Frequently Asked Questions
What is a watt?
A Watt can be compared to Velocity, which is a measurement of how fast you are going. When a Watt is combined with a time value such as second, minute, hour, then it becomes a measurement of work done. The formula for Watts is Volts x Amps.
Below is actual data collected from a bike generator during a one hour session. The white line in the graph below shows actual Voltage of a lead acid battery being charged by the bike generator. The red line represents the Amps measured.
At one point in the chart the Amps reach a value of 21. At that same point, the Voltage reaches about 14. When we multiply 21 x 14 we get 294 Watts. The second graph in green is the Watts graph.
What kind of things can I do with energy generated from my body?
You can:
Charge a deep cycle 12V DC battery (Using a blocking diode)
Charge cell phones (Using a blocking diode and Voltage regulator)
Light a room with an LED light bulb (Using a blocking diode, Voltage regulator, and AC inverter).
Charge a laptop computer (Using a blocking diode, Voltage regulator, and AC inverter).
Power a 12V blender to make drinks or smoothies at a party
Power a leaf blower pointed in the up direction with a pin pong ball floating in the air.
Power a wheat grinder to make bread (Using a blocking diode, Voltage regulator, and AC inverter and portable powerpack)
Power a 50 Watt flat screen TV and DVD player (Using a blocking diode, Voltage regulator, and AC inverter).
Power a PA sound system (Using a blocking diode, Voltage regulator, and AC inverter).
How do i remove the tire from my bicycle?
Tire levers are very useful for removing the tire off your bike. If it is a super tight fit , you will need to use dish washing liquid as a lubricant. The dish washing liquid will need to be applied where the rubber of the tire sits against the metal rim, right where you insert the tire lever.
There are five steps to taking off your bicycle tire and rim: Turn the bike upside down, let the air out, release brake shoes, remove the wheel, and remove the tire. We made this video to help you learn how to use a set of bicycle tire levers to safely remove your tire and tube from your rear wheel.
How much energy can i generate with a pedal power bike generator system?
Typically an adult who exercises on a regular basis and can generate about 100 Watts of power over a one hour period. A competitive rider can average 200 to 300 Watts during a one hour period. To put this into perspective, that much energy would power a cell phone for over a month. But would run a 500 Watt blender for only a few minutes. The calculations for energy produced are in “Watt Hours” which is calculated by multiplying Watts x Hours. The energy unit used to charge you for power being delivered to your home is “KiloWatt Hours” which is simply Watt Hours divided by 1,000 .
What are the calculations regarding charging a 12V battery?
Some people like to store their energy into a potable battery powerpack. A typical battery size for a powerpack is something near the 25 Amp Hour range. Amp hours is different than “Watt Hours” because the unit of measurement is in “Current” or “Amp” instead of “Watts”. Amp hours can be converted to Watt Hours if you use the Voltage rating on the battery which is typically 12V DC. Amps X Volts = Watts so in an ideal world you could say that a battery with a 25 Amp hour rating can put out 25A x 12V = 300 Watts during a one hour period.
Below is a graph showing Watt hours. The green line on the chart shows you the output of the belt drive pedal power generator system. The red line represents the Amps of current flowing into a battery and is associated with right axis on the chart in red font. The data was captured by the WattsVIEW power monitor. In this demonstration the person riding the MNS Power generator system started pedaling at about 3:07 PM and stopped at around 4:30 PM. The peak current during the time period shown was about 12.5 Amps. You can see that the average current during this time was about 5.5 Amps. So if you had a 25 Amp hour battery then the time required to fully charge it from being completely dead would be calculated by dividing 25 AH / 5.5 Amps = 4.5 hours.
Note: If you are going to try using a screwdriver instead you could easily pop your tube or damage your rear wheel rim. Before you can take your tire off you need to let the pressure out of it. Use a toothpick or end of a nail to push down on the valve stem.
Absolutely, you can add two generators.
Note: Spinning the PPG-R300 or PPG-B300 generator in the clockwise (C.W) direction will give you a positive DC Voltage. (This is from the point of view of the generator shaft pointing at your face.) In this direction the red wire is referred to as the “Positive” wire and the black wire is the “Negative” wire. It’s always good to get a cheap Volt meter to confirm your Voltage polarity. When the generator spins in the counter clockwise (C.C. W.) direction the black wire of the generator now becomes the positive “+” wire and the red wire becomes the negative “-”. If you choose to operate in this condition then use tape to label your wires clearly so there are no wiring mistakes as you get further into your project.
You have two options when you combine two generators together…MORE
Can you add two generators together to run off OF a bicycle?
The human body is limited too how much energy it can put out, no matter how you setup your generator system, the human body can only put out an average of 100 to 150 Watts during a one hour period. Putting a bigger generator on your system does not give you the ability to generate more energy. It may make your system a few percentage points more efficient like from 94% efficiency to 95% efficiency (Where efficiency is calculated by power out of the system divided by power into the system.)
We were recently asked to analyze a pedal power system that an inventor had claimed would allow a person to generate well over 1,000 Watts of power. He had a fly wheel on the system and TWO generators. Dozens of investors had dumped in hundreds of thousands of dollars into this invention. The results of testing the system out by measuring current to the battery bank showed that this inventor had made a huge mistake in his claims. He had made two mistakes … MORE.
Can I get more energy out of my system by using two generators instead of one, or by using a flywheel, or using a bigger generator or higher gears?
Is the bike generator compatible with the Bluetti AC200P portable power station?
Yes, but consider the questions below:
When determining if a DC power source is compatible with a portable power station like the Bluetti AC200P one must answer two questions: (A) Does the DC power source have a max rated Voltage that falls within the DC input range of the Bluetti AC200P? (B) Does the DC power source have a max current output that falls within the input range Bluetti AC200P?
BLUETTI QUESTION (A) ANSWER: The PPG-R500 dual generator system has an absolute max Voltage output of about 35VDC with the two generators in parallel mode. That value is measured when there is no load applied to the output of the bicycle generator system (meaning there is nothing connected). In series mode the PPG-R500 has an absolute max Voltage output of about 70VDC. The good news is that the Bluetti AC200P has a max Voltage input of 150DC . So the answer to this question is yes.
BLUETTI QUESTION B ANSWER: The Bluetti AC200P has a smart MPPT charge controller that only takes what it needs in the way of charge current. So there is no risk of the bike generator system delivering too much DC current.
BLUETTI SUMMARY: Bases on the two questions above, the PPG-R500 dual DC permanent magnet generator system is indeed compatible with the Bluetti AC200p.
The diagram schematic circuit below shows the parts needed to make your own light bulb display with a bike generator, It utilizes the Arduino Uno and an 8 channel relay board.