This evening on Craigslist I found an ad which stated that someone was giving away a large projection TV for free. I just wrote them hoping that they will hold it for me so I can harvest whatever Fresnel lens may be contained in the thing. Good for solar cooking and concentrating sunlight whether a point lens (hopefully it is!) or a more diffused lens. But either way I ought to be able to focus the lens on a solar panel in order to gain more power. Has anyone here tried this? Now I don't want to ruin or melt my panel mind you!!! One has to be careful with Fresnel lenses because the right (or wrong ones depending on you outlook) will turn metal into a molten mess in a few moments and decimate plastic in seconds. Doesn't matter how much you paid for a padlock because it will drip to the ground quite rapidly when a Fresnel lens concentrates the power of the sun! There is a large amount of energy to be gained out there but to do it without damage when you have the right stuff available is not so easy to figure out. Steam engines could be powered as well as other sorts of engines as long as you didn't melt the metal in any given configuration in the process.
Anyway, as a side note unrelated to Fresnel lenses... has anyone any idea how to convert Americium found in smoke detectors into useable power without turning into the so called 'Radioactive Boy Scout'?
Rolland (Who's favorite books as a child were the Curious George books!)
Anyway, as a side note unrelated to Fresnel lenses... has anyone any idea how to convert Americium found in smoke detectors into useable power without turning into the so called 'Radioactive Boy Scout'?
Rolland (Who's favorite books as a child were the Curious George books!)