MAKE has a first hand account of a family who took matters into their own hands and came up with some DIY practices to get through hurricane Katrina.
I won’t bore you with any more of the little “bumps in the road” that we endured during our 11-day ordeal, but suffice it to say that it sure is good to be back in the 21st century. In order to cope with this disaster, there were four things that made our lives bearable during our 11 day survival test:
- Baygen Freeplay Hand-Cranked Flashlight. This flashlight is also able to provide a 3V output as an external power source.
- Baygen Freeplay AM/FM/Short-Wave Hand-Cranked Solar Radio. Listen to it with the sun during the day, then crank ‘er up for late-night listening.
- Spare Solar Cells (for keeping rechargeable batteries “juiced up”). This activity took approximately nine hours of charging for a pair of “D” size rechargeable batteries. It worked great until my battery-powered soldering iron and my battery-powered multimeter both died.
- Spare DC Motor and a Bicycle. By hooking a DC motor to the rear hub of my bicycle with appropriate gearing, I was able to generate a fairly consistent 8V-9V power supply (see Plan1.gif). Don’t take this activity lightly. I’m a vigorous cyclist and skater practicing 50-60 miles per week. Maintaining this amount of power for roughly 30 minutes required a significant effort on my part. As they say, your mileage may vary.
Comes complete with an image for making the bicycle generator. You’ve got to love a guy who has spare solar cells and a spare DC motor lying around.