Onion-Power Makes Recharging iPods Easy
by Jeremy Elton Jacquot, Los Angeles on 11.15.07
It turns out a white onion will do in a pinch in case you've lost your charger and need to juice up your beloved iPod. All you'll need is said onion, 2 cups of Gatorade/Powerade, a screwdriver and your USB cable (not all commonplace items, we know, but it's better than nothing); then just follow the handy directions provided in the above video and you'll be on your way.
So how exactly does this all work? As Mike Schramm at TUAW hypothesizes, it might lie in the ability of the Gatorade's electrolytes to break down the onion's cells, releasing some form of harnessable energy in the process.
Via ::TUAW: Charge an iPod with an onion (blog), ::Household Hacker: How to Charge an iPod using electrolytes and an onion (blog)
See also: ::UnTreeHugger: Onion Goggles, ::DIY iPod Bicycle Charger
OMG! That is really cool. Will definately try that. Lol.
Fake!
yeah, this comes along with a couple more "househacker" videos, they are all fakes. Sticking a USB plug into an onion? ... sorry to disappoint
Please don't be that gullible. Jeremy is joking, right?
I'm thinking this is not going to work. Not to mention the fact that your iPod will smell like B.O. when its charged. I do know of some better advice on making your gadgets a little greener...
http://greenpieceblog.blogspot.com/2007/11/blogging-from-my-mobile.html
Does it work with the Zune?
But it's electrolytes, dude.
Didn't Treehugger condemn Gatorade for using so much water in Atlanta?
And what about a good old-fashioned potato?
I would not do this without doing some checking first.
I made a salt bridge battery once when I was a kid. Used my game "Electronic Battleship" for parts and stuck the games probes into the solution. Left it alone, probes were destroyed. Galvanic reactions made a mess of the metal.
My fear is that if you do this onion thing then the metal in the USB will slowly be reconfigured/reshaped. You might not be able to plug it in afterwards.
These types of electric cells are also known as "Corrosion Cells". BE CAUTIOUS.
http://www.corrosion-club.com/galvanic.htm
Dawn L
My daughters tried this as a science experiment, we even left the onion in the gaterade for an hour. IT TOTALLY DOES NOT WORK! Sorry guys you really advertise things that really work. My kids totally DEBUNKED your scheme. better luck next time ; 0
Dawn L
My daughters tried this as a science experiment, we even left the onion in the gaterade for an hour. IT TOTALLY DOES NOT WORK! Sorry guys you really advertise things that really work. My kids totally DEBUNKED your scheme. better luck next time ; 0