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06-16-2009, 05:10 PM
|  | no really, smokemeth&hailsatan | | Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Pueblo, CO | | | Cell phone that recharges itself with radio waves.
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http://tech.yahoo.com/blogs/null/143945 http://www.guardian.co.uk/environmen...a-mobile-phone Quote: |
Originally Posted by Yahoo Pardon the cliche, but it's one of the holiest of Holy Grails of technology: Wireless power. And while early lab experiments have been able to "beam" electricity a few feet to power a light bulb, the day when our laptops and cell phones can charge without having to plug them in to a wall socket still seems decades in the future.
Nokia, however, has taken another baby step in that direction with the invention of a cell phone that recharges itself using a unique system: It harvests ambient radio waves from the air, and turns that energy into usable power. Enough, at least, to keep a cell phone from running out of juice. | I think this is a pretty cool idea. What do you guys think? |
06-16-2009, 05:28 PM
|  | Registered User | | Join Date: Apr 2003 Location: Madison, NJ | | No problem here... wires are just inconvenient sometimes 
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06-17-2009, 10:37 AM
|  | In case you missed it, I work for QSC Audio!
Applications Engineer, QSC Audio | | Join Date: Jul 2001 Location: Costa Mesa, Calif. | | | The cell phone itself would have to run on very little power, and/or you'd have to settle for really long recharge times. You're just not going to get much energy out of the ambient RF, unless you're really close to a high-power transmitter. |
06-17-2009, 10:50 AM
|  | Registered User | | Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Cambridge, MA | | | The article titles are very optimistic.
The near term goal is to keep the phone on standby with 20 mw power. The far term goal to recharge the battery with 50 mw of power.
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06-17-2009, 11:12 AM
| | Registered User | | Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Finland (Northern Europe) | | Hi.
As far as I can remember this correctly, a battery of any kind needs a charging current of at least 10% of its capacity. Below that, the chemistry starts to reduce the battery life.
Charging a capacitor and using the stored energy for charging using for example 50:1 time intervals might work.
In any case, the ambient RF strong enough to be useful in power distribution will do a bit of damage to our cells.
Paging mr. Tesla  .
Regards
Sam |
06-17-2009, 11:34 AM
|  | Superfast 2.0 | | Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: San Antonio, TX | | | Very promising. Now if Nokia could find a way to get AT&T to offer their N series.... |
06-18-2009, 08:05 AM
|  | One lab accident away from being a supervillain | | Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Powder Springs, Ga | | I don't see this being practical any time in the near future.
it reminds me of a comment someone made to me recently. He asked me what I do for a living and I told him that I design high voltage transmission lines. To this he replied: "Isn't that kind of an old technology . . . I mean, everything is going wireless these days." I had to laugh at that one. I'd rather not be around when a 500kV line goes wirelesss
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06-18-2009, 08:14 AM
|  | Registered User | | Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: Eh? | | Quote:
Originally Posted by PSPookie  I don't see this being practical any time in the near future.
it reminds me of a comment someone made to me recently. He asked me what I do for a living and I told him that I design high voltage transmission lines. To this he replied: "Isn't that kind of an old technology . . . I mean, everything is going wireless these days." I had to laugh at that one. I'd rather not be around when a 500kV line goes wirelesss | Wasn't there a prototype power plant sending its power down from the top of a mountain, through relatively harmless microwaves?
I remember reading a good deal about it, but I can't seem to find the article.
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06-18-2009, 08:28 AM
| | One lab accident away from being a supervillain | | Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Powder Springs, Ga | | Quote:
Originally Posted by L-A Wasn't there a prototype power plant sending its power down from the top of a mountain, through relatively harmless microwaves?
I remember reading a good deal about it, but I can't seem to find the article. | It's not so practical or harmless at the wattages that would be needed to replace the transmission grid. It may be practical in some small-scale distribution (say 250V and below as opposed to 500,000V) applications.
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06-18-2009, 03:14 PM
| | Registered User | | Join Date: Jan 2001 Location: Charleston, WV | | | This kinda stuff simply blows my mind.
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06-18-2009, 03:25 PM
| | In case you missed it, I work for QSC Audio!
Applications Engineer, QSC Audio | | Join Date: Jul 2001 Location: Costa Mesa, Calif. | | Quote:
Originally Posted by PSPookie I don't see this being practical any time in the near future.
it reminds me of a comment someone made to me recently. He asked me what I do for a living and I told him that I design high voltage transmission lines. To this he replied: "Isn't that kind of an old technology . . . I mean, everything is going wireless these days." I had to laugh at that one. I'd rather not be around when a 500kV line goes wirelesss | | | Thread Tools | Search this Thread | | | | 
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