Portable Power Fuel Cells (Power from water & toothpaste)

[Wise Old Owl]

http://www.fchea.org/index.php?id=56

Fuel cells are also very different from batteries in their use. While batteries take time and a power source to recharge, fuel cells can run as long as fuel is available. Since portable fuel cells cannot be connected to a fixed fuel line like stationary fuel cells, they are usually powered by replaceable fuel cartridges. When one cartridge runs out of power, a new one can be swapped in instantaneously. Cartridges can then be refilled by the consumer or recycled and purchased anew at a cost comparable to batteries. Each cell is $2 and add water.= 4 hours of charge.

http://www.fchea.org/core/import/myFC_powertrekk_fuel_cell_charger%20caption.jpg

[Feral Bill]

Interesting, for those who, for some reason, carry a lot of electronics.

[leaftye]

Shouldn't this be in the humor forum?

For those that want to get the joke, here's a hint: Why is the capacity in different units (mAh vs Wh) for the battery and fuel cell?

[rocketsocks]

Pretty cool Woo. I couldn't seem to find the pricing?

[Wise Old Owl]

My bad - its made in Bulgaria, there is only one authorized distributor and this is cutting age, and has not been distributed to stores in the USA -----Yet.


This is the American Distributor.
http://www.industrialrev.com/powertrekk/

[rocketsocks]

My bad - its made in Bulgaria, there is only one authorized distributor and this is cutting age, and has not been distributed to stores in the USA -----Yet.


This is the American Distributor.
http://www.industrialrev.com/powertrekk/There it is, thanks Woo. I guessed $200 beans, so I don't win both show cases. One of the interesting things I notice is the amount of heat given off, that in and of it self has some interesting possibilities for cold weather treks.....maybe

[Wise Old Owl]

I was stunned to learn it uses water to create hydrogen from the primary ingredient in toothpaste, and that makes the electricity!

[rocketsocks]

I was stunned to learn it uses water to create hydrogen from the primary ingredient in toothpaste, and that makes the electricity!that would make tooth paste a dual use item.....ok, the tooth paste stays. No more camp Lejeune sand washing the teeth for me.

[leaftye]

Shouldn't this be in the humor forum?

For those that want to get the joke, here's a hint: Why is the capacity in different units (mAh vs Wh) for the battery and fuel cell?

With WOO's electronics background, I thought he'd get it. I'll go ahead and end this so no one makes the expensive mistake of buying this device.

The internal battery has a capacity of 1500 mAh. The fuel cell is listed in Wh to be misleading because it has a pitiful capacity of 800 mAh.

To charge an iPad 3 one time, you'd need a fully charged battery in the PowerTrekk, plus 13 fuel cells. The cost of the fuel cells alone for that single charge, it'd cost $26-39.

This thing should be able to fully charge an iPhone, but without visiting a wall outlet to recharge the battery, charging the iPhone a second time will require two fuel cells.

With the cost, weight and bulk of the Powertrekk and all those fuel cells, I saw this as a worse option than even solar chargers (in the shaded green tunnel) and the nPowerPeg, thus I saw this as a joke in the wrong forum. I wouldn't be surprised if a convincing case could be made for carrying a second device (iPhone, iPad, etc) instead of this charger and all its fuel cells.

[Wise Old Owl]

Leaftye - I had not looked at it in depth, I agree, I found it neat to see something different in this area, it reminded me of using lemons to get electric!

[leaftye]

I find the technology super neat too, but still very impractical at this point.

I suppose I have an eye for scams. The capacity listed in different units shined like a beacon for me, and I immediately got suspicious.