Making a handcranked flashlight with a supercapcitor

  • #1
Milo08821
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TL;DR Summary: I want to make a handcranked flashight with a supercapacitor, I need some help and thoughts about what type of capacitor do i need and how many to make suppercapacitor.

the dc motor im going to use is a geared motor wich is;
DC Gear Motor 12V 250RPM- SGM25-370
Specifications:
Operating voltage: between 6 V and 18 V
Nominal voltage: 12 V
Free-run speed at 12 V: 250 RPM
Free-run current at 12 V: 50 mA
Stall current at 12V: 1200 mA
Stall torque at 12V: 38 kg.cm
Gear ratio: 1:35
Reductor size: 21 mm
Weight: 85 g

and the LED light im going to use is aroung 10w, i just ripped it off a bike light

Im also using 4 1N4007 diode for a bridge rectifier
 
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  • #2
You don't "make" supercapacitor from normal capacitors, you buy one.

They are not trivial to use, they have a specific, low voltage (around 2.7 V for fully charged), so they require quite a bit of electronics/regulators for both loading and recovering the charge.
 
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  • #3
Borek said:
You don't "make" supercapacitor from normal capacitors, you buy one.

They are not trivial to use, they have a specific, low voltage (around 2.7 V for fully charged), so they require quite a bit of electronics/regulators for both loading and recovering the charge.
but some videos i saw, they make a supercapacitor with normal capacitors, no? I saw a video making a supercapacitor with 10 2.7v 3.3F capacitors
 
  • #4
Milo08821 said:
3.3F capacitors
Those 3.3F capacitors are super-capacitors.
They were probably being connected for greater voltage.

For energy storage, you may do better using a lithium cell than a super-capacitor.
 
  • #5
Baluncore said:
Those 3.3F capacitors are super-capacitors.
They were probably being connected for greater voltage.

For energy storage, you may do better using a lithium cell than a super-capacitor.
if I could, I would've done it by now, but my teacher doesnt allow us to use batteries, thats why im opting in using supercapacitors for me to handcranked it and let it store power to light up the LEDs for an amount of time
 
  • #6
Milo08821 said:
my teacher doesnt allow us to use batteries
Thread moved to the schoolwork forums. :wink:
 
  • #7
Milo08821 said:
Free-run speed at 12 V: 250 RPM
Free-run current at 12 V: 50 mA
Stall current at 12V: 1200 mA
I would be really surprised if you could get more power from that than 2-5W. For a few seconds, at best. And you have a 10W lamp...

A supercap is a terrible idea. Either a battery or a standard cap would work to some extent with minimal electronics, but supercaps ... nope. You would need multiple DCDC conversions at least: but proper charge/discharge circuitry is recommended.
10W from any cheap(ish) supercap is also quite a hassle as I recall.

So, my suggestion: use a small, standalone white LED with a cheap drive circuit: with a standard big cap: and a less dramatic generator.

Maybe you could look around first that how it is done?
 
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  • #8
@Milo08821 I am wondering how far along in school you are.
 

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