Battery/LED challenge. play if you dare!

[alan2here]

An LED is only ever on or off. That's how they work. Therefore would having it:

(The next line represents the LED activity during a small part of a second)

Off, Off, Off, On, Off, Off, Off, On etc...

be considered cheating?

 

Also it is going to be possible to axidently leach energy from somewhere else (e.g EM waves or vibrations from something else that is running). I presume this to be cheating.

 

I also presume having anything lighter than air such as heluim, hydrogen or a vacume to be cheating as it will reduce the weight and allow you'r 400g thing weigh 50g.

 

Get going on you'r radiation powered bateries. (eather alpha or uranium) and you could win by 10 years.

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2005/05/18/battery_decade/

http://www.overunity.com/index.php?PHPSESSID=c63dabab4891bc6fe8416e6ffc104b83&board=33.0

[Rocket Man]

an led isn't boolean. there's below minimum voltage, there's too dim to read in, there's nominal voltage, and there's making the thing catch fire.

much like a normal light bulb.

there's a few posts detailing what is considered cheating, electromagnetics and voltage regulating wizardry is called cheating, yes.

i also think it was "mass" that counted not weight, in which case, hydrogen contributes by 2.016 grams per mol of gas.

now a nuclear battery might win it. though i doubt you could raid enough smoke detectors to accumulate the alpha or beta emmisions and hence, the current required to operate an led.

 

i have a system encased in a few grams of wax, which can run a 4v led off a single flat AAA battery but that doesn't count.

[MrMongoose]

Am I allowed to make my battery by connecting 200 commercially manufactured cells in parallel?

[YT2095]

no.

[BlondeEngineer]

I was just thinking of a cool way for someone with cute furry critters to take advantage of their nocturnal nature.... You need to modify your running cage so that it generates electricity (i.e. flywheel) and stores this in a battery/capacitor. Then hook up unit to a wee nightlite (LED with good reflective backing does just fine.) Warning - most furry critters have an annoying habit at gnawing at live wires... Careful shielding or strategic holes drilled in side/bottom of cage may be in order so you won't end up with crispy fritters!!!

[NATT]

Better to make a electrolytic battery!

[Basim]

I tried to light the LED with kitchen cleaner. I attached 1 wire to magnesium and the other wire to copper. The result was it lasted for 23 seconds. It was quite dim though.

---

Merged post follows:

Consecutive posts merged

I tried to light the LED with kitchen cleaner. I attached 1 wire to magnesium and the other wire to copper. The result was it lasted for 23 seconds. It was quite dim though.

[yojojo12]

ever thought of sticking it in an orange, more voltage from an orange then a 12v car battery, and one orange + one stone + plenty of dry leaves + one dry stick = fire an orange = essential part of any survivel kit. 13.2v = 1 large orange

[Joatmon]

with the exception of hookup wire and the LED, nope.

 

although feel free to do one using those parts as well if you like, and post results, they won`t be used in the overall challenge tho.

In practice you always need to use a series resistor or some sort of current limiting circuit for a LED. It will almost certainly be destroyed if you don't. Very often when you buy a LED you don't realise that it incorporates a resistor ( especially so if given recommended voltage to use such as 6v). however you can buy a LED without a resistor.

 

 

http://led.linear1.o...or-with-an-led/

Edited June 11, 2012 by Joatmon

[Spyman]

First off, I better start with an resurrection varning, this is a very very old thread, consider yourself warned.

 

Secondly, Joatmon, I think the challenge was about building a long standing battery without blowing up the LED.

[Joatmon]

First off, I better start with an resurrection varning, this is a very very old thread, consider yourself warned.

 

Secondly, Joatmon, I think the challenge was about building a long standing battery without blowing up the LED.

First of all I don't understand why I'm being warned for responding to a topic that already had a post that appeared today. I did not resurrect anything (IMO).

 

Secondly, I don't see why I can't comment on something within my area of experience.

All I said, which is true, is that connecting a battery to a LED will almost certainly destroy the LED. Additionally, different individual LEDs even of the same colour will require different voltages to survive (usually only nominally 2.2V) if used without a resistor.

Now, if I'm accused of "spoiling a game" I might be able to accept that.

Edited June 11, 2012 by Joatmon

[Spyman]

I am sorry Joatmon, I did not try to reprimand you, I apologize for being unclear with my first comment.

 

I meant for everyone that reads this thread now, to be warned that this is an old thread, YT is not likely around anymore and the game has expired.

 

 

Of course you are allowed to comment!

 

Yes, you are fully correct, connecting a battery to a standard battery without something limiting the current will destroy it.

 

I am NOT accusing you of anything, but AFAIK, the game was to build the battery, not the electronics needed to tune a LED to a power source. The goal was to make the battery weak enough to not blow the LED up, but yet be able to power it for a long duration.

[Joatmon]

I am sorry Joatmon, I did not try to reprimand you, I apologize for being unclear with my first comment.

 

I meant for everyone that reads this thread now, to be warned that this is an old thread, YT is not likely around anymore and the game has expired.

 

 

Of course you are allowed to comment!

 

Yes, you are fully correct, connecting a battery to a standard battery without something limiting the current will destroy it.

 

I am NOT accusing you of anything, but AFAIK, the game was to build the battery, not the electronics needed to tune a LED to a power source. The goal was to make the battery weak enough to not blow the LED up, but yet be able to power it for a long duration.

 

No problem - I suppose I was being rather pedantic. Perhaps using a LED was not the best choice of battery load.

 

 

 

[Spyman]

Agreed, at least an resistor in series should have been allowed.