When people find out that technology has progressed to the point at which we no longer need to recharge batteries for particular flashlights and that some can be charged with a simple couple of shakes, they are almost always floored with surprise. The entire process that allows this to be possible is surprisingly simple to understand. Flashlights, by design, require very few parts to function. When aligned correctly, the basic components produce portable, sustainable artificial light. In order to construct a flashlight that can be shaken to be charged, all that is needed are rare earth magnets, capacitors, wire coils, and light bulbs placed and pieced together in an incredibly deliberate, correct way.
When a magnet is passed through a coil of wire, an electrical current, albeit small, is generated. In this type of flashlight, the current is stored in the part called the capacitor and is used almost like a battery to power the light bulb.
When the flashlight is shaken, the magnet moves vertically along wire coil inside the length of the flashlight. The capacitor is lined up with the light bulb in order to provide it power.
Quality of an item such as this depends almost solely on the quality of the components that put it together. A magnet with a higher power and a coil with a higher amount of wire will generate more electricity naturally, making the flashlight charge to full power more quickly, and similarly, a bigger capacitor stores more power, and a bulb that uses less energy will stay brighter longer.
Because magnets are a key component in the creation of the flashlights, the most powerful of all magnets, rare earth magnets, are used. As one might be able to tell from the name, these rare magnets are made of alloys from more rare elements. They are the strongest magnets available, period.
The thickness of a wire coil has no real value in comparison to the amount of times the wire goes around. More windings means more surface area and a greater time frame for the magnet to generate more and more power.
The greater the size of the capacitor, the longer the flashlight can stay lit at a time. The variables that effect the storage capacity are physical size and quality.
Nearly all flashlights that can be shaken to recharge them require LED light bulbs. These bulbs produce a higher amount of light for a far lesser amount of energy in comparison to other more traditional light bulbs. This translates to not draining the capacitor as quickly for sustained energy.
Although a flashlight that needs no batteries seems complicated, in actuality, as is apparent, it is not. All that is truly necessary to create a great flashlight are rare earth magnets, capacitors, wire coils, and LED bulbs.
Rare earth magnets are developed from some elements found in the Earth including cobalt, boron, and iron. These magnets were first developed in 1970s and 1980s. Comparatively these magnets are twice as strong as ordinary magnets in terms of their magnetic field. However, the disadvantage of these magnets is that they are very fragile and get oxidized very easily. For preventing oxidation of these magnets, they are generally coated with nickel or gold to form a protective layer on their surface.
Magnets are developed in the presence of electric field where all the electrons inside of a magnetic material align to match with the direction of electric field. Permanent magnets are generally used in applications today and include bar magnets and horse shoe magnets. Rare magnets are also permanent magnets. These magnets retain their magnetism for a long time and hence known as permanent magnets. Lodestone is a type of rock magnet which is very brittle. If proper care of these magnets is not taken and if they break, they may lose their magnetic strength because their magnetic field gets disrupted.
At first when rare earth magnets were first developed, they were expensive and difficult to find. However, they are being produced in large quantities and can be easily found in the market. Rare earth magnets are classified into two types: neodymium and samarium-cobalt.
Samarium cobalt magnet is not that expensive but is not as strong as neodymium. This magnet offers strong resistance to oxidation. On the other hand, presence of iron and boron in neodymium makes it magnetically stronger but it is prone to oxidation easily. Both of these magnets are coated with nickel, zinc, gold or epoxy resin for protection against oxidation. Rare Earth Magnets.
These magnets are used in speakers, hard drives and various cordless tools. Moreover, these magnets are also being used for making toys for kids and by model makers for creating models of airplanes and tanks. In the recent research it has been found that the magnets are capable of producing for industries and home use. These magnets are finding their use in various electronic devices and computer systems. These magnets have become vital part of the world that we all live in. their features make them simple the best as compared to ordinary magnets which tend to lose their magnetism very easily. However, you would have to exercise some care if you want to use them for a long time.
You can buy these magnets from various online stores depending on your budget and needs. There are various online retailers that sell these magnets at affordable prices. You just have to do some research and compare their prices before making any purchase. Internet is a huge market from anything to everything.
