Posted by Vaughn on February 5, 2012, 5:29 pm
On 2/5/2012 7:16 AM, Brian Gaff wrote:
> New visitor here, so if its in an archive, sorry.
> Is there a relatively cheap device that can turn pedal power into a charger
> for batteries for phones or other devices? All this keep fit going on seems
> so wasteful.
In my (brief) experience, about 50 watts is the most power a non-athlete
could hope to generate for any length of time on a peddle generator. As
an old guy in only average shape, I have no problem peddling at 14mph
for an hour at a time, which probably comes to about 50 watts output.
The difference is, I'm doing it out in a breeze. On a stationary bike
you will likely need a fan to keep you cool while you are peddling.
Guess how much power that will take?
Now do the math! At 50 watts, it would take you 20 hours to generate
one kilowatt-hour, or about 15 cents worth of power. As a further brain
exercise, figure out how many hours you would need to peddle to pay for
your equipment.
Now you know why peddle-powered generators aren't common.
Vaughn
Posted by Jim Wilkins on February 5, 2012, 5:48 pm
> ...
> Now do the math! At 50 watts, it would take you 20 hours to generate one
> kilowatt-hour, or about 15 cents worth of power. As a further brain
> exercise, figure out how many hours you would need to peddle to pay for
> your equipment.
> Now you know why peddle-powered generators aren't common.
> Vaughn
One of my maybe-someday projects is a treadle generator, like an old sewing
machine, that would sit under the computer desk and charge the laptop
battery.
jsw
Posted by Vaughn on February 5, 2012, 9:43 pm
On 2/5/2012 12:48 PM, Jim Wilkins wrote:
> One of my maybe-someday projects is a treadle generator, like an old sewing
> machine, that would sit under the computer desk and charge the laptop
> battery.
> jsw
While that would be fun to build and a great conversation piece, a PV
charger would likely be much more practical.
Vaughn
Posted by Jim Wilkins on February 5, 2012, 10:16 pm
> On 2/5/2012 12:48 PM, Jim Wilkins wrote:
>> One of my maybe-someday projects is a treadle generator, like an old
>> sewing
>> machine, that would sit under the computer desk and charge the laptop
>> battery.
>>
>> jsw
> While that would be fun to build and a great conversation piece, a PV
> charger would likely be much more practical.
> Vaughn
I already have the "45 Watt" HF kit, and usd it to run the TV and laptop and
charge the cell phone during our weeklong October power outage.
jsw
Posted by Mho on February 8, 2012, 2:57 am
Stop peddling and your monitor goes blank. My guess is you would lose about
30 pounds in a year chatting.
-----------
> On 2/5/2012 12:48 PM, Jim Wilkins wrote:
>> One of my maybe-someday projects is a treadle generator, like an old
>> sewing
>> machine, that would sit under the computer desk and charge the laptop
>> battery.
>>
>> jsw
> While that would be fun to build and a great conversation piece, a PV
> charger would likely be much more practical.
> Vaughn
I already have the "45 Watt" HF kit, and usd it to run the TV and laptop and
charge the cell phone during our weeklong October power outage.
jsw
> Is there a relatively cheap device that can turn pedal power into a charger
> for batteries for phones or other devices? All this keep fit going on seems
> so wasteful.