API for Pedal Power

Video for innovation contest sponsored by Google and Specialized.

The device is a standard indoor bicycle trainer resistance unit modified with the addition of a pulley to the flywheel, and with replacement by the mag unit with a second pulley. The two belt-driven pulleys power either a laundry spinner for water extraction or an electric generator.

Proposal: tweak existing trainer designs by (1) putting a V-belt groove in the flywheel edge (2) designing toggle to lock out resistance

Category:

Science & Technology

Tags:

• pedal
• power
• bicycle
• washing
• electricity
• generation
• human
• grey
• water
• cell
• phone
• charger
• DIY

[icap121]

How long does it take you to charge a 9v battery?

I really appreciated your answer. thanks!

[TeeterTalk]

I don't know what kind of battery is in my cell phone depicted in the video. When I have the cell phone charger plugged in, the WattMeter typically shows it drawing around 10 Watts.

With the capacitor in line, you pretty much need to match the power requirement of the device--10 Watts means little effort. That takes ususally 30 mins. I've switched to a 12v battery instead of the capacitor. That way I can pedal hard, and extra juice goes to charging it, which I use to run TV w/o pedaling.

[oilhammer04]

How long does the tire last? I bought a friction drive kit and gas engine to power my bicycle. The drive roller is knurled so it eats the tire. So much for saving money that way. . . $433 down the drain. Straton-Inc made my kit.

[TeeterTalk]

I already replied via direct message, but the basic deal is that you don't get any more tire wear than you would with an indoor trainer--yes, it will show wear, but nothing like oilhammer04 describes in his situation. Probably the knurling. FWIW, I saw a guy with a gas engine conversion on a bike and a chatted him up to see if he had similar problem--nope, because the motor's drive to the bike was chain-driven to a rear cog mounted to spokes opposite the usual rear cogs of the bike.

[wheelori814]

hmmmmmmmmm it would be even more cool if you could use the bike outside and while riding it, it would charge up batteries that you could just use when you got home to power a generator! Riding with your face in the wall sucks! But that is a cool idea!

[UBERKron]

i just posed a vid of my bike. billygoat is right. you do need extra energy so not free power but it feels very liberating to make light from pedaling. also, where rotary motion is needed directly driving is better but you need to make dedicated devices.

[TripleBla]

Conservation of Energy question here:

The power required to spin the bike tires, and thus power the electric motor / generator, and with that energy used on the washing machine .. the question is:

If the mechanics of the pedal were hooked directly to the spinning central fugal spinning mechanism in the washer, would it require the same amount of energy if the rotations were mechanically induced, opposed to electrically induced?? Hope you understand, thanks!

[peterdearborn]

Obviously if you have more exercise, you'll need to eat more. However, unless you are doing extreme endurance exercises (not several minutes biking, but many hours) you're normal caloric intake would be about the same. Also you could argue that if you're exercising enough to lose weight, you'll spend slightly less gas carting yourself around. Most Americans are not running even close to caloric balance anyway.

[RADI0xxactive]

Good point. I believe there are a lot of agricultural machines that can be pedal powered, but on a smaller scale. I'm not 100% positive, but I'm pretty sure that's right.

[OldtimeFiddler]

Actually, most people who would use one of these would be using self sustaining (or at the least Sustainable) farming methods and therefore would cut out Pesticides and machines using petroleum products (or at most a rototiller). For me it wouldnt be about cutting my carbon footprint (first of all plants need C02 to survive) but it would be more about becoming sustainable and not dependent on a growing network of people to just do the basics, not wasting resources which are limited.

[BillyGoat4x4]

Ok, I get that creating your own electricity cuts down on your carbon foot print but human powered machines like yours require energy in the form of food. Food that needs to be grown with water, nutrients, pesticides, and machines to pick and process the food and deliver it. So doesn't it all balance out somehow? I don't know. Good job though.

[annarborchronicle]

I imagine that the machine could be filled and used for washing, if the appropriate modifications were made. But what I do is use a James Hand Washer and use the spinner to relieve the drudgery of the wringing.

[lifeoffgrid]

Could you fill the machine with water and wash your clothes or do you have to hand wash them and only use this for spinning?

[Adams116]

Do you have the plans for this? Very interested in making one of these for a cabin I plan to build this coming summer. Hello off the grid living