If you’re a real tight-wad, here’s a lamp that will make you smile. It’s an LED lamp that is powered by your phone line. If you’re scratching your head in confusion, you must not know that phone lines carry a low level of electricity. That’s why you’re analog phones work even when the power goes out. This 8 LED lamp takes advantage of that fact by including an RJ11 plug that you can connect to any standard phone jack. I’m not sure how bright the lamp is though. You can buy one from Uxsight for less than $5.
[via Gizmag]
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{ 7 comments… read them below or add one }
Now THAT is COOL!
Too bad they are all sold out.
And that the postage is more than the product. But it’s still cool.
@Cobin I noticed that about the postage…
I’ve built something like this before. Actually right after the 94 earthquake (lived in and still live in Northridge, CA) — small LED lights and a trickle charger for some nicads (pager). 4+ days without real power and one gets inventive.
You don’t have a lot of power on the line — and if you draw too much you’ll impair your phone service. The phone company usually isn’t to happy about stuff like this, either.
@Jhon Very Macgyver of you. I love it
How hard is it to do?
You can draw about 2ma — MAYBE 3ma off the phone line BEFORE the phone company thinks your phone is off the hook (and ring busy to the outside world). Knowing that, with a simple circuit, you can make your light.
The charger was a re-hashed solar battery charger (solar cells long busted). Powered that using the same circuit from above. Kept my alpha pager alive.
One drawback, is if your device cause noise, kiss any dsl service you have on the line goodbye. Any noise these devices use may degrade/drop your DSL internet circuit.
When you have no electricity, your DSL receiver is not going to work anyway, this little light may be helpful.