During a camping trip, a good friend’s deep cycle battery ran out. He wasn’t able to catch the end of his favorite game. (aww) I listened intently; gave him my deepest sympathy. He made it clear he did not need a solar panel; he thought they didn’t work. Trying to pack a 100# generator into the woods wasn’t an option. He thought the battery would have enough power to run things.
It did. He ran his DVD player to watch a couple of movies the first day, work on his Facebook and emails the next day and to watch an hour or two of TV before the game. He learned the hard way that a battery does not store infinite power. As it drains, the power needs to be replaced. His truck was over a mile away.
I showed him my plans for a bicycle generator. He laughed. He said he wasn’t about to take a bicycle on a camping trip. Although there are many bicycle camping enthusiasts, he isn’t one of them. He asked if I would research the possibility of a hand crank generator. I found many different styles of hand crank devices such as radios, lights, emergency lights and such. I found no real generator that would charge a battery bank.
After researching many different small generators, I came up with this. It will go in my campervan for sure.
You will need:
- · An old bicycle frame- the pedals and sprocket are what you need
- · Hacksaw or metal cutting tools
- · 2-by-4 wood and a ½” plywood platform- 18″ by 24″
- · A 15amp blocking diode rectifier
- · A 12-volt vdc regulator
- · A 12-volt plug
- · Drive belt
- · Electrician’s tool
- · General woodworking tools
- · Marking and measuring tools
- ·:
Paint or stain the base. Attach rubber feet if desired to keep it from slipping on the floor or tailgate of a truck.
Make a frame on one 18″ side of the base. You can mount a bicycle fork on the front and attach the wheel. Attach a hand crank to a shaft through the center of the wheel. The drive band fits around the wheel and onto the generator shaft. This has the greatest wheel ratio; it will produce the highest number of revolutions and the most power.
You can also make a frame to mount the pedal and sprockets. Use the pedal as the hand crank. This will produce a smaller wheel ratio from the sprocket to the generator shaft.
There is more than one way to do this. Do the one that feels the best for your needs and ability.
Step Two:
On the other end of the base, mount the generator so the drive belt lines up perfectly. If it does not, the drive band will jump off the generator shaft. Take your time. A good way to do this is to draw a direct line under the wheel or sockets across the base and line the generator shaft up with this mark. Temporarily mount it and test it out. When the belt lines up, mount the generator securely.
Step Three:
Mounting the electrical gear should be done in sequence. Attach the charge controller to the base. Attach two terminal blocks next to it in a straight line.
Extend the black and red wires from the generator using your favorite wire connecting method. There is more than one way. Use just enough wire to make the connections so there are no hanging wires.
Attach the thermal fuse to the back of the first two terminal block screws. Attach the power (red) wire (1) to the other side of the terminal block opposite the fuse. You will have the fuse on one side, the power wire on the other.
Attach a red wire (2) to the other side of the thermal fuse screw. You will have two red wires on one side, the fuse on the other. The first red wire is incoming from the generator; the other red wire is the outgoing power to the charge controller.
Insert the other end of the (2) red wire into the input terminal of the charge controller. Tighten the screw.
Attach another red wire (3) to the battery output terminal on the charge controller (it will be next to the input). Connect the other end to the first set of screws on the second terminal box. Do not screw the terminal screw down yet. Set up another red wire(4) to the same terminal and tighten. The other end of this red wire goes into the input of the battery monitoring section of the charge controller. This section tells the controller when the battery is full and to stop sending a charge to it.
Step Four:
Now you’ll work with the black wires. Extend the black wire from the generator (1a). Connect it to the third screw on the first terminal block next to the fuse. Take another length of black wire (2a) and connect it to the same screw. The other end will be inserted into the negative battery monitoring section.
Step Five:
The blocking diode is next. Separate the wires on both sides about an inch; strip the insulation to prepare it for connectors. Connect prong connectors to the generator side and other connectors to the power side.
Notice which way the arrow is pointing. It should point away from the generator and toward the load. Connect the red wire to the other side of the two red wires (2 and 3) on the terminal block. Connect the black wire to the other side of the two black wires (1a and 2a).
Step Six:
On the wires of a 12-volt plug, place connectors on the ends. These ends will connect to the blocking diode wires.
Plug your generator into the 12-volt charging port on your power pack.
To charge a battery or battery bank, attach a 12-volt outlet to the terminals. Plug your generator into this.
Note:
- · Do not attempt to use the generator unless it is hooked up to a battery or other type of load. You do not want to damage it.
- · You can buy a complete bicycle generator kit from Amazon. You will need to add a few things to it. You will also need to mount the wheel and hand crank. This setup is about 40 lbs.
- · Set this up for use with a bicycle as the “power input source.” Challenge the kids to make more power than you can.
- · For fun, set up a windmill with a drive band attached to the shaft. Watch it carefully to avoid overcharging the battery.
- · For more fun, if there is a stream nearby, set up a small waterwheel with the drive band attached to the shaft. Make absolutely certain to keep the electrical parts safe from water. The kids can write about the science projects in school.
My friend will be making his own generator. Knowing him, the electronics will be in a box as small as possible, while the “crank” will be separate. He will set up the crank stand, attach the wiring and power his power pack. He’ll get to watch the end of his game- how nice.
You can build these for emergencies. If you want to limit computer or TV use, make the watcher power a power pack first. I’ll bet that favorite “TV show” might appear a little different when he or she realizes how much effort goes into creating the energy for it.
They make great gifts for preppers and those who just want to prepare for a general emergency.
Source: The author of this article has over 40 years of experience in diverse forms of DIY, home improvement and repair, crafting, designing, and building furniture, outdoor projects, RV’ing and more.
Source: Staff Article, “Free Video Plans/Instructions For Do It Yourselfers,” Pedal Power Generator website, no date given.
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