Turning a Recumbent Exercise Bike Into a Generator - DIY Pedal Drive Battery Charger

I've been wanting to build a basic bicycle-powered generator for awhile. I came upon this old recumbent exercise bike, and it seemed like the perfect platform for my idea. Using a DC motor and a couple other small parts, I turned this old exercise equipment into an electricity-generating battery charger.
I've made a couple cooking videos in the past using my DIY potato flakes, but I realized I'd never actually shown how I make them. So in today's video, we're taking a pile of fresh potatoes and processing them down into a jar of shelf-stable dehydrated potato flakes. Just add some of these flakes to boiling water and simmer for a few minutes. Add your favorite seasonings, cream, butter, or whatever you like.
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Stuff used in this video:
24V DC Motor
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Aluminum Belt Pulley
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Rectifier Diode
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USB Booster Module
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USB Voltage Meter
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00:00 - Intro
01:43 - Recumbent Bike
02:07 - Disassembling Bike
03:28 - Attaching Motor
04:08 - Motor Pulley
04:20 - Drive Belt
05:09 - Tension Pulley
05:44 - Pedal Pulley Fix
06:19 - Generator Info
07:39 - USB Booster Module
08:00 - Rectifier Diode
08:34 - Voltage Test
08:43 - Finishing Installation
09:13 - Generating Power
09:25 - Final Thoughts
10:35 - Outro
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[@sherylholcomb277]

I have been thinking about this for years

[@averagejoesmiling456]

Really like the idea of perhaps being able to charge a 12v battery. That would be tremendously useful. Please, keep us updated on this project, Great Lakes! Awesome!

[@GreatLakesPrepping]

Thanks, I will very likely be doing a follow-up when I figure out how to crank up the juice a bit more.

[@averagejoesmiling456]

@@GreatLakesPrepping Excellent! Thanks, Great Lakes!

[@Felix_Fausto554]

Put a table on it, connect a fan and use the internet on a notebook while exercising. Just use some sweat resistant keyboard and mouse.

[@matthewbaker2573]

@@GreatLakesPrepping build a multi gear crank up the front bar increasing the rpm ?

[@kd5inm]

Put the whole thing back together and glue magnets to the flywheel and mount multiple coils next to the magnets and wire them so as the magnets pass by they induce a magnetic field in the coils generating dc power from the coils, or even AC power then rectify it to dc. Then use that power with a regulator curcuit to charge a battery.

[@karlmadsen3179]

You are now officially ready to be the Gilligan's Island radio power source. Will the castaways be rescued this week? Probably not, but Mary Ann looks mighty fine.

[@Free__Speech]

Energy generator should be on all exercise bikes

[@paulschwartz2464]

I've been planning to do this for some time now. I was thinking a multi-gear ratio bike hooked to a car generator. Your trial and error here has given me a lot to think about. I appreciate your content.

[@GreatLakesPrepping]

Thanks Paul. I've definitely been thinking about how I could possibly gear this thing, but I don't know that I have the engineering skills. I'd probably have better luck finding a more proper motor. I will mention that I've learned that a car alternator needs to be "energized" before it will start generating, and that initial "energizing" often requires more RPMs than the average human can pedal on a bike! Though, with the proper gearing, I suppose anything's possible.

[@paulschwartz2464]

@@GreatLakesPrepping Thanks for the reply and thanks for the tip on the car aleternator. I want to find out if a 12 speed or 15 speed bike with generate enough RPM and if there is a motor/generator that will allow 12v with reasonable effort. It's just draining though to try to find the answer on KZbin with all the sketchy content. Please keep us posted as to what you find and I will as well. It's a great idea. Hell, if a water wheel or water flowing from a stream can do it, there has to be a reasonable way to do it with human power.

[@GreatLakesPrepping]

@@paulschwartz2464 I know it can work, but I too had a hard time finding specific answers (for a layman like me, anyway). I'm working on putting together a circuit that might do the trick. I will definitely post an update whenever I figure this out!

[@hakes187]

Glad I found this channel from a fellow Michigander, interesting fun stuff to do in these long winters

[@GreatLakesPrepping]

Thanks Hakes, glad you enjoyed

[@jaynorthpen]

I have the same model bike. Put a lot of mileage on it before the pandemic. Not a bad bike for the price (circa 2017). There were plenty of better ones on the market but not much that competed with it at the price (in Canada). Great bike to start with until you know you are going to use it as more than a clothes rack. As far as I know the handles on the vertical bar are only intended for steadying yourself to sit down (doesn't really work well). I've only ever had for them was as a foot reset when tying a shoelace or dragging the machine around. Other things. The square tubing flexes a lot (where it joins together). I found supporting it with a block made from corrugated cardboard helped a lot. Also if you don't use thread locker the bolts like to back off with regular use.

[@guywithfriends15]

Please incorporate the flywheel! Remember flywheel power quadruples when rpm doubles. With enough speed/grease and a reduction gearset, power may not interrupt it too much. Of course - be careful. Great project and good luck!

[@Ziggy623]

Brilliant idea

[@rbfcaf]

I would love to see you expand on this. Thanks for the video

[@GreatLakesPrepping]

Thanks. I plan to do a follow-up once I work out how to pump out more voltage from this thing.

[@kathybridges3343]

Didn’t the professor on Gilligans island do that? 😂😂😘 love your videos

[@GreatLakesPrepping]

Ha, I think he may have. Thanks Kathy

[@Andre.Malik11]

have you considered putting the original belt back on the fly wheel and fabricate another belt tensioner? Basically keeping the original belt setup and adding whatever mechanism on the inside of the pedal pulley to link to the generator.

[@bloepje]

1) a belt or chain always need a tensioner. 2) the tensioner will be in the return path. The path with tension (between) generator and pedal should be fixed. You should try to put a pully on the fly wheel, that will increase rpm and the fly wheel is necessary. An untrained human in your setup should be able to produce 100W for a few (like 8) hours. Put a desk in front of you and you can work while exercising. When you are trained, the top will be over a kW. And you might do 200W for a long time.

[@kcycle1308]

Does it matter what side the motor is mounted to? Basically does it matter whitch way the motor spins and if so, how do you make sure you put it on the right way?

[@goodcitizen4587]

I wonder how many kW you could generate in an hour.

[@morganhouse1101]

I bought the same motor and pulley. How did you mount the pulley? Thanks!!

[@GreatLakesPrepping]

That was kind of a pain. There was a little tiny sleeve of metal that I believe came on the motor shaft. I used that as a spacer/bushing to make the pulley fit snug on the shaft. But, it was just slightly too big in diameter, so I used a dremel to shave a tiny bit off where the seam is, and then use a vice to carefully compress it tight once that sliver of metal was removed. Then it was a very good and snug fit with the pulley.

[@volrathy1]

get a small power station that charges from usb then you will be able to use the power at 110v

[@philipdove1705]

Makes sense why not turn excorsise that your doing anyway into a battery charger. Gyms should set these up to decrease their power bill!

[@GreatLakesPrepping]

It could be a good business model. Discounted gym membership for every kilowatt hour generated!

[@miorieser3210]

Hi, ist das nicht ein Wenig überdimensioniert? PS Übersetzung ändern. BG MR

[@JerryDLTN]

Instead of prison inmates being locked in their cells and being sentenced to an amount of years in prison, prison could be a secure gymnasium of bicycles generating electricity. Inmates could be sentenced to "X amount of kilowatts" instead of time and they could be training for the Tour de France. ;-)

[@susant8809]

And if they misbehave you could set up a mild seat shock for negative behavior deterring