Compressed Air Powered Light

[wilkie]

I really don't think it would take that much air. I'm imagining a hose coming out of the first stage and going straight to the flashlight. There would be some kind of orifice at the flashlight end concentrating the air into a steady stream. After that, would be some kind of very small "turbine". The air would spin the turbine and start the generation of electricity. (Similar to how a power plant works.") I think that with the very small amount of electricity needed for the modern LED's that the idea is fairly feasable.

Here is an example of a hand cranked LED flashlight.

Hand Cranked Dyanamo powered LED Flashlight. No batteries to replace. No bulb to replace. A lifetime of light!

The turbine that you sugest is in fact an air motor, such as is used in many types of air powered rotery tools. These are however fairly high air consumption tools.

Perhaps, given the new generation of high output/ low power consumption LEDs, a lower consumption motor could be designed, but air consumption (unless you are talking about surface supplied) would most likely be unacceptable for scuba.

I do like your "out-side the box" thinking, as I said in my previous post "Brain Candy". It's fun to think up new contraptions, and this is a fun idea. Probably not practical, but most definately possible...(batterys are so practical)

Thing is, as a Scuba diver, All of my back-gas is for me, and my buddy. :no Exhaust bubbles, on the other hand, are up for grabs!

 

[SteveAD]

As long as we're thinking outside the box, with the shake lites there is some sort of battery so you can shake it fo 30 sec and get 5 min of light, so it doesn't need continuous charging. If the turbine is installed in line in the primary second stage hose it could harness the flow energy of each inhaled breath without costing any extra air.

 

[wilkie]

Only thing here, is the air resistance created by the turbine. Ever blow a toy turbine type whistle?

The question im my mind with a Flow-through turbine is wheather or not enough voltage could be produced, by a turbine with a shallow enough vane pitch, without effecting regulator performance. I doubt the possibility, but then, we're talking a pretty small current demand.

 

[sambolino44]

Ever see one of those electric clocks powered by sticking two wires into a potato? How about that? I bet with all the different metals on a dive rig there must be a lot of micro-charges all over. If I could just harness the power of my bolt-snaps corroding...

Seriously, though, I think the problem with using compressed air is efficiency. You'd lose so much energy in all the transfers it wouldn't be worth it.

There are snow skis that have lights in them run off the power generated by peizo-electric crystals activated by the bending of the ski. Put some of those in your fins. Or, if you insist on using compressed air, have the peizos activated by pressure from a diaphragm.

I don't think outside the box. I live outside the box. I'm just not very good at thinking.

 

[ClayJar]

As long as we're thinking outside the box, with the shake lites there is some sort of battery so you can shake it fo 30 sec and get 5 min of light, so it doesn't need continuous charging. If the turbine is installed in line in the primary second stage hose it could harness the flow energy of each inhaled breath without costing any extra air.

That's actually a capacitor, not a battery. (They can be similar, and they both store energy, so close enough.)

If you couldn't have a low-flow (like the Sherwood air bleed first stages) micromotor generating just enough electricity for an LED or few, it'd be interesting to instead have a higher flow (and therefore higher power) air motor driving the generating apparatus. You could set it up with a standard power inflator button, and when it got low, just push the button for a second or two to charge it back up again.

Ever see one of those electric clocks powered by sticking two wires into a potato? How about that? I bet with all the different metals on a dive rig there must be a lot of micro-charges all over. If I could just harness the power of my bolt-snaps corroding...

Hehe, two different types of metal bolt snaps with a wire in the spiral lanyard (or coated-metal-wire retractor between them), with sea water as the electrolyte. Hmm... and then if you ever drop your camera, there's a little blinkenlight to help you find it again. :biggrin:

 

[Thalassamania]

Someone may be on to an interesting idea here. The potential energy of the compressed gas in the tank is wasted when it drops to IP. That drop (or some part of it) might, with proper design, be usable to do work (e.g. spinning a small turbine) and still exit at a reduced pressure headed for the second stage.

 

[do it easy]

Someone may be on to an interesting idea here. The potential energy of the compressed gas in the tank is wasted when it drops to IP. That drop (or some part of it) might, with proper design, be usable to do work (e.g. spinning a small turbine) and still exit at a reduced pressure headed for the second stage.

I like the direction this is going- perhaps a hood, or better yet, a multicolored beanie that would funnel the exhaust bubbles from the reg to spin a propeller on top. :truckergirl:

 

[Thalassamania]

Hey, air powered can light and scooter to boot.

 

[Kingmob3]

Scooter would be a no go, the French tried that with subs in the 18th century and lost most of them. Or converted them to battery's.

The proper idea was mentioned, put the turbine inline with the second stage, just up the IP a bit (say stock is 12-13) crank it to 14-15( BAR), and there should not be too much of a difference in WOB. The reason that it would be better for this, is that it would increase WOB on the exhale side if the turbine was there, and we can't bend things for that( IE have a significantly higher pressure in the lungs), as exhale pressure is just barely higher than the ambient pressure if not the same. Hook the whole bugger to a capacitor(either in a canister light pack, or something smaller depending on actual amount of power generated and light (assume LED) use and then get a cable fed LED torch (good man handle?) un Vola.
Allen

 

[Tigerman]

Remember, the 18th century is 300 years ago... Id think the technology has developed some since then..