An article in today's paper about the recent Consumer Electronics show described the Baygen windup lantern. It said that it can be used as a generator to power most devices that require two AA batteries. I looked it up at www.freeplay.net, but the site didn't mention using it as a generator. Does anyone know about this?

-- Pearlie Sweetcake (storestuff@home.now), January 18, 1999

Answers

Bought one for my brother-in-law this Christmas. The box says it can be used as a generator, and it does have a plug (labelled 3V), which can apparently accept some specialized adapter for powering a CD player or other devices which will run at 3 volts. Haven't tried it though. By the way, it also works as a dandy flashlight. Strong focused beam.

-- Bob (bob@myritech.com), January 18, 1999.

Great little machine. More info at http://ccrane.com/flashlit.htm

-- Les Weil (llweil@razorlogic.com), January 18, 1999.

I got the Baygen radio with the C Crane modification for the lantern attachement. Crane added a jack to plug it in.

Most of the cranking power goes to the radio, very little for the LED light.

The separate generator ought to power the equivalent of a boom box.

My toy (radio plus light) came in real handy when the power went out in West Los Angeles and environs just after the first of the year

-- player (toys@rus.com), January 19, 1999.

I understand that repeated "over-tightening" of the spring breaks both the windup radios and lights - so be gentle with them.

-- Robert A. Cook, PE (Kennesaw, GA) (cook.r@csaatl.com), January 19, 1999.