Page 1 of 2 12 LastLast
Results 1 to 16 of 26

Thread: More free energy?

  1. #1
    Senior Member watercooled's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jan 2009
    Posts
    11,459
    Thanks
    1,539
    Thanked
    1,022 times in 868 posts

    More free energy?

    http://www.extremetech.com/extreme/1...-from-thin-air

    Not sure it warrants an explanation why it's so, so wrong.


  2. #2
    Grumpy and VERY old :( g8ina's Avatar
    Join Date
    Nov 2006
    Location
    Northampton
    Posts
    6,621
    Thanks
    2,465
    Thanked
    1,555 times in 1,046 posts
    • g8ina's system
      • Motherboard:
      • ASRock Z75 Pro3
      • CPU:
      • Intel(R) Core(TM) i5-3570K CPU @ 3.40GHz 3.40 GHz
      • Memory:
      • 16GB Corsair 1600MHz DDR3.
      • Storage:
      • 250GB SSD system, 250GB SSD Data + 2TB data, + 8TB NAS
      • Graphics card(s):
      • XFX Radeon HD 6870
      • Case:
      • Coolermaster Elite 430
      • Operating System:
      • Win10
      • Monitor(s):
      • Iiyama 22"
      • Internet:
      • Virgin 100MB unlimited

    Re: More free energy?

    Theft for a start.
    Cheers, David



  3. #3
    jim
    jim is offline
    HEXUS.clueless jim's Avatar
    Join Date
    Sep 2008
    Location
    Location: Location:
    Posts
    11,435
    Thanks
    612
    Thanked
    1,639 times in 1,304 posts
    • jim's system
      • Motherboard:
      • Asus Maximus IV Gene-Z
      • CPU:
      • i5 2500K @ 4.5GHz
      • Memory:
      • 8GB Corsair Vengeance LP
      • Storage:
      • 1TB Sandisk SSD
      • Graphics card(s):
      • ASUS GTX 970
      • PSU:
      • Corsair AX650
      • Case:
      • Silverstone Fortress FT03
      • Operating System:
      • 8.1 Pro
      • Monitor(s):
      • Dell S2716DG
      • Internet:
      • 10 Mbps ADSL

    Re: More free energy?

    This might sound a bit like hocus-pocus pseudoscience, but the underlying science is actually surprisingly sound.
    We don’t have the exact details
    Now that, chaps, is some stunning journalism right there.

  4. Received thanks from:

    cptwhite_uk (14-02-2013)

  5. #4
    The late but legendary peterb - Onward and Upward peterb's Avatar
    Join Date
    Aug 2005
    Location
    Looking down & checking on swearing
    Posts
    19,378
    Thanks
    2,892
    Thanked
    3,403 times in 2,693 posts

    Re: More free energy?

    As is usually the case, the comments make far more interesting/amusing reading!
    (\__/)
    (='.'=)
    (")_(")

    Been helped or just 'Like' a post? Use the Thanks button!
    My broadband speed - 750 Meganibbles/minute

  6. #5
    Senior Member
    Join Date
    Jun 2008
    Posts
    1,474
    Thanks
    2
    Thanked
    140 times in 116 posts
    • BobF64's system
      • Motherboard:
      • Asus P8Z77-V Pro
      • CPU:
      • Intel Core i7-3770K
      • Memory:
      • 16GB Corsair XMS3 PC3-12800
      • Storage:
      • Multiple HDD and SSD drives
      • Graphics card(s):
      • ASUS DUAL-GTX1060-06G
      • PSU:
      • 750W Silverstone Strider Gold Evolution
      • Case:
      • Silverstone Fortress FT02
      • Operating System:
      • Windows 10 x64 Pro
      • Monitor(s):
      • HP ZR24w

    Re: More free energy?

    Quote Originally Posted by g8ina View Post
    Theft for a start.
    Personally, I think that inadequate shielding on the power lines is their utilities hard luck, if theyre leaking it all over the place, only fair you can use it.

    I know they dont see it like that, and nor does the law.

  7. #6
    The late but legendary peterb - Onward and Upward peterb's Avatar
    Join Date
    Aug 2005
    Location
    Looking down & checking on swearing
    Posts
    19,378
    Thanks
    2,892
    Thanked
    3,403 times in 2,693 posts

    Re: More free energy?

    Energy doesn't leak as such. There are losses, which are resistive, and dielectric losses, but a magnetic field is not inherently a loss - unless it is made one half of a transformer and energy is drawn off, as the article is claiming, in which case it is theft, as much as bypassing a meter.

    However I remain sceptical about the claim.
    (\__/)
    (='.'=)
    (")_(")

    Been helped or just 'Like' a post? Use the Thanks button!
    My broadband speed - 750 Meganibbles/minute

  8. #7
    jim
    jim is offline
    HEXUS.clueless jim's Avatar
    Join Date
    Sep 2008
    Location
    Location: Location:
    Posts
    11,435
    Thanks
    612
    Thanked
    1,639 times in 1,304 posts
    • jim's system
      • Motherboard:
      • Asus Maximus IV Gene-Z
      • CPU:
      • i5 2500K @ 4.5GHz
      • Memory:
      • 8GB Corsair Vengeance LP
      • Storage:
      • 1TB Sandisk SSD
      • Graphics card(s):
      • ASUS GTX 970
      • PSU:
      • Corsair AX650
      • Case:
      • Silverstone Fortress FT03
      • Operating System:
      • 8.1 Pro
      • Monitor(s):
      • Dell S2716DG
      • Internet:
      • 10 Mbps ADSL

    Re: More free energy?

    I think I'm right in saying that they tried on Mythbusters to pull current in from the EM field surrounding a power line, and after spending a small fortune on wire, they eventually got enough to power an LED... or something like that. Point is, it's pointless.

  9. #8
    Moosing about! CAT-THE-FIFTH's Avatar
    Join Date
    Aug 2006
    Location
    Not here
    Posts
    31,619
    Thanks
    3,755
    Thanked
    5,059 times in 3,911 posts
    • CAT-THE-FIFTH's system
      • Motherboard:
      • Less E-PEEN
      • CPU:
      • Massive E-PEEN
      • Memory:
      • RGB E-PEEN
      • Storage:
      • Not in any order
      • Graphics card(s):
      • EVEN BIGGER E-PEEN
      • PSU:
      • OVERSIZED
      • Case:
      • UNDERSIZED
      • Operating System:
      • DOS 6.22
      • Monitor(s):
      • NOT USUALLY ON....WHEN I POST
      • Internet:
      • FUNCTIONAL

    Re: More free energy?

    I can send the Moose out under power lines to get more POWAR!!

  10. #9
    Senior Member watercooled's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jan 2009
    Posts
    11,459
    Thanks
    1,539
    Thanked
    1,022 times in 868 posts

    Re: More free energy?

    @BobF64: There's very little than can be done, feasibly, to eliminate an electromagnetic field around power lines or transformers. As peterb says, you're essentially making the secondary winding of a transformer (think, electric toothbrush or Qi inductive charging mats), you don't get the energy for free; drawing power in this way loads the grid in the same way as anything else. This is no less stealing than trying to pull power from the cables directly with a cable, albeit many times less dangerous.

    As for the scale of power you can gain by using stuff like wifi or mobile phone signals, as the article suggests, well whoever came up with the device either completely lacks understanding of how small the power levels they're dealing with are, or are completely aware and deliberately misleading others. For example, I'm currently sitting in the same room as my WiFi AP, and according to my phone, it's receiving a signal at around -60dBm, or 0.000000001 Watts, or one *billionth* of a Watt, just for an idea of scale. Cell signal is more like -90dBm, and GPS make both look huge, at something like -120dBm. Sure, you can in theory get more power with a higher gain antenna (within reason, and still not to anywhere near a useful level), but you see the kind of power levels were dealing with, and besides, the device isn't very big.

    TL-DR: The self-discharge of the battery would be several orders of magnitude higher...

    Or, why not save the several quid you'll be spending on this device as, even if it worked as well as claimed i.e. an AA battery every day or so, you're really not going to be setting yourself back much just plugging a charger in to the mains...

    Edit: I think I remember reading about something like this a while back. From what I remember it was intended to sit next to your router and contained an internal battery, but my Googling skills haven't succeeded in finding it. Anyone remember what I'm on about?

    Editception: I think it might have been the 'RCA Airnergy'. Google it.
    Last edited by watercooled; 14-02-2013 at 01:24 AM.

  11. #10
    Grumpy and VERY old :( g8ina's Avatar
    Join Date
    Nov 2006
    Location
    Northampton
    Posts
    6,621
    Thanks
    2,465
    Thanked
    1,555 times in 1,046 posts
    • g8ina's system
      • Motherboard:
      • ASRock Z75 Pro3
      • CPU:
      • Intel(R) Core(TM) i5-3570K CPU @ 3.40GHz 3.40 GHz
      • Memory:
      • 16GB Corsair 1600MHz DDR3.
      • Storage:
      • 250GB SSD system, 250GB SSD Data + 2TB data, + 8TB NAS
      • Graphics card(s):
      • XFX Radeon HD 6870
      • Case:
      • Coolermaster Elite 430
      • Operating System:
      • Win10
      • Monitor(s):
      • Iiyama 22"
      • Internet:
      • Virgin 100MB unlimited

    Re: More free energy?

    IIRC a farmer in Droitwich was fined for theft of electric power from the radio transmitters there. Lots of long wires and diode arrays and he was charging batteries for his piggery (? or some such).
    Cheers, David



  12. #11
    Pork & Beans Powerup Phage's Avatar
    Join Date
    May 2009
    Location
    Kent
    Posts
    6,260
    Thanks
    1,618
    Thanked
    608 times in 518 posts
    • Phage's system
      • Motherboard:
      • Asus Crosshair VIII
      • CPU:
      • 3800x
      • Memory:
      • 16Gb @ 3600Mhz
      • Storage:
      • Samsung 960 512Gb + 2Tb Samsung 860
      • Graphics card(s):
      • EVGA 1080ti
      • PSU:
      • BeQuiet 850w
      • Case:
      • Fractal Define 7
      • Operating System:
      • W10 64
      • Monitor(s):
      • Iiyama GB3461WQSU-B1

    Re: More free energy?

    Quote Originally Posted by g8ina View Post
    IIRC a farmer in Droitwich was fined for theft of electric power from the radio transmitters there. Lots of long wires and diode arrays and he was charging batteries for his piggery (? or some such).
    Is that a euphemism ?
    Society's to blame,
    Or possibly Atari.

  13. Received thanks from:

    pollaxe (14-02-2013)

  14. #12
    Senior Member watercooled's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jan 2009
    Posts
    11,459
    Thanks
    1,539
    Thanked
    1,022 times in 868 posts

    Re: More free energy?

    Reminds me of a post I saw on some forum a while back, some guy in the US was powering his home via an inverter, from batteries he'd charged with his car during the day. Somehow he reasoned it was free.

    I think some people just find it too hard to accept they might need to pay a few pennies a year to charge those batteries. Instead, they'd rather spend hundreds/thousands on tons of psuedoscientific hardware and convince themselves its working.

  15. #13
    Gentoo Ricer
    Join Date
    Jan 2005
    Location
    Galway
    Posts
    11,048
    Thanks
    1,016
    Thanked
    944 times in 704 posts
    • aidanjt's system
      • Motherboard:
      • Asus Strix Z370-G
      • CPU:
      • Intel i7-8700K
      • Memory:
      • 2x8GB Corsiar LPX 3000C15
      • Storage:
      • 500GB Samsung 960 EVO
      • Graphics card(s):
      • EVGA GTX 970 SC ACX 2.0
      • PSU:
      • EVGA G3 750W
      • Case:
      • Fractal Design Define C Mini
      • Operating System:
      • Windows 10 Pro
      • Monitor(s):
      • Asus MG279Q
      • Internet:
      • 240mbps Virgin Cable

    Re: More free energy?

    Quote Originally Posted by watercooled View Post
    I think some people just find it too hard to accept they might need to pay a few pennies a year to charge those batteries. Instead, they'd rather spend hundreds/thousands on tons of psuedoscientific hardware and convince themselves its working.
    Or, they could have saved themselves a heap of money by just go to a library and borrow a physics textbook before investing time and money into energy projects. Hell, even just googling around your ideas would have turned up useful information. Sounds crazy, I know...
    Quote Originally Posted by Agent View Post
    ...every time Creative bring out a new card range their advertising makes it sound like they have discovered a way to insert a thousand Chuck Norris super dwarfs in your ears...

  16. #14
    Senior Member
    Join Date
    Mar 2010
    Posts
    2,567
    Thanks
    39
    Thanked
    179 times in 134 posts

    Re: More free energy?

    if you want to charge batteries to go `off grid` then get a wind turbine / solar panels and maybe a micro chp unit (but they are not that reliable)

  17. #15
    Admin (Ret'd)
    Join Date
    Jul 2003
    Posts
    18,481
    Thanks
    1,016
    Thanked
    3,208 times in 2,281 posts

    Re: More free energy?

    Quote Originally Posted by watercooled View Post
    Reminds me of a post I saw on some forum a while back, some guy in the US was powering his home via an inverter, from batteries he'd charged with his car during the day. Somehow he reasoned it was free.

    I think some people just find it too hard to accept they might need to pay a few pennies a year to charge those batteries. Instead, they'd rather spend hundreds/thousands on tons of psuedoscientific hardware and convince themselves its working.
    I've had a brainwave. Connect a dynamo to an exercise bike and you can charge your AA's and get/keep fit at the same time. Should make me a billionaire by the end of the year, that.

  18. #16
    Moosing about! CAT-THE-FIFTH's Avatar
    Join Date
    Aug 2006
    Location
    Not here
    Posts
    31,619
    Thanks
    3,755
    Thanked
    5,059 times in 3,911 posts
    • CAT-THE-FIFTH's system
      • Motherboard:
      • Less E-PEEN
      • CPU:
      • Massive E-PEEN
      • Memory:
      • RGB E-PEEN
      • Storage:
      • Not in any order
      • Graphics card(s):
      • EVEN BIGGER E-PEEN
      • PSU:
      • OVERSIZED
      • Case:
      • UNDERSIZED
      • Operating System:
      • DOS 6.22
      • Monitor(s):
      • NOT USUALLY ON....WHEN I POST
      • Internet:
      • FUNCTIONAL

    Re: More free energy?

    Quote Originally Posted by Saracen View Post
    I've had a brainwave. Connect a dynamo to an exercise bike and you can charge your AA's and get/keep fit at the same time. Should make me a billionaire by the end of the year, that.
    Make sure it has an iDevice connected to it,and you might just beccome a billionaire!

Page 1 of 2 12 LastLast

Thread Information

Users Browsing this Thread

There are currently 1 users browsing this thread. (0 members and 1 guests)

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •