Simple question - Page 4

 On 2/5/2012 7:16 AM, Brian Gaff wrote:

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

 

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

 On 2/5/2012 12:48 PM, Jim Wilkins wrote:


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

 Stop peddling and your monitor goes blank. My guess is you would lose about
30 pounds in a year chatting.


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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