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Using a bicycle or exercycle to generate electricity. — Parallax Forums

Using a bicycle or exercycle to generate electricity.

LoopyBytelooseLoopyByteloose Posts: 12,537
edited 2008-07-12 13:52 in General Discussion
Would it be too ambitious to connect an automotive altenator to the pedals of a bicycle for power to charge a gel cell battery?

Alternatively, could one use a smaller altenator or generator from a motorcycle or motorscooter to provide power?

Both are readily available and can often be salvaged for pennies.



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PLEASE CONSIDER the following:

Do you want a quickly operational black box solution or the knowledge included therein?······
···················· Tropically,····· G. Herzog [noparse][[/noparse]·黃鶴 ]·in Taiwan

Comments

  • FranklinFranklin Posts: 4,747
    edited 2008-07-06 15:51
    It's been done before so a simple Google search will get you lots of ideas.

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    - Stephen
  • JonnyMacJonnyMac Posts: 8,912
    edited 2008-07-06 18:46
    At this year's Maker Faire there were lots of generators on bicycles -- a display near us powered musical instrument amplifiers while audience members pedaled like mad.
  • PropabilityPropability Posts: 142
    edited 2008-07-06 19:07
    ·Ahhh·· rolleyes.gif··· Soylent Green
  • John BondJohn Bond Posts: 369
    edited 2008-07-07 12:36
    The problem with using an automotive alternator appears to be the speed they need to start charging. Too much energy would be lost in the conversion from 100 rpm pedalling to 2500 rpm alternator charging speed. The guys who make wind turbines build what they call brake disk alternators (uses a car hub assembly). It takes a lot of work but it charges at low RPM and they get surprisingly high efficiency.

    As our infrastructure in Africa crumbles, we are all looking to alternatives, particularly reliable electricity and safe drinking water. Home water filtration and treatment is becoming more common but nobody has come up with a successful simple cheap alternative power source yet. We just use those small noisy petrol generator sets.

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  • LoopyBytelooseLoopyByteloose Posts: 12,537
    edited 2008-07-07 18:01
    Thanks,
    In most cases I'd rather not endlessly pedal a bicycle for power. It certainly would be much nicer to let the wind, the sea, or the sun do the job. But we obviously have altenators and generators that are easily salvaged to play with.

    A bicycle built for two would be a better starting point.

    It is poignant that Africa with 25% of the membership of the U.N. has yet to overcome its struggles. Most recently South Africa has been shutting working mine to provide enough electricity to urban areas and many areas have had a resurgence of malaria due to the ban on DDT.

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    PLEASE CONSIDER the following:

    Do you want a quickly operational black box solution or the knowledge included therein?······
    ···················· Tropically,····· G. Herzog [noparse][[/noparse]·黃鶴 ]·in Taiwan

    Post Edited (Kramer) : 7/12/2008 1:52:10 PM GMT
  • dbc1218dbc1218 Posts: 33
    edited 2008-07-11 01:42
    I recently put this little generator together to power the lights on my bike www.instructables.com/id/Bike-Generator/ For more power check this alternator version out www.instructables.com/id/Bicyle-Power-for-Your-Television%2c-Laptop%2c-or-Cell-/
  • LoopyBytelooseLoopyByteloose Posts: 12,537
    edited 2008-07-12 13:52
    Very nice, I wonder if a stepper motor would work well as an altenator. One could easily rectify the output for DC.

    ▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔
    PLEASE CONSIDER the following:

    Do you want a quickly operational black box solution or the knowledge included therein?······
    ···················· Tropically,····· G. Herzog [noparse][[/noparse]·黃鶴 ]·in Taiwan
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