# bicycle run generator ?



## survivorsackcom101 (Jul 5, 2012)

hey folks,can anyone advise where to start to build or buy a generator to rig to a bike , mainly to recharge a 12 volt battery bank which will be hooked up to an invertor ? I,ve read that a car alternator would work but i dont know what size or any particulars


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## sloetruk (Dec 8, 2012)

http://spectrum.ieee.org/green-tech...e-machines-turn-your-sweat-into-electricity/0


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## Nadja (Jan 12, 2011)

You really won't get much from a human powered bike type gennie. That is unless you are really good at engneering and can add a weighted flywheel Would be much better for you to just buy a couple of solar panels and charge controller and then the sun will do all the work for you.


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## FrankW (Mar 10, 2012)

I thin it might be a good solution if you are stuck indoors and exercise is good plus you want to keep some electricity source for charging your laptop that have all your valuable prepper pdf's on them.

or to charge rehcargchable batteries post SHTF for your EOTechs and surefires or flashlights.

Not enough energy for a refigerator or anything like that though..
But it could be a solution to small electricty need like mantioend above


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## cnsper (Sep 20, 2012)

You also need to be prepared to not be able to generate the power needed. Say.... You broke a leg or are 95 years old... LOL

Unless you work from home


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## Tirediron (Jul 12, 2010)

IF you want to use a bicycle based generator, the most efficient method is to find a 12v perminant magnet motor, such as a heater fan motor to use as a generator, an alternator is not efficient in converting energy. this has been done for years, the link in an earlier post acted like it was a brand new idea. this type of charger would be excellent for grid out storm situations.
http://www.thediyworld.com/DIY-Bicycle-Powered-Generator.php
http://www.pedalpowergenerator.com/


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## pawpaw (Dec 21, 2011)

Good reasons you may be onto something, Survivorsack...
A pedal-powered genset could be invaluable for small wattage needs as noted above, plus in a situation, who can say that there won't be long periods of being holed up? Maybe it's not safe out, not for roaming or whatever- a time to lay low, as it were. Days? Weeks? A small rig of your own making could provide basic,quiet power during these times. Someone who is borderline diabetic or overweight in general could do no better than the prolonged exertion of pedaling for power, especially if you've got more than one volunteer. Not every waking moment will be spent driving stakes through vampires or leaping zombies in a single bound. Picture yourself unable to move about freely for a time, or get outdoor chores (exertion) done. Me? I'd prolly just sit there, staring hungrily at my food preps. Just sayin'...


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## dlharris (Apr 3, 2011)

This is so funny. My DH and I were just 1/2 hour ago talking about if possible to generate little electricity for laptop or charge batteries only with elliptical or treadmill!


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## dlharris (Apr 3, 2011)

dlharris said:


> This is so funny. My DH and I were just 1/2 hour ago talking about if possible to generate little electricity for laptop or charge batteries only with elliptical or treadmill!


Omg.....brain fart! Need power to run those items! How could 2 semi intelligent people miss that fact! Lmao! Just goes to show you how conditioned we are to having electricity! : roll eyes.


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## sloetruk (Dec 8, 2012)

dlharris said:


> Omg.....brain fart! Need power to run those items! How could 2 semi intelligent people miss that fact! Lmao! Just goes to show you how conditioned we are to having electricity! : roll eyes.


Technically you only need power to run the "display", the mechanical parts would still work

I'm an Electrical engineer, I'll snooop around and see what I can uncover and dig up, but I would say you would either need a different generator than on a car or a drive system that would increase the RPMs the generator is turning. That said you probably would want a "generator" over a "alternator" depending on what applications you were intending to use the "pedal power"

For instance if all you were planning to do was run a laptop charger then it really wouldn't matter because of the switching power supply in the laptop power supply not being real picky about how clean the power it consumes. but if you were wanting to run something that needed conditioned power, you might damage it.

Lemme see what is on the market and go from there, I really don't want to have to design something, I know this has been done. THere was a guy in Japan who powered his children's TV (CRT) off of pedal power to force them to be active and not couch potatoes, so the potential to generate power is there, as most CRTs take a few amperes to operate.


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