Battery-Free Crank Radio

The INNOVAGE Company manufactured this battery-free crank radio in China in 2004, and it is ideal for outdoor and emergency use due to the built-in generator. One minute of crank charging provides approximately 20-minutes of radio operation time. It comes with a pair of internally fitted NiMH batteries, which the generator charges, and there is the option to install an additional pair of "AA" size dry cells within the battery compartment.

The electronics employs the Sony CXA1691BM integrated circuit (IC), which is a single chip AM/FM radio solution with extremely low power consumption. It operates on 3 V, and is usually found in portable devices such as a radio cassette player. There is more information about this in the following sections of this multi-page article.

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