Half a croissant, on a plate, with a sign in front of it saying '50c'
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Busker's Ohms

coin operated power points for buskers at strategic locations
  (+13, -2)(+13, -2)
(+13, -2)
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Use them to drive their amplifiers, power a few stage lights, run a small heater in the winter, or a fan in the summer. Buskers do great work, and this would pay for itself.
xenzag, Feb 25 2009

Kraftwerk - Ohm Sweet Ohm (1975) http://www.youtube....watch?v=fqt-6qlVGeg
Crank it up. [baconbrain, Feb 25 2009]

Free power http://news.bbc.co....agazine/5009358.stm
If the busker's good enough, he should generate enough footfall to power his kit. [coprocephalous, Feb 26 2009]

[link]






       Ohmy, I think there might be some 'resistance' to the title ;)
zen_tom, Feb 25 2009
  

       Had to google 'buskers', then was all for it, then did the math...   

       Amplifiers - 50 W (don't want to tear the city down) - 'few stage lights' - say, 3kW? , a small heater? outdoor? - 2kW? 4?, So neglecting the by now neglectable amplifiers there is some outlet in the inner city that will give you ~20 Ampere at the drop of a coin? Will have many fun side applications, that.
loonquawl, Feb 25 2009
  

       Ohms for the poor?
phoenix, Feb 25 2009
  

       Actually, buskers provide the Ohms, and the power points provide the Volts. Both take credit for the Amperes, and deny responsibility for the wasted Watts.   

       Buskers' Siemens?
Veho, Feb 25 2009
  

       Power to the people
hippo, Feb 25 2009
  

       //few stage lights' - say, 3kW?// - eh, not really. I'm thinking of a few low energy 50 watt bulbs here, and a 1kw fan heater. 13amps will do nicely.
xenzag, Feb 25 2009
  

       You could buy the full kit. For a coin, the volume could go up.   

       A couple more dollars, and you'd get stage lighting.   

       If you're wildly popular, your fans could feed enough coins to elevate the stage.
normzone, Feb 25 2009
  

       Do what I did, and juggle flaming torches. No lights or heater needed.   

       I'll bun this idea as it can be combined with pay-power-outlets for charging laptops and phones, as suggested elsewhere in the HB. Even though "Ohms" is totally the wrong word--"Busking juice", "vagrant volts", "pass-the-hat charging".
baconbrain, Feb 25 2009
  

       //"vagrant volts"//
for a quarter you could power a 1kw heater for an entire night... even with rags, that's enough to keep 4-5 people warm.
  

       [+]
FlyingToaster, Feb 25 2009
  

       This might cause street wars between Buskers and the Electric Car Gang.
Spacecoyote, Feb 25 2009
  

       Buskers are not vagrants.... and I deliberately used Ohms because of its somewhat onamatapeic qualities.
xenzag, Feb 25 2009
  

       Supper capacitors
Sub stagetions
  

       Sorry [xenzag], I didn't mean to imply that buskers were vagrants--I was referring to the use of your excellent idea by the rest of the population.   

       May I recommend Ohm Sweet Ohm? See link.
baconbrain, Feb 25 2009
  

       Excellent piece, especially the bit before the stylophones really get going.
xenzag, Feb 26 2009
  

       I'm amazed that now buskers are legal on the tube, they don't get a bit of power. Compare the cost of a 1A supply to run a Pignose or a keyboard to the cost of constantly moving thousands (millions?) of tonnes of train around an electrified network. Just give it to them - I'm sure LU buys power at very low prices.
wagster, Feb 26 2009
  

       I sort of agree with the free power... a licensed card could allow some buskers (the good ones) free power, whilst others would pay. Market forces would soon whittle away the ones who were making no money, because they were feeding it all into the electric meter. I can't believe I'm supporting market forces. I used to be so radical... hangs head in shame.
xenzag, Feb 26 2009
  

       I hear they had an extensive network of these in ancient times existed amongst the jungles of what is now known as Mexico - corn sheaves would be deposited within the hopper of the stone device, and in return, electrical contacts connecting to a primitive honey-vinegar battery would be exposed for attachment to whatever ancient technology might benefit.   

       Yes, Olmec Ohms (powered by honey-combs).   

       Outdoor, pay-for use electrical points is a good scheme though, whether you're a busker, mobile dentist or a purveyor of temporary sunbeds.
zen_tom, Feb 26 2009
  

       If outdoor preachers used them would they be called "Barking Meters"? - groans, and tries to die.
xenzag, Feb 26 2009
  

       If usage was restricted to Scientologists, it might become known as Katie's Ohms! - twitches and exudes faint whiff of smoke...   

       What's that Sherlock? A device for warming your magnifying glass whilst snooping for clues in the streets of old London towne? - ears catch fire, face starts to melt...
zen_tom, Feb 26 2009
  

       //vagrant volts//   

       Is that like stray capacitance?
Jinbish, Feb 26 2009
  

       //~20 Ampere at the drop of a coin?//   

       The majority of buskers seem to manage with "D" size batteries - I think 20A may be overkill.
wagster, Feb 26 2009
  
      
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