XO Giving/Crank

How can one get a hand crank or yo yo?

(for myself I am getting one for use while backpacking far off the grid so it is essential.)

Will somebody please respond to this??? For some people this is the #1 factor in deciding to participate in the Give 1 Get 1 program.

The official yo-yo is not currently available, but according to the Potenco hand generator FAQ, they will eventually sell them commercially. If you need something before then, the laptop accepts a wide range of voltages (11V-18V usable, according to the hardware page) and there are other power solutions available online. Try searching the web for "portable solar power" or "crank generator". Also see Quozl's related answer on the Ask a question page. —Joe 10:58, 24 November 2007 (EST)

If this is seriously your #1 gating factor in participating in the Give 1 Get 1 program, then you've come to the wrong place. Human power in place of other existing energy supplies is only a peripheral problem for OLPC ... our main goal is to get a working and powered laptop into the hands of every kid. --Quozl 06:19, 4 December 2007 (EST)

For me it is not the #1 issue, but it is an innovative idea that I would like to try it out, plus it could be practical as well (say camping). It won't decide my participation but I'd be somewhat disappointed.

Let's try to remain civil to any possible participants. It shouldn't matter what reason any potential participant in the buy one give one program has for buying one. Each participant pays for more than the cost of another laptop for a child who could really use one, and the absolute most valuable element for the entire program is grabbing mind share and interest. Let's not blame people who have enough money to pay more than what a developing country pays. Let's celebrate the participation and hope for as many kind hearted souls as possible. Besides global education, we would do a lot for the environment to have more people use less power wasteful and toxic laptops. I'm not trying to scold Quozl, I'm trying to encourage more people to participate. I don't have the answer, but I would think the best short term option would be a solar cell, and it seems any generator might work, as long as the voltage output and amperage is within the range. - Djony 18:17, 21 December 2007 (EST)

I was also expecting that the yo-yo would be provided with the laptop as I saw this as the most interesting feature. I participated in the Give one, Get One program and received my laptop only to discover there was no yo-yo. I was rather disappointed. I work in developing countries as a development expert and I disagree with the response that electricity is a peripheral issue. I had major misgivings about this program with the aim of giving children laptops because I find there are so many basic essentials they need much more than a laptop -- i.e., clean water, food, shelter, schools, etc. In most cases, these children do not have access to electricity at all. If they can access electricity, it is very unreliable. This is even the case in large cities in India where children have access to computers, but no electricity to make it a reliable source of information and communication. So, I was actually against the idea of the distribution of laptops when rural children do not even have access to electricity. The yo-yo overcame my misgivings. I was also excited to hear from Dr. Negroponte when he spoke at a public meeting that for many families the light provided by the laptop provided light to many families. So, I thought that at least the whole family will benefit and children can do their homework using the safe light from the laptop screen. A particular advantage of handpowered electricity is that no one can take the batteries away. In many rural areas, men will leave the radio at home and take away the batteries so that the women who remain in the house cannot listen to the radio and access the information. Handpowered electricity allows children the ability to access electricity without having to negotiate with guardians. I really think the OLPC should reconsider their valuation of the importance of handpowered electricity.

While the G1G1 laptops only come with AC adapters, the OLPC is working with other companies to ensure that the laptops going to other countries have sources of power appropriate to their environments—yo-yos, cranks, or solar panels are among the options available. However, I don't think the laptop will work without its removable battery to store the generated power. But this is irrelevant: even if the laptop had non-removable batteries and a built-in hand-powered source, a parent could prevent a child from using it simply by taking away the entire laptop, just as the men in your example could simply take the entire radio instead of just the batteries. Hand-powered sources will not fix the problem you describe. —Joe 10:09, 19 December 2007 (EST)

Hi Joe. An overlooked point is that batteries are taken for their use in other devices, not necessarily as any sort of punitive measure, just one person thinking his needs have priority over anothers. As far as I know the hand power generation scheme would not work for any other current electronic devices. - Djony 18:17, 21 December 2007 (EST)

Well, maybe not in itself, but perhaps a cell phone or other small electronic device could be charged via the laptop's USB ports? Also, Potenco, the company making the pull-cord generator, clearly intends it to be compatible with other devices in other markets, so perhaps the OLPC version could be made to work with other devices via an adapter. —Joe 23:57, 21 December 2007 (EST)

I too was disappointed to find no crank or yo-yo with the OLPC. From the media demos given in interviews by Dr. Negroponte, it seemed that either the yo-yo or the crank would be chosen by OLPC for the final in-production solution. Oh well, bad assumption!--Craig1st 20:12, 29 December 2007 (EST)

Folks - each XO is going out with a power solution appropriate to the location it's headed to. If you did G1G1, you probably live in North America, and chances are that you have relatively easy access to electrical outlets where you can plug in the charger they shipped with your G1G1 XO. That's why it was included; the AC adapter is a perfectly appropriate charging tool for that environment. If the laptop's headed to rural Mongolia or Cambodia (some are headed there now), and they don't have wall outlets there, the XOs will come with some charging solution they can use. The "final in-production solution" is that there's no one-size-fit-all. Mchua 03:56, 17 January 2008 (EST)

I wanted to eval the unit for use in such far fields as you describe. All the demos, TV and web etc showcased the manual charging options. Nothing ever was said about 'appropriate to the location' blah blah. It's OK, it's not the end of the world. But telling people that they're getting what they need so shut up isn't going to win many silent approving nods from the donators. Sorry. I'll look into purchasing a crank, if I can find one.

XO Solar Solar power is at hand! Yamaplos 15:47, 24 April 2008 (EDT)

i was also disappointed - got the xo for my son who recently got a shock from an adapter cord he sucked on. i would like to find a cordless soln. thx.

Even with cordless, the laptop's keyboard may come apart under misuse, and become a hazard. Cuprum 08:15, 9 March 2009 (UTC)

What about a pedal system instead of a hand crank? Then one could sit at a desk or makeshift table, plug their XO into a foot powered pedal charging mechanism (think stair master motion rather than bicycle pedaling) that sits on the ground under the table so XO user's hands are free while charging the battery with their feet.