Oct 15, 2016
RAY: This puzzler came in from a fellow who is some kind of a builder. He writes:
"I was hired to build a cabin in the woods 20 miles from civilization, so I set off early one morning before sunrise. And because there was no electricity at the site I brought along my generator, radio, etc. I also packed an extension cord, my electric drill and the bits, and my socket and wrench set. When I was finished for the day, I tried to leave but my battery was dead. I had left my lights on all day.
"I looked behind the driver's seat and I found the following items: jumper cables, a roll of duct tape and a quart of Filippo Berio Extra Virgin Olive Oil. By this time it was getting dark, the coyotes were howling and the buzzards were circling.
"If only there was a way to get power from the generator, which was making 110 volts AC, and get that into my dead battery, which was 12 volts DC. The question is: how can I do it with only the items at my disposal?”
For the answer to Give this Volvo a Brake!, click here.
RAY: With his tool kit he slips the belt off the alternator. He then takes the electric drill and the duct tape, and duct tapes the chock of the drill to the pulley of the alternator so when he squeezes the trigger on the drill it turns the alternator.
Now plugging the drill into the generator, he sits there for 15 minutes, holds the trigger, and as the alternator spins it makes electricity to charge the dead battery. And a few minutes later he puts the belt back on, starts the thing, and off he goes leaving the generator and the drill and tools behind.
So who's our winner?
TOM: The winner is Fulton Martin from San Diego, California. Congratulations!
