Free DIY BYO BIY plans for Pedal Power Bicycle Generator Car Alternator

From http://pedalpowergenerator.com
Keep couch potatoes in shape! Have them power their own video games. This is a demo of a Car Alternator being used as a pedal power bicycle generator to power up a Harry Potter video game while I am holding a wireless controller. The game is being played on Play Station 2. The PS2 requires 30 Watts of power through an AC inverter. The purpose of the inverter is to convert 14.8 DC (Direct current) volts from the pedal power bike generator into 110 Volts AC (Alternate Current) which is what you use when you plug something into the wall outlet in your Home. So when you pedal you will be supplying a total of 30 Watts and about 2.0 Amps. Note: the way you calculate Watts is Current AMPS X Volts. In this case: 2.0 Amps x 14.8Volts DC = 29.6 Watts. If you want to see voltage current Amps and Watts waveform graph data from this application go to http://pedalpowergenerator.com and click on the link "test results". If you want the free plans to build this, then click on "free plans". Note: Many people ask me how the alternator can work without having a battery hooked up to. The answer is that the alternator already has enough of a residual magnetic field to start the generator process and put out 14.8 volts DC after 3 seconds of pedaling fast.

Category:

Science & Technology

Tags:

• diy
• byo
• biy
• plans
• free
• green
• bike
• pedal
• power
• generator
• alternator

[OxnerdKi]

would it be possible to plug it directly into an outlet and feed energy back into the grid?

[bdwhaley2]

I Wish!! The power in the outet is changing from Plus to minus 60 times each second (AC= alternating Current), so if the power from the pedal power bicycle generator would have to be perfactly synchronized with it to be able to "Upload" your generated power. In order for this to be done you would need to purchase and install something called a "Grid Tied" inverter.

[watchingthis]

wii shoulda been on this... :}

[bdwhaley2]

Tell me about it. My kids keep asking me about getting one! The problem is that if this type of pedal power bike generator can only put out about 35 Watts before it gets way to hard to pedal because a car alternator is not efficient enough.

[enkidu23]

good stuff.

I also like your old school remote control -

this thing is really energy efficient.

;)

(meant the stick of course)

[bdwhaley2]

Yes the stick is a higly integrated aspect of the project- cutting edge technology. I suppose if one is not available you can just upload your power to the grid and earn back money from the power company.

[samerziadeh]

lol @ the stick

[MarvelMan07]

not a bad idea at all

[robertsmi9]

I want to gdo the same thing except hook two to three altenators and toop off a batery bank, i figure the set up of the bike and mutible altenators would top them bank off in 30 min. am i correct.

[Nachito667]

hey what size belt did you use and where did you get it? I'm trying to build one of these things myself! Thanks

[doubleomc]

How would you use this concept to use variable current to charge a series of DC batteries that are connected to a converter that one could use as a more practical constant power source? I've seen it done on planet green but i'm a little laymen and can't remember exactly how they did it? Can you explain please

[calmingbrook]

YEY ride it big daddy

[bicyclegenerator]

@bdwhaley2 Yes you can. now there is a product called a grid time inverter which converts your 12 Volt output to 110VAC and plugs right into your wall outlet. It makes your power meter spin a littler slower than normal! You could generate about $0.03 worth of energy every hour so it would take you 10 year min. to get a payback financially. Ofcourse that's not why you would do it. Other better reasons.

[Henzzman]

@bicyclegenerator Yeah,but it needs quite high rpm's to start producing and lot of energy goes away on brushes.Id prefer an asynchronous motor and use a transformer with a secondary winding that has many taps,so that a transistor could switch the windings,so it would keep the voltage more or less steady.Such concept with the transformer and transistor has been used in many AC power stabilizers and has quite big efficiency.

[bicyclegenerator]

@Henzzman Yes- you are right - car alternator is not ideal - except for the fact that is is very good at holding the output voltage at a steady 14.8 volts which will keep from blowing up your AC inverter. 

[TehShadower]

would offset the major obeasity crisis in western culture among young teens

[mrkhristoff]

i rlly like this!