Exercise bike generator uses car alternator

[presziggy]

HELP?!

i finally tried to build one... i got a delco remy alternator from a 92 grandam, and hooked it up...

however, nothing is happening...

i'm sure i am not wiring it correctly... and i've scoured the internet in search of wiring instructions.

any ideas please?

[Pacman99uk]

i think theres something wrong with the regulator on that alternator, pretty sure you dont want to go above 14.5volts max as it can damage the battery.

[SuperKazmierski]

Could a more effecant bike be built?

I'd love there to be millions of these bikes around America, and pay people to generate electricity. People will get work, people will lose weight, and we'll be a little more green.

[charmjov]

Please send me the procedure on how to make this. I really need it for my science project before next week. Also include a circuit diagram if you have my e mail is jovani_g_tablezo@yahoo.com

[AE6ZW]

I have heard pedaling even to generate 40 watts is lot of works.

550 foot-pounds per second = 750 watts , so even 40 watts is 30 ft-lbs / second.

cranking 1 ft radius pedal, with force of 30 lbs every second.

probably it may be more practical to build large round rotating swing bar , attach horse or cow in the end and use it to generate power. I suppose 1 horse can generate 750 watts ?

[goldenjamesy]

lol you were puffing after like 20 seconds. are you like 300lbs??

[supersonicsnow]

16V is gonna kill your SLA really quick. Even flooded lead acid shouldn't go over 14.4v, with the very occasional 15V equilisation charge.

For longevity of your SLA battery u should not go over 13.8V charging voltage.

[callkevincool]

how do you hook your  alternator?

[Duckykirby]

Hook this up to a laptop charger, get a joypad for PC, and play some emulated street fighter, powered by your own workout.

Video games then = excercise?

[weeman1493]

Make a tutorial on how to make one of these at home.

[whatjamaican]

Thank you for the video.

[NASTYTHEBOY]

hmm, sounds like you need a voltage regulator of some sort, the battery wouldnt spew out out 16 volts, it could sned out 12 very stable voltswouldnt drain as fast :p

[DeLorean4]

What's the kickass music in the background?

[leonscorpio19]

nice video.. easy to understand what you did also.. but i have a question. would it be more efficient if you used a low rpm permanent magnet motor? most alternators require high rpm's to put out good voltage hence being connected to engines that idle at 1200 (about) rpm's. just curious if you've actually tried that. thanks.

[Me102288]

@leonscorpio19 marine grade (permanent mag alternator) only require 500 rpm to get to 80% output. heck I've been making my own for wind turbines. But yeah, he's struggling because its a standard alternator, it takes electricity to magnetize the core, very ineffecient, ya get maybe 60% energy back from them. Its 100% on pma cuz no need to magnetize the stator. I use 24 guage magnet wire and n52 neodymium magnets :-) woohoo 2kiliwatt so far

[dipendraraikut]

wow the project was great and happy lighting.

I own a scooter and have added a 12 v lead acid battery in my scooter for auxillary lighting. I charge my battery externally which is not what i want. I was thinking of adding an alternator to charge my battery like yours, so is it possible i can add such type of alternators. You can check out my scooter also in my videos. Its Road Wolf.

Thanks in advance.

[EPhantom125]

Have you ever taken this project, and attached a ton of 20v caps to it and used them to power anything?

[hheywire]

yea an alternator is a tuff thng to turn when under a load

[PonyHaven]

This is a great idea.

I made one, back in the '80s.

Pedalling flat out, I got 360 Watts of power from the alternator.

We humans don't last long at that power level ;) .

[lockbreak12]

in theory could you use this type of rig as a battery charger? then after the battery is charged use that as a power source?

[three0234]

how is the shaft in the alternator? ball bearing or magnetic ball bearing? is there a way to switch it to magnetic ball bearings if it's not already?

[three0234]

add a rodin coil to increase the output? i found some people experimenting with it just to have a no contact drive train. ooh also you know a recumbent style exercise bike is much easier so do the same but with a recumbent instead? :D i just thought of trying the experiment you already did. cool gear box? :D

[TheLockerzfreaks]

its not voltage regulated if you use the battery to charge the field the whole time, flip the switch back while pedaling.

[69furball69]

very cool project, thanks for the info

[Montauk198]

here is the idea i've had. Try using a multi-gear bike with a few alternators attached. Also try a transmission type thing to get more rpm to the alternators with less pedaling.

[theoriginalanomaly]

I have had that idea. But I think alternators are designed for rpm's that are too high. They are designed to peak at a couple of thousand rpm's. If you make your own generator, you can get it set up for the rpm's that are reasonable.

[koulailat]

i know a alternator makes 12v but if i pedal for a how how much volts do i get ?

[UBERKron]

yes! i have just made a two chain exercise bike with a 70 amp alternnator. i will post a reply tonight. i can only just pedal fast enough to excite it but i can pedal at about 10kmh and 100w load is plenty for exercise.

[alwaysTheScout247]

would this power a large enough electric motor which could get a light weight vehicle moving?

[McBurger69x420]

@alwaysTheScout247 Wait for it.... wait for it.... you mean, like a bicycle?

XD

[aaronlovespot]

could you sell the power?

[pikipirs]

The best exercise computer display. Ever. Now if it would only be a bit less noisy... :)

[dylanthorner]

Sweet that is cool, LOWER ENERGY BILL!!!

[trailkeeper]

I'd try another alternator than a car one. Maby one from a smaller machine, even a stepper motor maby.

[nickdigg5]

Nice stuff!

[MrJetjoe]

try using a electric bike to power your house

[Armando2012102]

MrJetjoe: Good idea. I'll take you up on that. I'll be the Steve Jobs of human-powered electricity, while you sit on your fat ass eating cheetos and doling out cheap sarcasm on YT.

[DeDust86]

Yes!

[Harwkins39]

I was just wondering if you had to use a resistor in series with the energizer circuit. I had to with my setup, otherwise the pedal resistance was to great.

[awizardalso]

Greetings, I tried to send you a PM first. You mentioned in the video info that you got 160 amps out of a modified alternator. Was this a typo? That would equate to roughly 2200 watts or about 3 hp. Just wondering under what conditions you managed this. I do realize it would be a very short duration.

Wiz

[logtype47]

Can this same technology be applied to a standard car on all four wheels.

If so how can one capture and store this energy in batteries.

[awizardalso]

logtype47- Probably more practical to drive the alternator off the drive shaft. Wire the field coil to the brake light circuit and use the alternator for a little extra braking power. Wire the alternator output to a couple batteries in the trunk. Save a little wear and tear on the brakes and the electric power for a rainy day.

[SirFrag32]

Also, 13.8 is pretty rare in cars from my experience. Every car i've owned idles around 14.5v, that is until i kick on the stereo :P

[SirFrag32]

I want to take a nitro or model gas/butane engine and rig an alternator to it to power devices for fun! :)

[theoysterman1]

Use a dc permanent magnet motor instead of an alternator. Alternators use a bit of their power to generate the magnetic fields which get bigger the more energy that is put in. Using a permanent magnet motor means more power for your device you are powering which means it is less tiring for you.

[Armando2012102]

Thanks for posting, but you're in terrible shape, man.

[kickndave21]

how long to charge a battery?

[erecherecherech]

you say a switch to excite - how do you wire the switch? from +12 to pin 1 on the alternator?

[vik95170]

how many watts did it produice ?

[hgallegos915]

hey, so how do you wire the alternator? does it need to have 12 volts registering? I want to use one of these to charge small 12 volt appliances or maybe a battery. Just for fun tho, I wonder how many hrs of pedaling would take to charge the battery.

[SpockOfRock]

I've gained a whole new appreciation for solar panels...

[benpie12]

ke a hundred and take old pple in a big building a freakin power plant

[rroge5]

what do you mean energise the feilds?. do you mean connect the alternator to the battery? wtf

[EricsiPhone]

Standard automotive alternators have no magnets in them, and require voltage to generate the magnetic field require. Therefore, you can vary the voltage to the alternator to increase or decrease the magnetic field, increasing or decreasing the power it puts out. Yes, it takes a small amount of power to make power.

[rroge5]

find me a link that shows how exactly it works with no magnets then o.O that sounds very lossfull.

[EricsiPhone]

Its not that much current required. A full size standard automotive alternator takes a few amps, and generates easily over a hundred.

In this setup it would be superior to a permanent magnet alternator, so you can get it up to speed without worrying about low speed cogging.

[rroge5]

and generating electricity off this magnetic feild does not effect the current on the input coil? is it called the stator? or the one on the rotor? the one that the power goes into

[1alien2]

Make the alternator a permanent magnet one. I did for about $60 and a little machine work. Also it only requires a positive and a negative to the batteries to charge them. Spinning it with just my hand kind of fast I get 2 volts from it.

[22solarboy]

thats y its harder to turn the altenator

[22solarboy]

you need to find a charger controler. they have one in the solar panel kit at harbor frieght. right now you using it as a motor. not a generator.

[pivotboy63]

thanks I know what my next project is

[FlamingHomelessDude]

Thats a good way to get epileptic kids fat.

[idontknow307]

hahahaha that was fucking epic

[DJDonaL3000]

it really does work... sounds like daffy duck

[verynice420]

you forgot to equip the dildo

[JoeNobody247]

lmfao

[beyeriii]

If possible, please create another video discussing the following:

1. Details about the friction drive, i.e.: removing alternator pully, type of rubber bushing on alternator shaft, diameter of bushing compared to diameter of bicycle wheel. Please consider not removing the alternator pully, and provide a friction drive by placing a large diameter O ring or similar rubber ring around the pully.

2. Wiring and type of the alternator, i.e.: Delco PN#, other possible alternators Y type, Delta

[thebatts2007]

Mount them on the wheels

[thebatts2007]

Why can't you put 4 alternators on an electric car it would charge the batteries as you drive !! I bet you some oil or utility company owns the copyright..

[PleasureTV]

each 1kW takes only ~ 3 horsepower from engine.

so We don't really need to burn anything on this planet, but Oil keeps Our Monetary System alive - it is like a drug.

[5horsepower]

how many watts is it making

[mouayad888]

do i have to keep the battery connected to the alternator or just spark it for a second?by the way it is a great video

[nabes182]

Great job! The houses of the future (or today) will probably all have a little wind mill, solar panels and pedal power.

Have you thought of doing a tandem bike?

[AnonymousX2]

Someone needs to design a bike with a really good gear ratio...and a better generator instead of a car alternator.

[pixar5]

your right ive tryed several times at different gear ratios and didnt get a single volt ive tryed it with 3 different alt and still nothing a small dc motor works well for makeing electricity

[haffwayhouse]

Ok, now we need to try a more efficient machine. What about designing it from scratch, so that the exercise effort is more specific and not wasted? The typical exercise bike is designed to impede efficiency, but a simple treadmill approach could supply far more torque, and powering a view screen could revolutionize the gym industry.

this comment is not just for SharkBoat, but also for all of us working on this project. I have one of my own...also consider solar ovens.

[bradleyman94]

it may be that your using a dry cell battery alternators aint really ment to charge them try using a car battery and see if that helps with the volts

[mbikeit]

Awsome! Tell me what exactly do you mean when you say energize the field. I am working on a similar project the only main difference in mine is i don't have the energizing the field part, whats that all about?

[SharkBoat]

The field is the electromagnet part of the alt. It is on the rotor, so it is the spinning part. It needs to have 12V to electrify the field and generate. Again, spin it up to speed before energizing it or you will find it very difficult to pedal from a complete stop.

[drruummeerr]

It does, thank you, but what is the switch doing that you turn on after you start pedaling?

[SharkBoat]

The switch turns the alt on by delivering 12V from the pos terminal of the battery to the #1 terminal on the alt. On a car, that is the way the alt turns on & off with the key switch. If no switch, the electromagnetic field coils inside the alt would drain the battery when it is not spinning.

[mouayad888]

could you please tell me if i have to keep the battery connected to the alternator at all time or just spark it for a second?

[Knowlagable]

It has to be connected when spinning and not connected when stopped. sparking it for a second will energize the field but only for that second.

[drruummeerr]

Hey, i have a physics project where i basically have to do the same thing, but all i have to do is charge a 12 volt battery. I am having trouble connecting the alternator. How is your alternator wired? i have a pretty small alternator with only a positive and negative clip plus one prong. if you could help me out even a little, id really appreciate it.

[SharkBoat]

The Delcotron alt I used was common on1980s models of GM vehicles. It is internally regulated so other than the pos & neg to the batt, only one wire needs to go to the pos of a 12V batt to start the alt generating. Some(mostly older) alts need an external reg. Avoid those if possible unless you have a wiring diagram & the reg itself. Hope this helps.

[drruummeerr]

My last comment ment to be in this place. Sorry. but what i meant was how did you wire that switch?

[Knowlagable]

Positive from the battery to the switch then from the switch to the 3rd pin on alternator. not to the positive or negitive on the alternator but the 3rd one.

[Bonomax85]

You're GREAT... I want make this too

[oisiaa]

This is one project that I would really like to try, although I think I may just go with a DC generator.

[Anubis1372]

thank you for you hellp...10x again

[Anubis1372]

i have one car alternator and how can i change from 1500 rpm to 500 rpm or smaller?...i want to build wind turbine from car alternator.thank you

[SharkBoat]

Wind turbines are best using a permanent magnet system. A car alternator would not work well. Try otherpower(dot com) for wind generator build ideas.

[wind4watts]

Anubis1372 You have to gear them up, but it is not a simple problem to solve, google 'Dragonfly' shows a design for small turbine, they sell plans very cheap. A pmg is simpler but they are a little expensive.

[pixar5]

i did the same as what you did didnt get any power out of the alteator pedaled my butt off is there a trick to this ? i hooked up a 12 volt batt to excite the alt and still got nothing

[SharkBoat]

I had best results getting the alt up to speed first before energizing the fields. Hope that helps.

[PhotonDrive]

Shark: You can run a 3-wheeler or even a small car on petal-power alone! First you must get rid of all auto ALTERNATORS (none fit your petaling specs - all use too much energy). Go to my channel to see my designs tested: "Mag Amp Gen" is YTube search-word. Mine are driven by solar-fed 12vDC-motors but CAN be driven by petal arrangement also (even more coil-rings).

[twilkes123]

well done on this, however though an alternator charges up to 500watts up to 2-3000 rpms on a standard 1.6 car. if you would of used the alternator instead of adding the battery it would of done far better as a small battery will drain the extra top end power than a bigger battery. also, you can add a variable voltage regulator to take the load of a heavy workout and put fewer amps in to the batts. i have been trying to perfect this idea for ages. a car alternator is not a good idea (well done)

[CaptainKimba]

I think the ultimate generating coil for an exercise bike would be if you could use a Honda EU1000(inverter controlled) generator and eliminate the gas engine. They are multi-pole, permanent magnet and can produce line-spec current at a varying rpm. The problem is the cost. In theory, I think it would work excellent. Car alternators need the fields energized and that can use about 3 to 6 amps. This project here is a tinkerer's toy but interesting. Needs a PM field.

[twilkes123]

also,if you add a shotty wind diode in front of a full bridge rectifier suitable for this application you will then only get field load on rotation removing the switch, i was told you can change the field to power off the center armature the same way to remove the smoother circuit. the inverter unit you mentioned is just like an over unity motor (little drag) but higher gains, your very right! wehave an honda eu700w at my hire depo, and you are putting thoughts into my head. hmmmmm? good stuff