A group of enthusiasts conducted a test comparing the reverse charging capability of an Honor Turbo smartphone against a custom generator powered by five hamsters. The experiment aimed to create a visual comparison for electronic power output using animal energy.
The setup featured five 30 cm wheels connected to motors acting as generators. To manage fluctuating speeds of the hamsters, the system used rectifier diodes, a supercapacitor for smoothing, and a DC-DC converter to stabilize the output at 5V for USB charging.
After 10 minutes of operation, the Honor Watch 6 connected to the hamster-powered rig reached 1% charge, while the watch connected to the smartphone reached 15%. The smartphone utilized reverse charging at a power level of up to 7.5W.
The organizers estimated the power output of a single hamster at 0.02W, meaning five hamsters provided approximately 0.1W. Based on these calculations, the smartphone's charging speed is roughly 75 times higher, requiring 375 hamsters to match the 7.5W output.
