4 Comments

Free power from the telephone company

Screw these silly little USB toys. Not many people know that over your regular landline that 48 volts ( well and 35ma ) flow, completely independent from the power company. Huge banks of storage batteries backed up by generators, supplying from 23 to 80ma of power on every phone line… for you to use whenever you want! This power is needed to deliver the dial tone, however your phone never uses the full 48 volts. Why not put this power to use?

Mike Sandman has engendered simple devices that take advantage of this power including a Lantern, Fan, Razor, Car Charger, Toothbrush, Clock Radio, Video Camera, and Cellphone.

For institutions he has also developed telephone powered oxygen tents, blood glucose monitors, and portable defibrillators.

This is a very interesting use of an existing reliable technology, and an excellent backup solution for when the power from the electric company fails you. Mike has told us that there is as much as a six month delay on his products due to demand.

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  • cerisier

    They even have a telco-powered vibrator – “There’s a lot of stress when the power is out!” lol

  • Al

    They moved my phone line over to fiber so it uses my own electricty now :(

  • Jamie

    I already knew about the power over the phone line (my dad’s a BT (British Telecommunications) engineer). I remember he once wired up christmas lights to work from the power the phone line provided.

  • Jerry

    Love the depleted Uranium toys at the bottom. “Nobody knows nuclear safety like Chernobyl!”…

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