Jan 30, 2007
Potato Powered mp3 Player – Not!
Fed up with using up so many batteries? Rechargeables giving you poor mileage? Then why not try a couple of sweet potatoes instead.
In this “video tutorial”, you’ll learn how to use a couple of galvanized (zinc coated) nails, some bare copper wire, a pair of mini crocodile clips, AND two sweet potatoes, to power up your mp3 player with not a conventional battery in sight. Great video and the music’s sweet too.
The Hole – video powered by Metacafe
This appliance is, of course, closely related to the lemon battery (or more formally lemon cell) familiar to anyone who’s searched for a high school science project. Two different metallic objects dipped into a conduction solution (an electrolyte) will produce an electrochemical reaction the byproduct of which is electricity. A single lemon is usually enough to illuminate a flashlight bulb, but two sweet potatoes are apparently required for an mp3 player. Yes, it reduces the portability of your player, but just think…no more buying batteries! Of course, things might get a bit smelly as those sweet potatoes (Ipomoea batatas) start to go off.
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Sorry, Bobby, no it won’t work with this set up, it’s a spoof. But, that said you wouldn’t get a adequate current from a working lemon battery either.
Wow!!!Is it possible?How long it may work?How hours?
I forgot to add a comment to this to let readers know that I posted a more legitimate fruity battery item recently – Lemon Battery. Anyone given it a try and had success, leave a comment to let us know? Have you used anything more exotic than a lemon to generate an electrical current?
db
IT DOES NOT WORK!!! It’s a spoof, as mentioned earlier.
Check out the lemon battery post that DOES WORK!!!
db
How will this work? My son is trying to do this for a science project and it’s not working. We’ve tried it the above way and by linking both sweet potatoes together and nothing. I’ve also tried it with 3 potatoes linked together and again nothing. Can anyone help? He needs this ASAP. Thanks David