2007-12-27 06:15:32 · 4 answers · asked by George 3 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Engineering
In general, no.
Even a pedal powered generator takes quite a bit of effort to produce any usable power.
Look at it this way:
Let's say your TV needs 350 watts. There are 746 watts per horsepower, so your television needs close to 1/2 horsepower to run it. Pumping out 1/2 horsepower for any length of time, even with a pedal pwered generator would be quite an effort. Doing it by hand would be nearly impossible.
Maybe you could get 50 or even 100 watts, but your arm is going to get tired mighty fast
2007-12-27 06:22:00 · answer #1 · answered by dogsafire 7 · 3⤊ 0⤋
Not really. These are meant more for emergency communications, or as demonstrators for how electricity is made. One point to remember, it takes 1 horse power to produce 740 watts of electricity. If you are as big as a horse, with similar physical strength, how long can you last, that is, what is your endurance time, to produce electricity. Not as big as a horse you say, then just what kind of endurance do you have? Storing it in a battery is not going to work either because you don't get out more than you put into the battery. You can't crank on a hand generator and produce 10 watts of electrical energy and expect 1000 out of the battery.
2007-12-27 06:26:52 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 0⤋
A human being is top shape can only put out
about 3/8 H.P. and that only for a short time.
What do you mean by "decent amounts of power"?
2007-12-27 07:21:56 · answer #3 · answered by Irv S 7 · 2⤊ 0⤋
To do what, though?
To power an OLPC? Yep. That works.
http://www.olpcnews.com/hardware/power_supply/negroponte_unveils_s.html
http://rodfathermobile.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/09/image12.png
Cool!
To light up a decent light bulb? Hardly.
2007-12-27 06:53:26 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋