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Old 01-14-09, 08:10 PM   #1
MetroMPG
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Join Date: Aug 2008
Location: 1000 Islands region, Ontario, Canada
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Default Building a pedal power bicycle 12 volt generator, ghetto style




I've wanted to do something like this for a while, mostly because I think it'd make for an interesting and cool project.

Goal:
Use my existing bike to generate DC power to charge a battery which I can then use to power various small household AC things through an inverter.
Motivation:
Generally to learn stuff about this stuff. My existing level of expertise with human powered generators is ... as a kid, riding one of my neighbour's bikes with one of those generator-against-the-front-tire powered headlights.

Also, I sit on my butt most of the day. Being able to hop on the bike and feed a few watts into a battery will be a good break to get the blood flowing.

Also also, it's winter, and the apartment I'm staying in has zero insulation. I can either be completely sedentary and crank up the heat up to feel nice and warm, or I can occasionally hop on the bike for a few minutes of pedalling.
Budget:
Haha! Budget? I don't need no stinking budget!

This will be as close to free as possible. Scrounged. Ghetto. Used parts. Stuff I've already got.
So here we go...

Edit: added January 21, 2009... YouTube video of the project's success!



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