ISEN-ASTC-L is a service of the Association of Science-Technology Centers
Incorporated, a worldwide network of science museums and related institutions.
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I have contributed regularly to ASTC-L for many years without ever promoting
my own exhibits, but it seems that the following information will be useful
for anyone looking to strengthen an existing exhibit...

Here are two photos of hand-cranked generator exhibits we produce. They were
originally designed as one of our portable interactives for outreach etc,
but we also often sell them for permanent displays.

Short links: http://bit.ly/Xy9Bhw and http://bit.ly/ZzTuxW

They have incandescent, halogen and LED lamps. The really neat feature of
well configured exhibits of this kind is the startlingly heavy 'drag' you
feel on the crank the instant a lamp is switched on. But scarcely any drag
with the dazzling, energy-efficient LED lamp. It is a real test of strength
(and a test of the crank-handle!) to get any amount of light from a 35w
incandescent lamp!

We use a modified heavy-duty lathe-handle for the crank. After some early
failures, we even found it necessary to strengthen these by modifying the
hand-grips! You can see how we did it, by replacing the grip with a red ball
to minimise the leverage it exerts. After years of heavy use in
installations all over the world, as far as I know none of these modified
cranks have ever broken.


Promoting public engagement with science
through a contagious delight in phenomena
*
[log in to unmask] * http://www.interactives.co.uk
*
http://uk.linkedin.com/pub/ian-russell/0/636/305
*
Give people facts and you feed their minds for an hour.
Awaken curiosity and they feed their own minds for a lifetime.
*
Ian Russell
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