Several of our gadgets were powered by a hand-cranked dynamo, others were pure solar, and a third lot had both options.
All the solar-powered torches and radios we tried fired up quickly. We didn’t even have to put them in the sun: indoor light gave them enough juice to start.
Most of the dynamo-powered gadgets we tried also delivered results – though they take a bit more effort: you have to wind a handle to charge the dynamo battery. A small dynamo-powered torch can be cranked up pretty quickly. But bigger power users take a lot more cranking … and you don’t always get much for your effort.
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