Here in Nigeria, it is not uncommon for residents of cities and towns to go without electric power for days. This leaves phone users with many hours unable to get across to their loved ones and business partners.

Though the pump price of fuel is said to have dropped by N2 from N145 per litre to N143, many phone users in the country still can’t afford fuelling their power generating devices because of the economic situation in the country.

The question most people keep asking is how to keep their phone fully charged without having to rely on electricity.

Here are the answers:

From battery packs, solar panels and hand cracks, there are dozens of ways to charge your phone without using a typical charger, according to experts.

Backup battery packs: these are the easiest and safest option. They will definitely charge your phone and are inexpensive and available everywhere.

Solar panel and charger: this is an affordable option that ads more versatility than the traditional backup battery packs because it doesn’t require electricity to charge in the first place.

Hand crank: The Eton BoostTurbine2000 handcrank would be a difficult way to give your phone a full charge, but it can get you some power in an emergency.

Wind turbine: the inventors claim that when fully-charged, the turbine can charge your phone four to six times. But this is a pricey option at $399(N141,000).

But Matthieu Dubarry, an electrochemist at the Hawaii Natural Energy Institute who is an expert in batteries, told DailyMail.com that trying to charge a phone with a 9V battery ‘is certainly not a good idea because of the voltage.

“You don’t want to put anything past 4.5 volts”, he said.

“That’s really really bad”, he echoed, emphasizing that no batteries, even lower than 9V, should be used.

If you attempt this for too long and the battery gets too hot, the phone can explode.

Sometimes this can happen right away and other times it can take two or three days.

“5 or 6 [phone batteries] is as much power as a hand grenade”, he said.

“There’s a risk, and we don’t want people getting hurt because they tried something off the internet without knowing about it.”

He explained the iPhone probably has a safety that prevents it from accepting the charge from the 9V battery, which is why the ‘this accessory may not be supported’ error message popped up.

Build a fruit battery

Several online tutorials also show how to charge a cell phone using acidic fruits (like oranges, lemons, or apples), copper wire, and both zinc and copper nails.

To do this, insert one zinc nail and one copper nail into several pieces of fruit so that the nails are close but not touch.

Next, connect the copper piece of one fruit to the zinc of another using the copper wire to make a circuit.

Then cut open the USB end of your charging cord, connect the wires to the ends of the copper wires in the fruit circuit, and plug in your phone.

Other ways to do this involve metal plates or coins.

But beware before trying this method; know that it also has the potential to damage your phone, Dubarry said.

Backup battery packs

Battery packs are the easiest and safest way to charge your phone.

You can charge these devices ahead of time when you do have power and then use them to charge your phone (as well as other devices) later when you can’t reach an outlet or don’t have electricity.

They can be purchased for less than $20 (N7,200) online or in department and convenience stores.

Solio Classic2 Battery Pack + Solar Charger

Using this small, 10.1-ounce device, you can charge your phone using solar power.

Simply spread out the panels facing the sun to the charge the device itself (which should take about 10 hours), and then you can charge your phone.

Inc. tested the $100 Solio device and was able to charge an iPhone in 90 minutes.

Also in 90 minutes, they got an iPad’s charge up 20 percent.

This is a somewhat affordable option that ads more versatility than the traditional backup battery packs because it doesn’t require electricity to charge in the first place.

The Eton BoostTurbine2000

This device is the most manual way to give your phone a charge.

It’s a $60 (N21, 600) hand crank that is roughly the size of a smartphone itself and has a retractable crank you can turn to charge your phone.

Charging your phone this way would take a lot of labour - three hours of cranking, to be exact.

But if you need to make an emergency call, one crank is enough to generate enough power a 30 second call.

Vindur portable wind turbine

Two electricians designed the world’s first portable turbine phone charger that lets people charge their mobile phone using wind power alone.

It started on Kickstarter as Trinity, a device folds together into a 12-inch cylinder and then unfolds into a vertical turbine that be used to charge USB devices.

To open the product you’d pull out the aluminium legs and arrange them either into a tripod or on a flat surface.

At the top of the legs is a turbine with three blades.

These capture the wind and spin, providing green energy for a generator that can supply to 15 watts of power.

There is also an internal battery that can store energy if you don’t need it right away.

The inventors claim that when fully-charged, the turbine can charge your phone four to six times.

After raising $75,000, the creators are now selling a new version called Vindur for $399.

Source:dailytrust.com.ng

Have you tried any of these?

Jetjacky:
Yup, the power pack. I'm gonna try the acid own. Buy better orange and begin sontin

I'm interested in the acid own. Try it and give me feedback eh

Jetjacky:
Lol, so you want to finish me eh? Didnt you read d warning? Person battery fit swell, explode or sontin like that.

Lol, shey you dey fear now. Nobi you suggest am ni. But I've seen the video somewhere sha, Lemon was used. Without nails

Jetjacky:
What did they use in replace of the nail?

Nothing o. They just plugged the charger inside Half lemon and voila! it started charging

Then there's also this one... Potato and nails to generate electricity. Which I believe more cos I've seen lots of tutorials but I haven't tried it.

I will rather buy generator than this poo for almost 200k

add The YouTube video u copy to it

Jetjacky:
Spill Abeg.

Materials:
*.A large potato
*.Two pennies
*.Two zinc-plated nails
*.Three pieces of copper wire
*.A very small light bulb or LED light


What you need to do:

1.Cut the potato in half, then cut a small slit into each half, large enough to slide a penny inside.

2.Wrap some copper wire around each penny a few times. Use a different piece of wire for each penny.

3.Stick the pennies in the slits you cut into the potato halves.

4.Wrap some of the third copper wire around one of the zinc-plated nails and stick the nail into one of the potato halves.

5.Take the wire connected to the penny in the half of potato with the nail and wrap some of it around the second nail. Stick that second nail into the other potato half.

6.When you connect the two loose ends of the copper wires to the light bulb or LED it will light up

Petersamuel8:
I will rather buy generator than this poo for almost 200k

He is only telling you about the beauty of science. We know you have 200k

Marvel1206:

He is only telling you about the beauty of science. We know you have 200k

He is baba olowo

Marvel1206:
Materials:
*.A large potato
*.Two pennies
*.Two zinc-plated nails
*.Three pieces of copper wire
*.A very small light bulb or LED light


What you need to do:

1.Cut the potato in half, then cut a small slit into each half, large enough to slide a penny inside.

2.Wrap some copper wire around each penny a few times. Use a different piece of wire for each penny.

3.Stick the pennies in the slits you cut into the potato halves.

4.Wrap some of the third copper wire around one of the zinc-plated nails and stick the nail into one of the potato halves.

5.Take the wire connected to the penny in the half of potato with the nail and wrap some of it around the second nail. Stick that second nail into the other potato half.

6.When you connect the two loose ends of the copper wires to the light bulb or LED it will light up

hello is there a video for this

Edopesin:
hello is there a video for this

Yes, countless of youtube videos

Marvel1206:


Yes, countless of youtube videos

the one am watching now ehn.... them just plug charger for potato ooo

Edopesin:
the one am watching now ehn.... them just plug charger for potato ooo

Really? Screenshots

Marvel1206:

Really? Screenshots

am using a laptop

Edopesin:
am using a laptop

Alright. Do you know how to screenshot with pc?

Marvel1206:
Materials:
*.A large potato
*.Two pennies
*.Two zinc-plated nails
*.Three pieces of copper wire
*.A very small light bulb or LED light


What you need to do:

1.Cut the potato in half, then cut a small slit into each half, large enough to slide a penny inside.

2.Wrap some copper wire around each penny a few times. Use a different piece of wire for each penny.

3.Stick the pennies in the slits you cut into the potato halves.

4.Wrap some of the third copper wire around one of the zinc-plated nails and stick the nail into one of the potato halves.

5.Take the wire connected to the penny in the half of potato with the nail and wrap some of it around the second nail. Stick that second nail into the other potato half.

6.When you connect the two loose ends of the copper wires to the light bulb or LED it will light up

don't deceive yourself. the power that will be generated from potato, lemon etc. will not raise your battery level significantly. That is even if it will charge your phone at all.

Marvel1206:

Alright. Do you know how to screenshot with pc?

here

Edopesin:

here

ok. Cool tho

tipwill:


don't deceive yourself. the power that will be generated from potato, lemon etc. will not raise your battery level significantly. That is even if it will charge your phone at all.

The idea is not to fully charge your phone with potato or lemon but to know they can generate electricity.

I've tried that acid method several time and it work for me perfectly, but this is how I used to do it. I will find a big lemon and cut it into two,I'll find a spoiled charger and removed the panel that was inside it,I would now joined the positive and the negative of my USB cord to the charger head from inside with soldering iron. After that I would now take the lemon and plogged it to each of the plog(positive and negative). But make sure that the lemon touch each other.

Don't mind my English but my intelligent,because I knew this before you and OP.

THANKS

Hemcy:
I've tried that acid method several time and it work for me perfectly, but this is how I used to do it. I will find a big lemon and cut it into two,I'll find a spoiled charger and removed the panel that was inside it,I would now joined the positive and the negative of my USB cord to the charger head from inside with soldering iron. After that I would now take the lemon and plogged it to each of the plog(positive and negative). But make sure that the lemon touch each other.

Don't mind my English but my intelligent,because I knew this before you and OP.

THANKS

Ok. Hope your battery's health was not affected afterwards?

Marvel1206:

The idea is not to fully charge your phone with potato or lemon but to know they can generate electricity.

Well, the topic says otherwise.

I think it should be able to power your whole village for a week

Jetjacky:
Lol, how long will this ones last?

This is a great read, but come on, people! Just stick to your regular chargers in order to avoid damaging your phones.