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How to Charge Your Cellphone Using Wasted Heat

Posted by ScuttleMonkey on from the diy-and-try-not-to-burn-the-house-down dept.

Ilya writes "Companies such as BMW are investing in Thermoelectric Generators to make their cars more efficient by replacing the alternator. Thermoelectric Generators convert wasted heat from the engine into electrical power. This green instructable shows how you can use the same technology right now at home to harvest expelled heat from home appliances to charge your cellphone and other gadgets. Also features a lego racer powered by the roaring flames of a tea candle."

6 of 214 comments (clear)

  1. I charge my cellphone while riding my Carnot cycle by thomasdz · · Score: 5, Funny

    I like to work out in my rec. room with various exercise equipment. My favorite? The Carnot cycle (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carnot_heat_engine)
    I just hop on and convert all the waste heat in the room to useful energy

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  2. Re:BWM? by Anonymusing · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Seriously: major typo in the summary, folks.

    Many years ago, I worked with an ad exec who had (much previously) pitched a campaign to BMW. His agency lost the bid to another agency, even though they thought they had an innovative ad concept. Some months later, he was reviewing the posters and realized they had printed "BWM" in multiple places, in very large type, and nobody at the agency had noticed prior to the presentation. Ooops.

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  3. Re:BWM makes awesome cars by Hognoxious · · Score: 5, Funny

    I prefer Adui. You can't beat their Quartto transmission on a wet road.

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  4. Re:Sipping From a Firehose by Toonol · · Score: 5, Insightful

    It's vastly more efficient, and probably less expensive, to redesign the Dryer/Air Conditioner/whatever to waste less heat in the first place. So I'm not really disagreeing with you, but I feel that it's a bit more of a feel good effort than an actual relevant solution.

  5. Re:Thermodynamics by AnotherBlackHat · · Score: 5, Funny

    Obviously you can reclaim some energy from heat, but you can't reclaim it all, as that would break the 3rd law of thermodynamics.

    That's the 2nd law, not 3rd.

    1st law - You can't win.
    2nd law - You can't even tie.
    3rd law - You can't get out of the game.

  6. Re:Sipping From a Firehose by chromas · · Score: 5, Funny

    I used to have neighbors who would leave their air conditioners running all day, then, when they came home, they'd let the doors hang open for a while to let some warm in. Less stupid people could help, too.