LED Flashlight powered by WATER!

[hyperloop]

Was doing some random surfing and came across this LED light powered by WATER and thought i would share it with CPF.

Amazing what technology can do! Can any expert comment on how this light works?

Oh and this may be a bit off topic but they're powered by these cells

reading a bit further, apparently the cells referenced above can be powered bu almost any liquid includin p*ss

 

[Tuikku]

Great post!
I heard about these water-filled batteris couple of years ago but since then nothing.

Only things I remember from that news was, that the shelflife would be quite good and the inventor had problems in finding someone to finance marketing/producing.

Sounds odd, I would finance that kind of invention

 

[Serial Chiller]

This flashlight isn't actually powered by water. Every battery needs an electrolyte, usually water. The batteries that come with this flashlight basically work like any other battery, except they don't have any electrolyte in them. By adding water, you can activate the battery, but the flashlight is powered by magnesium, not by water.

It's like when you have car that lacks one cogwheel. As soon as you add the missing part, it will start driving, but it would be wrong to say that it is powered by cogwheels.

 

[mr.snakeman]

Not especially cheap, either. $67 + $15 shipping = $82 for six batteries that can be charged only 5 times each which gives a price per charge of a little over $2.70. Ouch!

 

[headophile]

nice find!

 

[McAllan]

This flashlight isn't actually powered by water. Every battery needs an electrolyte, usually water. The batteries that come with this flashlight basically work like any other battery, except they don't have any electrolyte in them. By adding water, you can activate the battery, but the flashlight is powered by magnesium, not by water.

Don't know if it's magnesium but yes. I wonder too how long they will last. Principally it's not (much at least) different from the galvanic cells you've made in school of copper and zinc - they're not powered by water either but working by corroding the metals.

 

[was.lost.but.now.found]

After shipping they're over $13 per battery, deliver a maximum current of .3A, maximum capacity is 20% less than an eneloop, and they can be charged only 5 times. The only thing I can praise them for is their honesty and not trying to hide the true (poor) performance.

Btw, how are these supposed to be "good for the earth" when they get thrown in the trash after 5 uses (which is really equivalent to 4 or less uses of an eneloop)?

 

[camelNotation]

Interestingly, the water flashlight looks like this:

http://countycomm.com/mightylite.htm

which leads me to think that it could run on AA too.

 

[headophile]

After shipping they're over $13 per battery, deliver a maximum current of .3A, maximum capacity is 20% less than an eneloop, and they can be charged only 5 times. The only thing I can praise them for is their honesty and not trying to hide the true (poor) performance.

Btw, how are these supposed to be "good for the earth" when they get thrown in the trash after 5 uses (which is really equivalent to 4 or less uses of an eneloop)?

i kind of agree but perhaps the technology is still immature. if they manage to bring the performance to acceptable levels, i think these will be invaluable for applications that would benefit from this special capability. two of these along with a 2aa light, for example, will provide you ample light for a very long time in an isolated place without electricity.

 

[was.lost.but.now.found]

i kind of agree but perhaps the technology is still immature. if they manage to bring the performance to acceptable levels, i think these will be invaluable for applications that would benefit from this special capability. two of these along with a 2aa light, for example, will provide you ample light for a very long time in an isolated place without electricity.

How would these be better than just having a AA solar charger?

Yes, it is an interesting concept/technology, but I can't help but say that it sounds gimmicky. Someone with better understanding in chemistry can probably give a better idea of the theory behind future capability of the tech.

 

[headophile]

How would these be better than just having a AA solar charger?

Yes, it is an interesting concept/technology, but I can't help but say that it sounds gimmicky. Someone with better understanding in chemistry can probably give a better idea of the theory behind future capability of the tech.

one situation i can think of is probably getting lost in an underground cave for days, just off the top of my head. but i don't think it needs to be one or the other. having both solar and hydro sources would be even better.

i'd also like to hear the thoughts of one who's knowledgeable about this matter

 

[kingofwylietx]

The most practical application I can think of is a lifeboat. It may be years before it's actually used, so keeping the batteries dry until needed may be of benefit.

 

[Brasso]

I was thinking along the same lines. They would be perfect for long term storage (decades) for emergency situations.

 

[McAllan]

You can get dry car and MC batteries too.

Just add distilled water and they're ready to go. Of course they're not very good for cycle use since they're cranking batteries but they should easily do more than 5 cycles of not left empty for days

 

[alpg88]

i had few becons with that knid of batterys, many years ago, came off soviet rescue raft. cool toy.

 

[was.lost.but.now.found]

Ok, so battery takes water, battery depletes, battery needs more water to replenish. Where does the water go if it's inside a sealed light/tool/toy/etc.?

 

[Serial Chiller]

Some of the Water might be evaporating, but there is another reason why refilling water makes the battery run again: The process, that provides the power, is that (in this case) a magnesium-atom becomes a magnesium-ion (Mg²⁺) and is dissolved in the water. The higher the concentration of Mg²⁺ in the water, the lower the power of the battery gets. If you add water, the concentration of Mg²⁺ is reduced (due to dilution) and thus the battery starts working again. However, there is a limitation when either all of the magnesium is gone or when the Mg²⁺-concentration just gets too high and the battery is allready full of water.

You should also consider that by adding water you don't add energy. As already written, the battery needs water to work, but the water is not providing the energy. So no matter how often you refill the battery, it will never provide more energy than a usual battery does.

I think the biggest benefit of such a battery is, that you can store it for a really long time without self-discharge.

 

[headophile]

Some of the Water might be evaporating, but there is another reason why refilling water makes the battery run again: The process, that provides the power, is that (in this case) a magnesium-atom becomes a magnesium-ion (Mg²⁺) and is dissolved in the water. The higher the concentration of Mg²⁺ in the water, the lower the power of the battery gets. If you add water, the concentration of Mg²⁺ is reduced (due to dilution) and thus the battery starts working again. However, there is a limitation when either all of the magnesium is gone or when the Mg²⁺-concentration just gets too high and the battery is allready full of water.

You should also consider that by adding water you don't add energy. As already written, the battery needs water to work, but the water is not providing the energy. So no matter how often you refill the battery, it will never provide more energy than a usual battery does.

I think the biggest benefit of such a battery is, that you can store it for a really long time without self-discharge.

how much improvement do you think they can achieve regarding the performance of this battery (cycle times, current handling, capacity)? currently, as stated before, it seems like they're expensive to produce and offer mediocre performance.

 

[Serial Chiller]

I'm not actually an insider... I just remember some of the chemistry I learned at school. So I'm not quite sure whether these batteries could be improved much more. However, usual alkaline batteries have probably already been improved as far as possible. I don't think that a battery with such a "special feature" can ever provide the same (or even more) capacity than a usual battery.