The Money Tree

[Phinnaeus Gage]

Idea inspired from this post: https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=60045.msg741107#msg741107

Attention botanist and/or chemist!

Is there a way to tap/probe a tree, perhaps through electrolysis, to pull enough electricity to run a mining rig and generate at least one block of coins? If this could be document at least once, without using no other electrical source, the resulting video may have a chance of going viral. Everyone and their mother would click a link to see a real live money tree.

Picture the headline(s): Money Now Truly Grows on Trees--No, Really!

As if you needed a further incentive: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Money_tree_(myth)

It was thought the coins emitted light, the coins guided the deceased, who would ride on a winged ram up the ceramic mountain to the bronze tree of paradise. These coins could also be plucked for needs on the journey from earth to the realm of immortals.

Read the Wiki, for it seems the Chinese may still practice this myth.

I'm wondering that if this could be accomplished, can the resulting block(s)/coin(s) be sold at a premium considering their source.

Let's start the discussion to see if it's possible first, before leaping to the next step--building the money tree.



~Bruno~

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[proudhon]

Well, there was this.

There's also this.

[Phinnaeus Gage]

Well, there was this.

There's also this.

This one should do it: http://greenlivingideas.com/2009/09/11/electricity-trees-powers-electronic-circuit/

All that needs to be done is hook up a big enough transformer to step up the amperage. So, who has a century maple in their backyard so we can start drilling?

[proudhon]

Well, there was this.

There's also this.

This one should do it: http://greenlivingideas.com/2009/09/11/electricity-trees-powers-electronic-circuit/

All that needs to be done is hook up a big enough transformer to step up the amperage. So, who has a century maple in their backyard so we can start drilling?

I don't understand all the science behind this, but from the article it seems that the voltage produced is really, really small.  I don't understand how it could be made useful.

[DeathAndTaxes]

All that needs to be done is hook up a big enough transformer to step up the amperage. So, who has a century maple in their backyard so we can start drilling?

Transformers don't produce power from nothing.

(1A @ 480V = 480W)  -> 12:1 transformer  -> (12A @ 40V = 480W)

This tree produced enough power to run a 10 nW circuit.  ztek FPGA uses 8.8W so if you hooked up 880,000,000 trees and somehow collected and transmitted the energy without loss you could run a FPGA a mine a block of coins.

[proudhon]

All that needs to be done is hook up a big enough transformer to step up the amperage. So, who has a century maple in their backyard so we can start drilling?

Transformers don't produce power from nothing.

(480V @ 1A = 480W)  -> 12:1 transformer  -> (40V @ 12A = 480W)

This tree produced enough power to run a 10 nW circuit.  ztek FPGA uses 8.8W so if you hooked up 880,000,000 trees and somehow collected and transmitted the energy without loss you could run a FPGA a mine a block of coins.

Thank you.  I figured it was something like that.  The electricity-from-dirt thing looks like it would get you a little further, though my hunch is it'd still not be practically feasible to power even an FPGA.

[Phinnaeus Gage]

All that needs to be done is hook up a big enough transformer to step up the amperage. So, who has a century maple in their backyard so we can start drilling?

Transformers don't produce power from nothing.

(1A @ 480V = 480W)  -> 12:1 transformer  -> (12A @ 40V = 480W)

This tree produced enough power to run a 10 nW circuit.  ztek FPGA uses 8.8W so if you hooked up 880,000,000 trees and somehow collected and transmitted the energy without loss you could run a FPGA a mine a block of coins.

And then it would look like this?

[Kluge]

I do like the idea of Bitcoin draining life out of Earth. "This here was a beautiful oak in my family's land for generations." *Drill, drill drill* *30 hours later* "... And now it just turned the '0' in my wallet to a '50.'"

[Phinnaeus Gage]

I do like the idea of Bitcoin draining life out of Earth. "This here was a beautiful oak in my family's land for generations." *Drill, drill drill* *30 hours later* "... And now it just turned the '0' in my wallet to a '50.'"

Wait till you see what you can do with the dirt in your front yard: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eztcSWZpfJg

[Tulkas]

This is a magneziun/zinc baterry with dirt serving as the acid medium. When the all the Mg oxidate this 'dirt' battery will stop working.

[Phinnaeus Gage]

This is a magneziun/zinc baterry with dirt serving as the acid medium. When the all the Mg oxidate this 'dirt' battery will stop working.

I've got that covered:

[Phinnaeus Gage]

This is a magneziun/zinc baterry with dirt serving as the acid medium. When the all the Mg oxidate this 'dirt' battery will stop working.

Looks like they're getting ready to scale these Earth Batteries up to charge cell phones: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U2yc0IpxDpo

[Red Emerald]

This is a magneziun/zinc baterry with dirt serving as the acid medium. When the all the Mg oxidate this 'dirt' battery will stop working.

Looks like they're getting ready to scale these Earth Batteries up to charge cell phones: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U2yc0IpxDpo

That is awesome!

[Rassah]

This stuff relies on acids, just like potato and lemon batteries, so I would propose turning a lemon grove into one of these. Though, oxidation will make this project short lived

[Phinnaeus Gage]

This is a magneziun/zinc baterry with dirt serving as the acid medium. When the all the Mg oxidate this 'dirt' battery will stop working.

Looks like they're getting ready to scale these Earth Batteries up to charge cell phones: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U2yc0IpxDpo

That is awesome!

For maximum output, would you hook the lemon trees in series or parallel?

[Rassah]

This is a magneziun/zinc baterry with dirt serving as the acid medium. When the all the Mg oxidate this 'dirt' battery will stop working.

Looks like they're getting ready to scale these Earth Batteries up to charge cell phones: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U2yc0IpxDpo

That is awesome!

For maximum output, would you hook the lemon trees in series or parallel?

it would have to be both. A more interesting question is, can you get electricity from barn wood?

[Phinnaeus Gage]

This is a magneziun/zinc baterry with dirt serving as the acid medium. When the all the Mg oxidate this 'dirt' battery will stop working.

Looks like they're getting ready to scale these Earth Batteries up to charge cell phones: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U2yc0IpxDpo

That is awesome!

For maximum output, would you hook the lemon trees in series or parallel?

it would have to be both. A more interesting question is, can you get electricity from barn wood?

Yes! With the Wood Fired Microturbine (pictured below), albeit I would only feed it scrap wood, for I get no less than $2.00 USD per board foot (BF) of reclaimed barn wood. (1 BF of lumber = 1" thick and 12" square)