ELVIS the pet hamster has helped schoolboy Peter Ash power his way to success in his GCSE electronics exam. The West Somerset Community College student has proved it really can be cheap to talk by using his sister Sarah's pet hamster to power a generator to boost his mobile phone battery. For every two minutes 18-month-old Elvis spends running around his exercise wheel, Peter gets 30 minutes of battery talk time on his mobile phone. Sixteen-year-old Peter dreamt up the wacky invention after his sister complained that her pet was keeping her awake at night by constantly running around the exercise wheel. Peter, who lives with his family near Crowcombe, said: "I thought the wheel could be made to do something useful, so I connected a system of gears and a turbine. "Elvis is only active at night so I'm thinking of putting solar panels on the generator to charge the phone by day." As well as helping him pass his GCSE electronics exam, the hamster powered generator has also attracted national acclaim and praise from top inventor James Dyson. When Peter heard BBC Radio One was looking for young inventors to take part in a programme he put himself forward and was amazed when his idea was singled out by Mr Dyson. "He said it was a unique idea and suggested I should study to become an engineer. "But it seems I would need a couple of thousand pounds to patent it and make some money," Peter said. Peter is hoping to start work next month as a trainee electrician. College principal Nick Swann said Peter had been a dedicated and able student who was fascinated by electronics and technical systems. He said: "He was very suppotive of the college and took a keen interest in our sound system, working with two other students to research and make suggestions on upgrades and improvements. "We were particularly pleased with Peter's original and novel approach to using a readily available source of energy in his home for a practical purpose." Photo: Alain Lockyer.