Bicycle Power

[Stanley North]

Hi, I would like to try and convert my old pedal bike to create and store power.

i wanted to talk about the idea with someone who would know what they are doing first. and know what i will require.

I will use a bicycle, and connect that bicycle to an alternator to make it spin, i then would connect that to a transformer to change it from DC to AC and connect that to a battery to store it. how would i then connect the battery to a plug socket to charge my laptop/phone.

how will i know when the battery is fully charged?

obviously i understand my method could be wrong, corrections would be greatly appreciated.

[Joe Blake]

Hi Stanley,


And welcome to the board. I've been "pedaling for power" for a few years now. I would like to be careful not to be seen as trying to sell any particular product, but if you do a Google on Windstream generators you may find the answer to your prayers.

http://www.windstreampower.com/Bike_Power_Generator.php

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j245/saxeharp/gen02.jpg (http://s82.photobucket.com/user/saxeharp/media/gen02.jpg.html)

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j245/saxeharp/gen01.jpg (http://s82.photobucket.com/user/saxeharp/media/gen01.jpg.html)

And more than just your laptop or phone.

Firstly, I have the following:

200+ watts of photovoltaic panels on the ground, as opposed to my rooftop PV which feeds into the grid.

450 Amp Hours of 12 volt batteries to receive and store this power.

Several 12v DC to 240 AC (I live in Australia) inverters, the largest is rated at 600 watts. The batteries are deep cycle, which are designed specifically for this task.

A bicycle with a "trainer" mount.

A Windstream human power bicycle generator fitted to the trainer.

A regulator and power meter (from Windstream).

The output from this generator feeds into the batteries at 12 volts. I have a 12 volt meter across the terminals of the battery. When (if) the volts reads 14.8 volts then you can stop feeding power in.

The meter tells me in watts/volts/amp hours how much power I am generating from moment to moment.

Connected to the batteries are two 12v/24v/240v camping freezers, and plugged into the 600w inverter are my TV and DVD player. (In the event of a blackout I can plug my laptop computer into the inverter as well and this will last for several days if I'm careful.) The two freezers draw 95 watts running.

The PV panels keep the freezers running when the sun is shining, and when I watch TV in the evening I can pedal the generator and the meter tells me how much power I generate. I have managed to reach 120 watts but then I have slippage on the tyre of the bicycle. I have achieved 135 watts but that was only momentary. A maintainable output for me is about 65-80 watts. I can do this for about half an hour or so. I am 63 years old and find this a reasonably achievable goal despite the fact I need walking sticks to get around.

It is certainly possible to build much of the gear from scratch, say converting an electric motor into a generator, but really the cost in time and effort is not worth it. Buying off the shelf stuff is much nicer.

If you are only after charging your phone etc then a smaller inverter (say 150 watts) and 150 Amp hour of 12 volt battery will suit your purpose. But I can say it's very addictive generating your own power. Personally I'm always trying to get just that little bit higher on the meter.:smile1:

To charge your phone the simplest way would be to plug the phone's charger into the regulator.


Good luck in your quest

Joe

[Andy Rhody]

Joe, great read! I used my bike to test the open and loaded volts for my windmill. That's the info Rob used for my MPPT curve.

I was thinking of someday using an Ametec DC motor I have laying around with the bike to make some power and get some exercise but that Windstream is a nice option. More plug and play.

Here's a photo of my testing.

http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e295/andy47bottles/Science/Christmas2011006.jpg (http://s41.photobucket.com/user/andy47bottles/media/Science/Christmas2011006.jpg.html)

If you look real hard you might see an old "bike light Generator" on the back wheel. That powers a AAA recharable battery power pack which is the white and blue thing mounted on the handle bars. That gives me consistant light at all speeds.

[Joe Blake]

Good one Andy, love it.:idea:

I used to have a mountain bike on my trainer but I found the seat very uncomfortable so I swapped to my recumbent (mesh seat) but you look like you've got the mother of comfy bike seats.


Joe

PS I just re-read my previous post, and I think at the end I should have said plug to phone charger into the INVERTER not the regulator.

[Jerry Smith]

Nice personally I use three brands of Low-self-discharge ( LSD ) NiMH rechargeable AA's. Sanyo Eneloop's, Duracell and Everready Energizer's. Listed capacities will vary but I really can't say one is better than the others. To find out that stuff I usually go to Candle Power Forums ( CPF ) where people will independently test various batteries.