Don't get me (kick) started! *another wind turbine manufacturing crowdfunder*

[Mr Gus]

Oh dear, another short turbine mount affecting turbulence clearance & performance practicality which is obviously left out of the flowery funding video.

Hasn't stopped them being flooded with money though.

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/sh ... lt=project

[Joeboy]

The drone & Turbine combo would be excellent all things being equal and operational. I pitch my tent in as secluded a spot as I can out of wind and sheltered. Best of fortune to them! Its good to see that there is an appetite out there. Oh yeah, need multiple charging cables as the 1st one will be shredded the minute it rotates. Need a trademarked Bungee to attach the phone to the cowling.

[Tinbum]

Where's the chocolate teapot emoji?

[Oliver90owner]

Most USBs operate at 5W? This could be good enough to manage that?

Compared to the 500W chocolate teapots for rooftop installation in suburbia it is likely 1/100th of the power but weighs 1/10th of the former.

I like the way they mix speeds mph, kmph and m/s. Marketing hype for those that know nothing.

Not even waterproof - a canoe was shown in the vid.

I expect it will charge items - but not run them - unless the wind is a howling gale. Its internal battery is akin to a any small back-up battery for charging a mobile phone.

I see there are 13(?)of them in the pic. Thirty years experience (quoted) doesn’t mean a great deal, really!

What is the cost? Did I miss that?

As I see it, it is a portable ‘Rutland’ lookalike, nothing more, really - and likely much less. Probably mostly made on a 3D printer. Not sure of its longevity, either. They avoid quoting useful specifications.

It is a gimmick and toy but may just help out a group who get lost without a charged mobile phone among them!

Even the chocolate teapot domestic roof-top thingies were probably good enough to charge a mobile phone (for later use).

RAB

[Stinsy]

I agree on the “chocolate teapot “ front. Look at the size of the thing! Who is carrying that? What if it isn’t windy?

I carry a 10,000mWh (10Wh?) USB battery pack when backpacking. It can keep my phone and DSLR powered for a week. You can’t go much further than that without resupply because you can’t carry enough food. I know people who carry more batteries because they shoot video. However charging on the go via solar or wind might seem like a good idea, but it will not and cannot work.

Reminds me of the “lemon battery” saga. When a bunch of NGOs spent a fortune trying to launch a lemon based power system in poorer countries. (I know it will be obvious to you lot, but just in case: The power in a lemon battery comes from the magnesium not the lemons, and it isn’t an economical use of magnesium.).

[Mr Gus]

Just an update.

I contacted them to ask a few basic questions pertinent to their kickstarter product.

They never answered