In the second test we used 10kg of water, but it only generated 6 volts, which was not enough to power the record player. It played the music perfectly but the drop time was only 1 minute 25 seconds-too short for any song on the album. In the first test we dropped 20kg of water held in a typical water cooler container. We built a regulator to limit developed energy. The record player normally uses an adaptor to convert 220 volts of AC power to 9 volts DC.
To test the concept we used a cheap record player situated on the balcony of our institute's café. With exactly the same gear ratios as the first iteration, this version comfortably descended with a mass of 10kg. We also experimented with bicycle gears, but these were less efficient than the timing chain and gears, which were designed for higher motorcycle speeds. This last piece was rescued from a scrap Honda VF500, donated by our local bike breaker. The prototype was updated with CNC-machined aluminium side plates to ensure alignment of the lathe-turned bearing holders and a motorcycle timing chain final drive to the DC motor. Some investigation showed that the pulley belt final drive was very inefficient. We removed one gear train and managed to generate a steady 40W with a mass of 20kg, but it descended too quickly. While the first iteration showed promise, it required too much mass to turn the gears-in excess of 30kg. In early testing we discovered that building a good gearbox is relatively difficult, and that efficiency is extremely dependent on tight tolerances and the choice of drive train. This first prototype re-appropriated lathe gears and an off-the-shelf DC motor. This last element was a key factor in the choice of gravity as a solution due to Madeira's vertiginous landscape and numerous cliff-face communities. The power available is determined by the size of the dropping mass, the speed at which it drops, and the drop distance. When it is needed the energy is released by dropping the weight, which in turn rotates the motor-now a generator-to produce electrical energy. This powers a motor, and with the help of a homemade gearbox is used to lift a fixed weight into the sky. In our case, energy (provided by the abundant Madeiran sunshine) is captured by solar photovoltaic panels. The device is designed to be used with a variety of renewable energy generation methods.
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