posted on Sep, 18 2005 @ 11:52 PM
Toshiba has unveiled its latest fuel cell prototype MP3 player. They run on two methanol fuel cells which can be refilled. They won´t be commercial
available until 2007 at the earliest.
The Register: Toshiba touts fuel cell-equipped MP3
players
16th September 2005
Toshiba today unveiled its latest fuel cell prototypes, this time targeting Flash- and hard disk-based MP3 players. The test units are integrated into
the players rather than attached to them externally. Don't expect to see the players or the fuel cells on sale any time soon - even Toshiba now
reckons they won't see commercial availability until 2007 at the earliest.
In its latest announcement, Toshiba discussed two direct methanol fuel cells, one generating 100mW of power, the other 300mW. Both fuel cells are
built into audio players, one using Flash storage, the other of the HDD type, and can be refilled.
Both cells store methanol fuel in a 99.5 per cent concentration before diluting it to ten per cent for the power-producing reaction to take place. The
reaction chamber comprises two membrane-separated zones, one containing the methanol, the other containing air. Both zones have an electrode. The
methanol reacts with water in the presence of a catalyst to produce hydrogen ions and electrons. The ions and electrons pass through the membrane to
react with the oxygen to form water - which can be used to dilute the methanol. Besides power, the only byproduct of the reaction is carbon-dioxide.
The two cells essentially differ in capacity: 3.5ml for the 100mW unit and 10ml for the 300mW cell. The 100mW cell can generate sufficient current for
35 hours of playback time, while the larger unit can operate the HDD-based device for 60 hours.
Please visit the link provided for the complete story.
I want one of those now, I don´t want to wait until 2007
Nice little thing