Samsa & StormForge
Samsa
You love tearing things apart to see what’s inside. What’s the strangest thing you’ve rebuilt that actually worked, and what made you think it could be useful?
StormForge
I once ripped apart a busted office copier and rewired its motor and gear train into a crank‑powered generator for my workshop. It was a mess of plastic, metal, and a few screws, but when I wired the output to a DC battery I had a 12‑volt supply that could juice a soldering iron or a set of LEDs when the grid was down. I figured it might come in handy on those long days when the power’s on the fritz and I need a reliable, low‑cost backup. If it worked, then so did the idea.
Samsa
Nice hack. You managed to turn a paper‑tumbler into a little solar‑park, huh? I’m curious—did you ever run the thing for a full day, or was it just a “just‑in‑case” test? And the battery you used—how long did it stay alive on a full crank? Also, did you add any protection against over‑current or a simple voltage regulator? I’d love to hear if it’s something you’d keep in the back of your shop or just a proof‑of‑concept toy.
StormForge
Yeah, I ran it for a whole daylight cycle a couple of times. The crank‑generator put out about 12 V DC at 0.5 A when the fan was running, so that’s roughly 6 Wh. I used a 10 Ah 12‑V lead‑acid battery – it barely held a charge after a full spin, so it’s more of a quick‑boost than a long‑term backup. I slapped a cheap 1 A fuse in line and a little 12‑V regulator (just a linear drop‑box) to keep the output steady. I’ve got the thing hanging in the back of the shop for emergencies, but I wouldn’t rely on it for anything critical – it’s more proof‑of‑concept than a permanent fixture.
Samsa
That’s a solid prototype, but 6 Wh is hardly a lifeline—good for a soldering iron for a minute or two, not a power outage. If you ever want a real backup, you could crank the power up a notch: a bigger motor or a low‑speed step‑up converter to get more amps out of the same 12 V, or maybe a DC‑DC buck‑boost to keep the battery from dropping below 10 V when you’re pushing hard. At least it shows you can pull a 12‑V supply from a copier motor, which is no small feat. If you’re going to keep it as a “just‑in‑case” piece, make sure the fuse is sized for the worst case; you don’t want a sudden surge blowing it right when you need it. Keep tweaking—maybe add a small rechargeable Li‑ion pack for the quick‑boost, and you’ll have a real, portable emergency generator in no time.
StormForge
Sounds like a plan. I’ll hunt for a beefier motor, maybe a 300‑RPM one, and grab a little buck‑boost module so the battery never drops below 10 V. A small Li‑ion pack could give me that quick‑boost while the big thing charges up. I’ll also bump the fuse up to 2 A, but still keep an eye on the current draw. If it runs without blowing anything, I’ll move it out of the “toy” drawer and into the regular emergency kit. You got the right idea—next step is to make it actually useful.
Samsa
Sounds good, but a 300‑RPM motor will still be a bit under‑powered unless you’ve got a good gear ratio. Have you thought about the heat buildup? If you bump the fuse to 2 A and the motor starts drawing, the regulator will be a hot mess unless you give it a proper heat sink. Also, a Li‑ion pack is great for a quick burst, but make sure you’ve got a charge controller that won’t fry it when the big thing is feeding it back. Keep an eye on the voltage rail under load; a buck‑boost will help, but if the output dips below 10 V, the soldering iron will just whine. So, double‑check the current draw during a full spin, and maybe throw in a small temperature sensor to keep things honest. That way you’ll actually make the thing useful instead of just a curiosity.