Use these free videos and plans to make
your own pedal power bicycle generator station. Good for
powering up your television while watching your favorite show.
This power generating system is also
great for emergency survival backup generator power. Pedal
Power is one of the more reliable and consistent forms of alternative energy
because solar panels can get blown away in a storm and only
work during the day, and wind turbines only spin when there is wind.
If you are interested in buying a bicycle
generator already built, then click
here
Use this bike generator station to power radio, cell
phone, blender, laptop, wheat
grinder, Christmas
Tree, LED
PEDAL POWER GENERATOR KIT - EASY STEPS (Takes One Hour
To Assemble)
These steps can be carried out by school
/ classroom students or the average do it your selfer type individual. If
you buy the kit you will only need a screw driver, wrenches, wire cutter,
stripper, and crimper, and volt meter.
If you are trying to save $ and make the kit
parts from scratch, you will need all the tools mentioned above and a drill
press, drill bits, taps, terminal blocks, crimp on terminals, metal
cutting band saw.
When you get your stand you will see a friction
roller mounted on the bracket. This friction roller is for exercise
workouts and is just a waste of energy. It just converts energy from
your body to heat. You will need to remove this friction
roller before you install the riser block.
The riser adapter block installs as shown below.
There are two 16mm bolts (1 Inch Long) that secure the block on the sides.
This block is made of aluminum, but could be made of had plastic or steel.
If you bought the kit, then the two 16mm bolts will come with the kit.
If you want free make your own riser block instructions then click
here
For
this DIY STEP you will need a 5/16 wrench or 11mm wrench, and two 1/4 -20 bolts
with 1 inch length. Also a flat washer and lock washer. These
come in the kit so if you bought that then you don't have to worry about
getting them.
If the free do it
yourself plans to make your own support bar then click
here
Use a 5/16 wrench to tighten down the support bar. The bolts are 1"
long
You will need two 1/4-20 bolts
for this DIY STEP -1 inch long. Also needed will be a flat washer
for each bolt, and a lock washer for each bolt. If you want to
make your own plate then send an email along with your organization
and a project description to
brad@mns-power.com and I'll give you the dimensions.
You will need to use an 11mm wrench or a 5/16 wrench to tighten down
the generator plate as shown below. This DIY STEP takes about 2
minutes. If you have purchased the kit, you will be able to
use the bolts that are included inside.
Below you can see how to install
the generator. This generator comes with a pulley that
takes a 3/8" wide V-belt. It also takes 6mm mounting bolts.
At this point in the project
you can hook this generator directly up to a $40.00 shop VAC for a
floating ping pong ball display. The stinger shop vacuum from
home depot only cost about $40.00. If you plug the hose into
the blow hole of the shop vacuum and get a ping ball, the ball will
float higher and higher in the air as the person riding the bicycle
generator pedals faster and faster. Both kids and adults
really like doing it! This display gets people thinking about
alternative energy and for that reason it is a great thing to setup
on earth day or other types of green events.
To make it an educational
exhibit, you can hook up a WattsVIEW sensor and then your computer
can project Volts, Amps, and Watts for people to see!. Go to
http://wattsview.com for
more information on that.
At this point, only if you want to use
your bike generator to charge batteries or a powerpack, you will
need to install a charge controller. There are two
screws that mount the NC25A Charge controller to the aluminum plate
as shown below.
Learn More
About How the Charge Controller Works & Why it's used
There are two 6-32 machine screws that
are used to mount terminal block one to the generator plate.
These are included in the kit. If you buy the plate already
made, the holes are already pre drilled and tapped so the screws
will juts go right in. If you want to make your own
generator plate then end an email to
brad@mns-power.com
For this step you will
connecting the positive RED wire from the generator to the 1st screw
terminal of the generator output block as shown below .
You will need
Size 12 AWG wire
Butt Splice or wire nut
Wire cutter
Wire stripper
Small crimp on ring
connector or fork connector
Crimpers.
You can see that a butt splice is used to make the wire long
enough to reach the terminal block. You could also use a wire
nut instead of a but splice.
ATTACH GENERATOR POS. VOLTAGE TO CHARGE
CONTROLLER INPUT
Cut a 8.5" piece of wire. Strip the end, and
crimp on a connector.
Below you can see how to attach the red size 12 AWG
wire to the 2nd screw terminal of the terminal block.
Next you will strip the other end of the wire and connect the
wire to the input terminal of the charge controller as shown below.
You will need a small flat head screw driver to tighten
the screw.
After you have tightened the wire, you must perform a tug
test on the wire. Pull firmly on the wire and make sure it
doesn't slip out! It is very common for beginners &
even experienced electricians to under tighten screw terminals.
DIY
STEP 8.5
INSTALL TERMINAL BLOCK #2
Install the 2nd terminal block as shown
below. The holes are already drilled in the aluminum plate.
A thermal fuse gets hot when too much
current is flows through it and then opens up until you stop
pedaling. This is called an OCP or over current protection
device. After 20 seconds the thermal fuse will cool down
and the pedal power system will be ready to use again. This
fuse should never trip an if it does, it means there is something
wrong with your wiring. The thermal fuse is an off the
shelf part and costs about $0.99 US You can order
this part from http://digikey.com
You may want to crimp on two fork connectors onto the legs of the
fuse (showing in red below). When you are done with this step
it should look like this.
You will need to make up a 6.5 inch black size 12 AWG as shown
below.
You will be putting two connectors unto the same screw terminal.
Unscrew the terminal enough to accommodate the two connectors.
Then tighten them both down firmly.
ATTACH
CAPACITOR AND NEGATIVE LEAD TO CHARGE CONTROLLER TERMINAL
Now route the wire installed in the
previous step to the far right terminal of the charge controller.
You will also need to slide in the terminal of a 100uF 63 Volt
capacitor. Be careful, if you put the wrong lead in, it will
destroy the capacitor. Install it as shown below. The
purpose of the capacitor is to keep the mechanical relay inside the
NC25A charge controller from being damaged if some one gets on the
bike generator and starts riding fast without any electrical load
hooked up to the generator.
ATTACH
POSITIVE WIRE TO OUTPUT OF CHARGE CONTROLLER
Next you will need to route this wire over to terminal position 1
but don't tighten it all the way. In the next step you will be
adding a 2nd wire to this terminal.
Prep a 9" 14 AWG red wire by
cutting it to length and crimping a fork connector as shown.
Attach the crimp connector to terminal 1 as shown below.
When you are done, it should
look something like this. There are two connectors on top of
each other.
Now attach the other end of the wire to the 2nd terminal from the
left which is the positive battery monitoring terminal, along with
the capacitor lead. Make SURE to do the tug test and pull on
each wire to make sure it is firmly seated in the terminal and
properly tightened down.
After you have attached the
volt meter and turned it on. Make sure it is set to DC voltage.
When you turn the motor with your hand in the clockwise direction,
you should see a positive voltage read out on the volt meter.
This tells you that your generator system is working correctly.
Remove the air from your rear tire by
using a pressure relieve style pressure gauge or using a small
screw driver or nail (see video).
Release your rear brake cable so that the break pads open up wide
and allow you to remove the rear wheel.
Now that the tire is completely flat and
removed from the frame, use the tire levers to remove
the rear tire from the rim. (see video for more details)
Remove the tube and the thin
rubber band that runs all around your rim covering the ends of your
spokes. If you don't take this off, it will break and get
tangled in the pedal power bike generator drive belt.
Now that the rear tire is off of the rim, install the rear
wheel back onto your bicycle frame.
If you want to store your
energy into a battery or powerpack, you should use a blocking diode.
If you want to learn why take a look at the explanation at
http://blockingdiode.com
Strip and crimp
generator side of diode.
Attach the generator side of the blocking
diode to the generator output terminals.
Strip and crimp wires to a cigarette lighter
plug. Put on crimpers as shown in this photo.
Before putting your bike on the generator stand, retract
the two clamps as shown in the photo.
Now put your bike onto the generator /
trainer stand. Take care to align the wheel with the
pulley as best as possible. See the red arrow in the
photo. Tighten the clamps down as hard as you can.
Portable powerpacks
give you a great way to store and use your energy wherever and whenever you want.
If you already have a 12 Volt lead
acid battery or a power pack / inverter of your own, then you don't
need to buy this.
If you are into emergency preparedness
and want to have emergency backup power, then this is a great
solution for you. For those of you have a years supply of
wheat, you will be happy to know that you can run most wheat
grinders off one of these power packs. (pedal power wheat
grinder or human powered wheat grinder) Take a look at the power pack owner's manual
to see how long different things will last when plugged into the AC
1110 AC inverter.
RECOMMENDED:
The Duracell powerpack has a 28 Amp Hour battery inside of it and
also a radio, flash light , jumper cables, and
a 110V AC inverter which allows you to run your laptop, television,
or blender. So for those of you new to this stuff that means that
this magic box converts 12 Volts DC into 110 Volts AC which is the
same kind of electricity that you have coming out of the wall plug
of your house if you live in the U.S.A.
Click HERE
to read the owner's manual with Duracell 600 specifications.
You may want to use this 12V
DC regulator if you are trying to power an AC inverter
or trying to power up CFL light bulbs or LED bulbs.
You can adjust a trim pot resistor to change the output
of this regualtor by ± 4 Volts dc. You can
also use it to charge a lead acid battery.
Some people prefer this DC to DC regulator over the
charge controller.
DC to DC Voltage Converter /
Regulator
Input: Up to 60 Volts
Output: 14.4 Volts
(Adjustable
± 4 volts)
Up To 20 Amps Output
(With Over Current
Protection)
$259
TERMS & CONDITIONS
By following these FREE DIY BYO plans you
agree to
not operate this pedal power generator around small children or any
individual who might stick their fingers in the wheel, chain, sprocket, or
belt while it is moving.
You also agree not to allow
anyone near this bike generator with long hair or loose clothing that could
possibly get it stuck and pulled in to the belt / chain / wheel assembly
while being operated and cause injury or death.
Also, By following these DIY STEPs, you assume all
liability and responsibility for owning and operating you own pedal power
bicycle generator. You also agree to have a licensed electrician check
over your assembled unit to make sure you have not wired up something up
incorrectly BEFORE you hook it up to any kind of high power devices such as
battery packs or lead acid batteries. Also, before you charge a
Powerpack with your pedal power bicycle generator, you will read and
understand the safety section of the owner's manual.
You also agree to
send me a photo of your final project to share with others on this web
page.
EXERCISE STAND $99
