I've seen a lot of these things lately: coil with movable slug in a
cylinder. Supposed to charge up a cap or maybe a nicad if you shake
it long enough (I won't go there).

1: Some of the cheap ones look like they use a nonmagnetic slug,
straight Li calculator batteries, and no diodes or other parts. I
can't think of how that would work. Anyone?

2: Does anyone know of a source for one that actually works?

In article <aahfq197rsg46mi92pfv1qt1vdlukkhl43@4ax.com>, _DD wrote:
I've seen a lot of these things lately: coil with movable slug in a
cylinder. Supposed to charge up a cap or maybe a nicad if you shake
it long enough (I won't go there).

1: Some of the cheap ones look like they use a nonmagnetic slug,
straight Li calculator batteries, and no diodes or other parts. I
can't think of how that would work. Anyone?

I have seen and even purchased such things from a dollar store, and
determined after I got home that these were imitations. The batteries
in these imitations are CR2016, which i surely believe is a
non-rechargeable type. The coil's leads in these imitations are shorted
together. The "magnets" in these imitations are not magnets but merely
chunks of steel rod.
Since the packaging makes actual claims of never needing replacement
batteries and to shake in a specific direction and to shake to recharge,
my opinion is that these fakes are something truly dishonest.

I wonder if
a specific law was broken where I could get a DA or a law enforcement
agency involved.

The dollar store where I got them has a return policy posted on their
door: No refunds, returns only for exchange of factory defects, and then
only with receipt and a time limit. So I left one of these on for a week
to drain the battery and went back to the dollar store to return one.
Someone there took my return, shook it and was unsuccessful at recharging
it by shaking it, then pulled another from its box on a display rack,
found it dead and was unable to charge it by shaking it, and pulled
another that was good from the box, so I get a replacement rubbish fake
shake-to-recharge flashlight with at-least-somewhat-good cheap CR2016
calculator batteries for my time and effort of making the return and my
$1.99-plus-tax that I originally spent on the one returned.

In article <aahfq197rsg46mi92pfv1qt1vdlukkhl43@4ax.com>, _DD wrote:
I've seen a lot of these things lately: coil with movable slug in a
cylinder. Supposed to charge up a cap or maybe a nicad if you shake
it long enough (I won't go there).

1: Some of the cheap ones look like they use a nonmagnetic slug,
straight Li calculator batteries, and no diodes or other parts. I
can't think of how that would work. Anyone?

I have seen and even purchased such things from a dollar store, and
determined after I got home that these were imitations. The batteries
in these imitations are CR2016, which i surely believe is a
non-rechargeable type. The coil's leads in these imitations are shorted
together. The "magnets" in these imitations are not magnets but merely
chunks of steel rod.
Since the packaging makes actual claims of never needing replacement
batteries and to shake in a specific direction and to shake to recharge,
my opinion is that these fakes are something truly dishonest. I wonder if
a specific law was broken where I could get a DA or a law enforcement
agency involved.

The dollar store where I got them has a return policy posted on their
door: No refunds, returns only for exchange of factory defects, and then
only with receipt and a time limit. So I left one of these on for a week
to drain the battery and went back to the dollar store to return one.
Someone there took my return, shook it and was unsuccessful at recharging
it by shaking it, then pulled another from its box on a display rack,
found it dead and was unable to charge it by shaking it, and pulled
another that was good from the box, so I get a replacement rubbish fake
shake-to-recharge flashlight with at-least-somewhat-good cheap CR2016
calculator batteries for my time and effort of making the return and my
$1.99-plus-tax that I originally spent on the one returned.

2: Does anyone know of a source for one that actually works?

I have seen them (non-fakes) at Upper Darby True Value, a hardware store
in the 6900 block of Marshall Rd, Upper Darby PA USA. Where in PA - in
Delaware County, in the zip code 19082. I found ones there that did not
light before I shook them and did change to working in my response to
shaking them.

Web references to true such things, not necessarily any specific model
that I personally experienced:

http://ledmuseum.candlepower.us/second/shake2.htm

(A review page by a notable LED flashlight reviewer, Craig Johnson AKA
"LED Museum".)

- Don Klipstein (don@misty.com)

One that appears to work is the "Forever Flashlight" made by Excalibur
Electronics in Miami, FL [ www.excaliburelectronics.com ]. I've had
one for about a year. It uses a single white LED, copper coil, metal
slug and a PC board. The case is semi-transparent, but I can't get it
apart without breaking something to check the circuit.

You shake the thing horizontally for about 30 seconds and that results in
about 3 minutes of light. The instructions warn about placing the unit
anywhere the magnetic field might damage video tapes, credit cards or
pacemakers, so that says it has a working dynamo.

In message <cYAqf.332764$zb5.250961@bgtnsc04-news.ops.worldnet.att.net>,
TKM <nomail@no.net> writes
One that appears to work is the "Forever Flashlight" made by Excalibur
Electronics in Miami, FL [ www.excaliburelectronics.com ]. I've had one
for about a year. It uses a single white LED, copper coil, metal slug and
a PC board. The case is semi-transparent, but I can't get it apart
without breaking something to check the circuit.

If it's anything like mine, then unscrewing the lens cap will allow the
entire guts to be slipped out the front with ease. By popping the end cap
off, the whopping big neodymium magnet can then be removed for high power
magnetic foolishness. :)

(And it all goes together again easily too.)

--
Clive Mitchell
http:/www.bigclive.com

In <cYAqf.332764$zb5.250961@bgtnsc04-news.ops.worldnet.att.net>, TKM wrote
in part:

You shake the thing horizontally for about 30 seconds and that results in
about 3 minutes of light. The instructions warn about placing the unit
anywhere the magnetic field might damage video tapes, credit cards or
pacemakers, so that says it has a working dynamo.

One of the fake ones says the same thing! I just saw a different
package at a different dollar store with the same light!

Looks like my state attorney general's office will be getting a call
from me soon!

- Don Klipstein (don@misty.com)

2 for 5 bucks at the Walgreen's check out. Smaller ~2 c cell size. I shook
it back and forth for a couple of seconds and low and behold light. I
passed, cause the led was barely visible in store light at a range of 3
inches.

SQLit wrote:

2 for 5 bucks at the Walgreen's check out. Smaller ~2 c cell size. I shook
it back and forth for a couple of seconds and low and behold light. I
passed, cause the led was barely visible in store light at a range of 3
inches.

My parents bought oen for fun years ago that had gears and a real bulb.
It gave real light. Sadly it was made of plastic and I destroyed it as a
kid by squeezing to hard.

The category is called 'knijpkat' in Dutch - squeeze-cat.

More efficient than shaking, I'm sure. And available in LED models these
days.