generate enough power to listen to over 8 hours of music on your MP3 or chat on your cell for over 40 minutes.”
Hang tight for a few weeks to see if the real deal will live up to the (awesome-sounding) hype.
Dare I say, plugging your gadget into the 12V system of your car will be more efficient than mounting this charger on the outside of your car?
I like it....but as Moritz said above...aren't there more direct ways....
Im all for multitaskers and scaleable solutions but this seems gimmicky. The DIY flashlight wind up charger with USB is way more useful...
http://www.metacafe.com/watch/449950/hack_a_flashlight_to_power_your/
Theres another Instructable out there that has instructions for a USB attatchment, same general idea.
or this
http://my.datexx.com/consumer/productinfo.html?p=LED-99
or this
http://www.ecodigital.co.uk/estore/
Give me the OLPC Yo-Yo charger with a built in battery adapters for bike dynamo/solar/wind attachments...
What do you do in a dark cave with no wind? Run in circles?
I have a hard on for wind and solar too, but this just seems....indulgent. I could be wrong
The comment about the 12V car system is spot on. I find it hard to believe that this is more efficient. I'm also curious about why someone would choose this over solar. If I was on a backpacking trip or out away from civilization it would be easier to find sun than to find wind (consistent wind).
If you guys had followed the link to the product page, you would see you can charge the waterproof battery part with a solar attachment and usb, in addition to the wind part. So you could really use it in any situation. And the design and what looks to be quality parts make it well worth the money.
According to their website.
Max power 1 watt in a 40 m.p.h wind speed :(
I couldn't even cycle that fast never mind run, a complete waste of money - It's too small to be of any wind power use. Get a bigger solar panel instead.
Geez you give up quick. It can generate with wind speeds as low as 9mph. I hope you can cycle that fast.
I'm giving it a go. I get 15 minutes of 15mph commuting on my bicycle twice a day so it'll be great to grab some of that wind!