Based on a thought formed in this thread (
http://ecomodder.com/forum/showthrea...ork-31589.html) I'm considering setting up a stand to allow me to charge a battery whilst cycling on stand..
Looking for some advice and observations on my thoughts so far-
Intention would be to set up the stand with the rear wheel of the bike driving the input shaft of an alternator, with a feed to the battery. Reso for wheel drivennis to allow removal of the bike for riding when the weather is ok!
To get a decent charging voltage out the alternator, i reckon it needs to be spinning 2000rpm minimum.
A 26" wheel does 130rpm at 10mph
It works out that a 26"wheel and tyre is about 28" all in, giving a circumference of 88inches.
16:1 ratio means that the alternator needs to have a circumference of 5.5".
So if the alternator has a wheel of approx 1.5-1.75" diameter we should be good.
Practical considerations i could do with your assistance on:
1. Should I build in a diode or battery charger to smooth the output, or will the alternator / battery be ok with just the voltage regulator on the alternator?
2. What sort of battery would work best? My initial thoughts are deep cycle-but they are damn expensive..
3. What would be the best method for getting the power in a usuable form to the house? The bike is in my shed, and the output needs to be 240v AC. Intial thinking is a dc to ac transformer fed off the battery, linked to a dedicated socket in the house.
I'd appreciate all your thoughts on this
Cheers