/diy/ - Do It Yourself

>>906264
i suppose this could be mechanics and electronics

>>642126
It is fairly easy, electronic-wise. Much like Legos. The hard part is making the supports and frames for everything.

Since you'll be using a laptop with a battery it'll be a little easier. You won't need to use AC or an inverter. Just look at the AC-DC wall power adapter and see what the output voltage and current are. Just shoot for that in your electrical design. I recommend a charge controller though in order to keep the voltage from going too high.

There's also this thread: >>640112

>>569920

>>550109
forgot pic

>>515179
That will work well for making a bike generator.

You'll need a charge controller and at least a blocking diode. Though, it is better to have a bridge rectifier than a blocking diode. The charge controller is a headache saver.

I've built one of these before. To charge a 12v battery it takes quite a bit of force. If you have a battery array you can increase your RPMs by making the array have a higher voltage. Like 24v or 48v. With the 12v array the amps you crank out will be around 2.5A to 5A max most likely. 2.5A will be a real nice workout. 3A is a hard workout and 5A is just murder and you'll last only a little bit probably.

Here's the charge controller I use:

http://www.mwands.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=55_35&products_id=464

I'm glad I didn't get a cheaper one, since I can use the one above for several power-generating projects at the same time. Here's a cheaper alternative,

http://www.harborfreight.com/7-amp-solar-charge-regulator-96728.html

I bought my 800v 25amp bridge rectifiers from, and got beefy ones so I could also use those with other projects,

http://www.mouser.com/ProductDetail/Vishay/GBPC2508-E4-51/?qs=%2fha2pyFadugV2i03Pvz7elamO30MzeMuVBRGs7UhZLF4gAUEZINcXA%3d%3d

You can get a blocking diode that can handle 5-10 amps and tons of volts for pretty cheap.

My biggest tip is to make the pulley/chain system adjustable so you can put the pulley/chain on easily, but make it VERY sturdy. When you start cranking out those amps after reaching the charging voltage it can put massive strain on the pulley/chain. Also, monitor the temperature of the motor you are using. Check it after 10 minutes, 30 minutes and 1 hour. Don't let it get too hot. Although, those are beefy motors and can take punishment.

>>359325
If your battery is dead you need to use a charger for it to get its health back first. An electric generator like what is described in >>358925 is good for trickle charging a battery over the course of a week or so with maybe an hour a day of exercise if your unit outputs at least 30-40 watts. It is a lot of work, but since it is intended to be exercise, that is the trade off.

Basically, just google up "bicycle generator". There's all sorts of youtube, instructables, and DIY stuff about making your own.

>storm's acomin'
>power might be out

Time to construct that bicycle generator!

>$9k

Dang.

>I come to you /diy/ to see if there is a tutorials on how to make your own electric motor that runs on pedal power.

I have not seen any that combined the electric generating of pedaling to actually power the same bike. It seems like it would be simple enough. The only hard parts are getting the right parts for the proper charging.

>pic only partially related

>>286355
The easiest way and the most common way is to salvage an old electric motor and turn it into a generator. The type of motor you salvage will determine if you can use it or if you need to do something special with it to make it work. For instance, some work without magnets, but their core needs to be magnetized and they need to spin 10% faster than their rated RPMs to generate electric. Others have permanent magnets and can generate electric at any speed and are the easiest to use; these are the type you would want to make.

To make one from scratch is different and what a lot of wind turbine enthusiasts do:

http://www.instructables.com/id/DIY-1000-watt-wind-turbine/

As for all your other questions, this is a very large range of stuff and you'll need to research each one individually. Essentially what you need to store stuff is illustrated in this as-yet-incomplete image. Simply replace the bike with a wind turbine or other such device that spins the motor/generator. Researching these parts and terms will help you greatly in figuring out what you need for your own designs and needs.

>>266131
The biggest tip I have is not using the biggest motor you can find as your generator. Otherwise, you may not even be able to pedal it. You will literally be pushing electrons when you pedal and the more you push the harder it will be. Maintaining 9amps at around 14v will be damn tough. But, maintaining 1amp at 14v will be a LOT easier. However, the less amps means the more time needed to charge a battery. you need to find out how many amps you can pedal out while maintaining the amount of volts required (14v for a 12v battery for instance.) Keep in mind that your motor will only tolerate X amount of amps for X amount of time. Push it too much and you'll burn it out.

One thing that many people overlook is adding a large flywheel to their design. This will aid you as you pedal. When you relax a little, the stored up energy in the flywheel will kick in for you and help you maintain speed. You'll find it easier to stop and start when the flywheel is still going. Essentially, it will smooth things out for you. The amount it helps you depends on the weight of the flywheel. The heavier the better, but the heavier it is the longer it takes to get up to speed. They help greatly in the long run, even when applied to a bicycle you use on the road.

Always match your own output power with the size of the battery you want to charge (6v, 12v, 48v, etc). The total amp hours of the battery array you have will determine how long you'll need to pedal to charge it (which is dependent on how many amps you can pedal out).

I see bicycle generators as something that is good for charging a battery array while getting a nice cardio workout for 30mins each day.

There's a few small errors in this pic, but it'll get you started in the right research direction.

The bridge rectifier in this pic may or may not be needed depending on what your motor/generator is outputting; AC or DC output. If it is AC then use the rectifier, but if it is just DC then you only need one diode.