Shake-To-Charge Flashlights

Regardless of the brand name, the technology in the new shake-to-charge flashlights seems to be the same. The new shake-to-charge flashlights are based on simple electromagnetic induction through a unique dual-coil design to charge a high-capacity capacitor instead of a battery. Unlike a battery, the capacitor will never lose its ability to store a charge. Shake-to-charge flashlights use the Faraday Principle of Electromagnetic Energy to create the electricity they need to charge themselves. The Faraday Principle explains and examines how a magnetic field can produce electric current in a wire coil as it passes through. When a shake-to-charge flashlight is shaken, a magnet slides back and forth through a copper wire coil, by bouncing off a rubber pad at each end of the flashlight. The electricity produced as a result is then stored in a capacitor instead of a battery. A capacitor is a basic electronic component that stores electrical charge. A capacitor is used in the shake-to-charge flashlights instead of a battery because the power is always available by shaking the flashlight, thereby requiring less electricity storage than normal flashlights. An LED, or light emitting diode, is an electronic component that emits light when an electrical current is passed through it. LED's, long used for electronic indicator lights, have become very popular for other lighting applications over the past few years in everything from street lights to roadway hazard lights and vehicles. A big reason for their popularity is their efficiency and lifespan. An LED is many times more efficient than a halogen or fluorescent bulb, and uses much less power.