Charging Bike

Our project is a pedal-powered charger for portable electronic devices. The torque applied by a rider to the pedals is used to turn an electric generator. The generator is attached to a voltage regulator circuit that provides a 12-volt car cigarette lighter adapter and a 5-volt USB interface to connect your portable electronics. A series of capacitors are used to temporarily store the excess energy generated by the cyclist for later recharging.

Category:

Education

Tags:

• Engineering
• Bike
• Pedal
• Power
• Clean
• Energy
• Human

[porcej]

We actually have a 12 volt SLA we bought for the circuit, we just did not have the time to include it in the video. The problem with charging the battery and then charging stuff off that is efficiency -- you lose power charging the battery and discharging it. Ideally a capacitor bank would be used because it has a higher efficiency. We intend to rebuild the device if we can find one of those small exercise bikes you can fit under a desk. If we do, we shall post a new video.

[ACMDevils]

it would be nice if every single-family in this world had such a bike-electricity generator, instead than attaching phones,ipods,and whatever sucks energy, 1) you lose weight 2) you produce clean energy, and i believe the mass of mobile devices today is huge, recharged every day in every corner of the world (+ kits to add to real bikes when you are outdoor, see nokia kit)

[hyrael2]

You should add an accumulator to don't lose your calories effort ;P

[fraemd]

since the devices started charging up within a few seconds, it seems like the capacitors aren't very big and therefore can't store very much power. can you explain how you are supposedly using them to store more than a few seconds worth of power?

[ccubsfan94]

the ipod is technically a mp3 but is wayyyyyyy better

[minicoppergpiscool]

y dont u charge a 12 volt battery to the the lighter socet and then charge that and than run stuff off that

[enyadkeys]

Is there any chance you could post a schematic diagram anywhere?

[pimpmastahanh]

sweet, i have an old stationary bike with the wheel was made of solid lead so need a minute to get it moving but u can easily maintain momentum so a generator for that stuff and flashlights. If i really wanna get a good work out i can also plug in the toaster while i exercise.

[rcanzanese]

You make an excellent point, and those are indeed capacitors that you saw in the circuit, for that exact reason. So, even after you stop pedaling, the devices continue to charge. When we initially designed the circuit we purchased a rechargeable battery for storage, but opted for the capacitors because they have a much lower energy dissipation .

[dslunsford1]

One other note, you should think about putting in some storage units like batteries (did I see some capacitors on your voltage regulating circuit?) into the system to capture unused energy. A USB (5V) charger only requires about 3W... only 2% of what your body is producing.