Alternative Energy--Power from a Kerosene Lamp! 

Russia has lots of RTGs sitting abandoned. Just don't get too close to them.

According to the description, it uses two dissimilar metals. Modern peltiers use a sandwich of semiconductor P-N junctions and can put out a little more juice. Though probably not much.

Alrighty

Thanks. No piezoelectric.

Thermoelectric. The Seebeck effect.

@@shmehfleh3115 ahh. I see now. I used the wrong term. Thanks for the reply.

It's in the description--a germanium transistor, two capacitors and a coil.

@@riderericsson Thanks, I wasn't paying good attention and had the 30s or 40s in my head. Super high tech for the 50s.

steel

There are no heat pipes. The rods just above the flame are made of two dissimilar metal alloys which generate a small current when heated (thermocouples).

@@riderericsson ohhhh! So they are the thermocouples! Interesting 🤔... They are quite small compared to what is available today.... No wonder why there's only 100mW of current available.... Well that explains it then... Their shape resembled heat pipes! And I was thinking.... Look at that, they were using heat pipes from back then to efficiently transfer the heat to the thermocouples which are probably mounted on the cooling fins! Well that's not the case, thanks for clarifying that! I believe that the thermocouple is the most underrated technology to date.. there's a lot more that can be done with those things and being solid state, they last a very long time....

Not only thermocouples but a voltage boosting circuit (germanium transistor, capacitors, and coil) hidden in the lamp base. Easily powers a small transistor radio as you have seen in the video.

The pioneer one and two probes are powered by this same technology except that they are using radioactive products for their heat source, they both have since left our solar system and are still functioning to this day, albeit it at a reduced output in power due to the radioactive material loosing most of its thermal energy.... The probes are probably using more than 100mw of power but probably not much more.... 100mw doesn't sound impressive! Not much you can do with it these days, it was plenty good enough for way back then! I would imagine that if this product was made again today using the latest materials available, considering the current thermoelectric devices today are capable of 1.2W each, you won't need to many of them to charge an iPhone which only uses a 5W charger, my android phone unfortunately uses a 60W charger which will need a larger kerosene lamp... And that's a very handy device for when you are snowed in and the grid is down, this product with give you emergency backup power and heating at the same time! Still has a place in society today.... Still a relevant product today.... Pity no one makes it anymore.... Been thinking about adding some Peltier devices to my Coleman lantern....

Nonsense. Similar kerosene lamps were used in homes for nearly 100 years before electricity became widespread.

@@riderericsson _"Nonsense. Similar kerosene lamps were used in homes for nearly 100 years before electricity became widespread."_ Nonsense. Homes 100 years ago only dreamed about being as air tight as homes today. If you don't think that is the case, light up a kerosene lamp in your bedroom tonight. If you don't answer tomorrow morning, thank you for proving my point.

Not a problem when the power is out. This unit was a part of a pre-production run sent to 3M employees and they never went into serial production--CO2 had nothing to do with it. Your body will produce more CO2 than a kerosene lamp.

@@riderericsson _"Your body will produce more CO2 than a kerosene lamp."_ Oil lamp or lantern: The safety of oil lamps is pretty much the same as for candles. Never leave it unattended, extinguish it before you go to sleep, keep it away from children and pets, and anything combustible. Use the highest quality, purest lamp oil without color or perfumes you can find. This will prevent harmful smoke and particles in the air you are breathing. Check to make sure it is rated as indoor safe. Only use it in a well ventilated area, and keep the extinguishers at the ready. Trim off any loose or out of place fibers before filling. Keep the reservoir ¾ full to preserve the life of the wick. Never fill the lamp with oil when it is lit. When you need to fill the lamp, follow the manufacture's directions as to how much. Do not over fill. Use a funnel and wipe up any spills immediately. Allow an hour for the wick to become fully saturated before lighting. After lighting, roll the wick down to expose only about a quarter of an inch of wick. You will get a better flame and reduce smoke.

They are commonly used in deep space missions with heat supplied from radioisotopes (i.e., nuclear). There was a hurricane lantern made a few years ago in Europe with built in thermocouples and radio but sadly no longer being manufactured.

Phones require 5v at 2 amps, that's 10 watts, this only theoretically makes 100 mliwatts (0.1 watt)

@@STOP_RIGHT_THERE_CRIMINAL_SCUM You are thinking in fast charging. 500 mA would be enough to put some juice in a cell phone battery,. But, anyway it's about 3 watt, so, beyond the reach of this contraption.

OMG man--it's preserving old technology, not for everyday use! Poison, really?

He's just showing that he owns it and it's working retro tech, he doesnt need it for the fucking radio