Spin Bike RC Motor Pedal Generator

[@patrickstarnes2355]

if this was the only way to charge our smart phones the world would be much more healthy for sure! great video .

[@GenesGreenMachine]

Very true! I pedal charge my phone, laptop and other devices all winter long - doing so provides me the motivation to train in the off season. Thanks for the kudos.

[@anguianoalan100]

This supper cool definitely making it charge my battery pack, laptop and cell phone to make me workout every day if I want to use those devices

[@loganpowell]

The best walkthrough on this I've found. Thank you!

[@Anjfyi]

Very cool updated design! I made a similar one, but I'm waiting for a three phase bridge rectifier. So what ended up happening was that I found a non-working self balancing board on my local classified for $30. They had 2 350W BLDC motors on them! The only thing wrong was that the hall sensors weren't working, but for a generator it's not needed and I tested out the output and it was fine. So if you're looking for an upgrade for this project that might be of interest to you. I actually hooked it up to a similar indoor bike trainer as this, and as it had a wheel already built in - I just attached it with rope as a temporary fix. Not sure how I'll attach it permanently. I'll try to make a video once I have it set up! Keep it up bud.

[@JhourladEstrella]

Would a typical wind controller solve that problem of going over the 13v max charging limit?

[@GenesGreenMachine]

Yes, that should work. I have tried a simple solar controller, but dust didn’t work.

[@fiocco10]

the project is totally crazy however i love it 😅😂

[@BAGINAZARD]

11:20 *How much power was needed to power that cat?*

[@Lawlno1]

Thanks once again! Very inspiring.

[@SterlingNesbitt]

an improvement I made was to use Schottky diodes (15SQ045) for rectification. They have a forward voltage drop of ~0.2V instead of ~1V for the SKBPC3510. It is an AC signal so you have to calculate RMS and can't simply use P=VI, but it serves to reason it would increase efficiency quite a bit. Especially operating at only 12V. I was also developing an active rectifier, but that is a bit more involved.

[@GenesGreenMachine]

Thanks for the tip! I wish I had a stronger EE background and could design my own circuits, would make coming up with marketable solutions a little easier :) Have you done any circuit design?

[@SterlingNesbitt]

@@GenesGreenMachine yes quite a bit of circuit design. I've used Altium and Kicad. In addition to the active rectifier I'm interested in a making a grid tie invertor with continuously variable load

[@linfongyu]

@@SterlingNesbitt Did you build this pedal generator with said improvements? If so I'd love to talk to you to see how Gene's system can be improved with better circuity to improve overall efficiency.

[@helicopterattack412]

Sir. Thank you for wonderdul video. I live in Korea and I am really interested in this project and want to do similar own my one. I saw in the comment that rubber roller wears lot. Will there be a better solution other than giving more pressure?

[@GenesGreenMachine]

I haven’t tried other wheels, maybe a skateboard or rollerblade wheel might wear better. Quite honestly, the best option is to replace the flywheel with an e-bike motor like I did a while back. Easy build pedal generator - no battery required! kzbin.info/www/bejne/baqocpZ_mZebla8 This, I have found, is the most efficient and durable design, and the one I keep going back to for my own pedal generating.

[@sparkeylad5155]

thanks for sharing, God bless.

[@vottat]

Excellent work

[@selimsaffarini6198]

I like your project, good job!!! :-)

[@varman001]

Amazing idea. I m planning to build one. thank you.

[@clydecycle]

Awesome video. Thanks! Do you have a list of the parts that you used in this build, or links to them on amazon?

[@GenesGreenMachine]

In hindsight, this isn’t a great design unless you can find a more durable rubber wheel. For best efficiency I’d suggest the e-bike motor design I built. I’ve used that for many years with little to maintenance required. www.instructables.com/Exercise-Bike-Pedal-GeneratorHuman-Powered-Lipo-Ch/?amp_page=true

[@AshiqurRahman]

Is it possible to run this cycle for 1 hour for a general person with average 60 watt (Jule/sec) power? Can I store 60*3600=36000 watt =36kw to some magical battery pack? Can I use this to power my home 5 hours a day which cost around 600 watt/hour

[@GenesGreenMachine]

Using a pedal generator like this is a fine supplement to an off grid power system, but I’m afraid it’s not practical as the primary source of power.

[@mavicmini129]

If i were to use a gear ratio much higher like my last gear was at 15000 rpm would i just need a 1000kv motor then? And would all the rest of the parts still be ok to use? Or would it be too much power? Or does it equal out to the same? Sorry for all the questions i just love your idea and want to make one at home.

[@GenesGreenMachine]

Hi Mavic, you certainly can change around the specs and create more volts or more amps depending on the gearing and motor you use, but the amount of power you can generate will really come down to the human who is spinning the pedals. I personally am happy generating between 130 and 220 watts, but others are much stronger and can crank out 400 watts for extended periods. The motor choice I've made, along with the other components is designed to match up with standard volts (12-15) needed to charge or power common automotive adapters (USB car chargers, inverters, laptop chargers, etc). Plug in a phone changer, and you'll get 5-20 watts of resistance. Hook up a DC to AC inverter and plug in a 55" LCD TV and you'll have around 120 watts of resistance. Plug in a bunch of stuff and get the resistance you are looking for. My current favorite is charging a Lipo battery, because I can vary the resistance during the ride, from very little watts right on up to 170 watts. That is using a Q6 amzn.to/37bfCJj and a 177Wh Lipo battery. Does this help answer your question? If not, happy to explain further.

[@rachelschack]

My understanding is that you are using a 3 phase AC motor using a bridge rectifier to make that to more useful DC. I think I've usually seen people use DC motors for pedal powered generators and other similar generator designs. What is the advantage, if any, of generating 3 phase AC and converting to DC?

[@GenesGreenMachine]

Good question! The biggest advantage of using 3 phase brushless, gearless motors over those typically "scooter motor" designs is much less noise, and no brushes or gears to wear out.

[@sambsialia]

Can you add charge to a lithium battery that is part of a home solar power system? My real question, is can you power a normal 220v well pump, like in a grid down situation?

[@GenesGreenMachine]

Yes, with the right voltage motor/generator you can charge a home solar battery. No - you would not be able to directly power a 220v pump, although you could charge the battery that goes to the inverter that powers the pump. I hope that helps!

[@ilingwang1168]

Thanks for your video. I’ve been wanting to build something like this for a Bluetti, Ecoflow, Jackery, etc. because their solar ports have built in mppt charge controllers and have a wide voltage range. Are there motors that can produce 48v+ while casually pedaling? I’ve watched many videos on different motors being used, alternators, generators, hoverboard, etc. I really like the spin bike because it incorporates the flywheel.

[@GenesGreenMachine]

You can get the voltage to 48v with the right motor. I would suggest using a 48v e-bike motor (see my exercise bike generator videos), you’ll be much happier with the output and durability.

[@leonnicols8110]

Hi Gene. Why more than 15v might damage your battery pack and not your other devices?

[@GenesGreenMachine]

Good point, Léon. Many automotive chargers will handle input voltage from 9-24 volts so usually not as much of an issue. Lately I have been using charge controllers to avoid going over on voltage, at a cost of about 5% effectively loss.

[@matthewvega7171]

Is there a way to protect the battery in case I accidentally go above 15 volts?

[@GenesGreenMachine]

Yes, there are a number of ways but the easiest is to add a charge controller like one of these amzn.to/3DtIThV

[@mavicmini129]

Would this be able to charge a car battery or be able to store the power generated somehow?

[@mavicmini129]

Ok sorry i asked before i finished the video. I see you can lol

[@GenesGreenMachine]

Yes! Check out my latest video where I use a variable charge controller to charge a bank of 2 LiFePO4 batteries.

[@FreakAboutSims3]

Can one of these systems be made except as a portable device? Can a portable version of this charge as much as this one would?

[@GenesGreenMachine]

Hi Doc, It depends on how portable you’d like it. The bike trainer version you’ll find on my site is very portable, but not sure I’d take it backpacking :) What did you have in mind?

[@Dave-tq2cl]

Hi Gene, nice work! My power station (Jackery Explore) spec says that 12-30 V DC is okay. Now while doing a workout, I may vary a lot (maybe like 10-16 volts)- is that a problem for those batteries? Thank's a lot!

[@GenesGreenMachine]

Hi Dave, that voltage variation should be no problem. What I’ve added lately is a variable charge controller like this amzn.to/3fPMDQl to have better control and consistency when charging batteries. The only thing to bear in mind with this controller is you need to supply 1.1x the voltage, so to put 12 volts into it you’ll need to be generating 13.2 volts. You can moderate the resistance by changing the amps.

[@Theeslickness]

@@GenesGreenMachine Great answer. I was also wondering how to use a Power station in this configuration. I would also like to consider how one can use a super capacitor to both smooth out the voltage, but add some extra resistance for more exercise. Say an array of caps in series to 30v with 1-0.5 F.

[@yogeshbudhathoki6630]

What is the box that has meter screen and sockets? Did you make it?

[@GenesGreenMachine]

The box is a Radio Shack project box - I cut out the holes using a utility knife for the rectangle hole and using a hole saw amzn.to/2ZEbIYH for the sockets.

[@gilyardeni9125]

Hi I'm a students from idc university. Was wandering how to get in touch with you 🙂 thnx gil

[@GenesGreenMachine]

Hi Gil - best bet is to contact me on Twitter @GenesGrnMachine Talk soon!

[@xyz.bunny-rabbit1234]

I wanna build a generator same as you. Or I wanna buy this,,, How I can buy,,??

[@GenesGreenMachine]

I should start building and selling these 🙂 My e-bike motor + spin bike design is the most efficient, I’d suggest building that

[@SterlingNesbitt]

thank you for this video. Inspired me to build my own. However, after 1.4kWh the Banebots wheel is blistered and worn out. How much life did you get out of yours? Have you found any alternatives with a harder material?

[@GenesGreenMachine]

I did find those wheels do wear somewhat quickly. Putting more pressure on the wheel seemed to help.

[@spinderella3602]

I live off grid with about 750 watts of solar power but I spin 5x s a week and what if the volanoes go off and there is no sun? Iḿ ready to do this but can I put this together with very little electric? I want someone to sell me this thing so I dont have to screw with it. I have to do EVERYTHING else by hand (no running water either). Tell me where I can buy this.

[@GenesGreenMachine]

Hi Spinderella (love the name, by the way) If you search around you can can find some spin bike generators out there, but usually either overpriced, or not suited to specific your purpose. The challenge is everyone has different needs. I suspect you have a battery bank for your solar, and augmenting that with a spin bike generator would be a wonderful addition! Honestly - building what you need should be pretty simple and should require little to no electricity to put together. If you're on Twitter, msg me @GenesGrnMachine and we can determine the setup you'll need. I need a vacation, so maybe I can come by and set it up for you :)

[@Topsiekku]

what does that kv mean?

[@GenesGreenMachine]

Kv is an RPM to Volt measurement. A 1000kv motor will generate 1 Volt when spun at 1000 RPM. So a 100kv motor spun at 1200 RPM will generate 12 volts, for example.

[@andreazoccheddu5896]

amazing :)

[@nazorak7694]

Hello! Im very instrested in this. In my university we are doing a project about something similar and I would really appreciate contacting you in some way to ask you some questions regarding the project ! Thank you (im from Argentina)

[@GenesGreenMachine]

Feel free to message me on Twitter @GenesGrnMachine

[@Anjfyi]

Oh yeah and I bought a 40kv brushless motor on Aliexpress that I'll be testing out as well. Might work better than low KV drone motors. Link here: www.aliexpress.com/item/Brushless-DC-motor-high-performance-power-generation-DIY-wind-power-water-power-generation-manual-power-generation/32807445129.html Was also thinking of doing something like a 3D printed planetary gearbox to increase torque for more rpm, for maximum voltage and then get a MPPT controller usually used in solar to convert the excess voltage into more amps. It also has the advantage of being a volt/amp meter to kill two birds with one stone. Or storage with a supercapacitor which has the positives of charging fast but doesn't hold as much charge which I think is perfect for this use case. I have more ideas but I might be in over my head. I'd love to see more iterations from you as well!

[@rotorblade9508]

i thought of a simpler way. just glue magnets [use epoxy]all around the rotor then use like 20-30 cm of coils and hang them close wheel. idealy you would want lasercut sheet steel to make the steel core; that's my plan

[@GenesGreenMachine]

I had thought about going that route, definitely doable! I’d be interested in seeing this if you do build it.

[@E-BikingAdventures]

Lazy people can just buy a 100 Watt solar panel.

[@GenesGreenMachine]

Very true, Robert! The pedal generators I've designed can also supplement a solar power system in times when hours of sunlight are low. There may be some people, say those living in an apartment, that may not have an option to use a solar panel (no southern exposure or otherwise not practical/allowed). In an emergency, a pedal generator might be their best option!

[@FreakAboutSims3]

It's always good to have a backup since you wouldn't want to entirely rely on solar. Your body power is practically free energy as long as you're in shape.