Coil Assembly — #30 AWG magnet wire coils, each wound 400 turns. Mount on wooden coil holder with tape.

16 GA steel ring

Hamster wheel

Hamster Power! Your pet’s energy production at the exercise wheel will be lost no longer.

RUN, LALA, RUN
A rodent-powered nightlight.
By William Gurstelle

Illustration by Damien Scogin

Which maker hasn’t thought, at some time, about record (which opens up the intriguing possibility
putting the pet dog/cat/horse/weasel on a tread- of a hamster-powered phonograph as well, but
mill and actually getting something in return for that’s something for a later issue.)
all the money they’ve spent on the animal? Well,
that time has come. Look out, dear pets, your The Design
free ride has come to an end. My Lala turns an axial flux permanent magnet
The rodent-powered nightlight (RPNL) alternator that has two main parts. First, an even
described here is a custom-made, low-rpm number of strong permanent magnets are arrayed
alternator. The original concept came from the on a steel ring attached to the side of the hamster
folks at otherpower.com, who also sell magnets wheel. This is the Magnet Assembly.
and wire for the insides of the alternators. In close proximity to the plane of the magnets
If built well, the RPNL can generate enough goes the second main part: the Coil Assembly.
voltage to energize an LED when Lala the hamster The Coil Assembly consists of two or three
merrily spins her exercise wheel in the wee hours. bundles of tightly wound wire coils made from
According to people who study these things, 30 AWG magnet wire. As the hamster spins the
hamsters and similar rodents typically spin their exercise wheel, the wire coils slice through the
exercise wheels at about the same rate as an LP magnet’s flux lines and generate voltage.