An alternator requires an outside source of power for the field windings [a battery]. My bike gen [25+ yrs old] uses no battery and has perm magnets to supply the field. [magneto?] Outputs a DC signal. The faster you pedal, the brighter the light. No pedaling..no light. Maybe this has changed in modern times.
One cool thing to try is to use a bike generator attached to the same rotational force as an alternator to supply the field current for a larger alternator on a wind mill so when the windmill isn't getting much wind, the field voltage drops and the alternator outputs less power. If the wind isn't blowing at all, there's no drain on a battery supplying field current to an alternator that isn't spinning. When the wind picks up, the field increases, the alternator provides more resistance while generating more power, acting like a governer. A zener diode [from an old Brit motorcycle] in the battery case does voltage regulation and helps keep batteries warm. Ken At 01:10 PM 12/9/01 -0700, you wrote: >Bike generators are really alternators & put out AC typically. You can't >put two in series unless you somehow get them to turn exactly the same RPM >and exactly the same phase relationship. Best to rectify & filter (a >storage battery can act as the filter) the output of each bike generator and >put them in series to get your 12 volts. The direction of rotation of a >bike generator makes no difference since they are AC devices. >--Steve >----- Original Message ----- >From: "Ode Coyote" <coy...@alltel.net> >To: <silver-list@eskimo.com> >Sent: Sunday, December 09, 2001 6:45 AM >Subject: Re: CS>RE: a reason to buy 400ppm CS > > >> Way cool! >> Using the gooseneck and an extension with a vane on the back keeps the >> wheel turned into the wind. Bending the fork assembley to get rid of the >> rake angle so the pivot is in line with the axle helps. [grunt] >> Nice thing about the bike generator is that it's made to clamp onto the >> forks and will turn with them. Battery can be mounted to turn with the >> assembly too..charged and changed. [cordless power..by wheel barrow] >> Humm, might could suspend the whole thing from a pully in a tree top to >> access more wind. >> Considered but not tried...ganging two bike generators [6v] to get 12 v. >> There's room for 4 generators on a set of forks. But two would turn >> backwards. [is that a problem beyond wiring?] >> Humm, where is that old junk bike stuff...? >> K >> >> At 09:07 AM 12/9/01 GMT, you wrote: >> >On Sat, 08 Dec 2001 09:47:49 -0500, Ode Coyote <coy...@alltel.net> >> >wrote: >> >> Has anyone ever thought to take an old bicycle wheel, front forks, bike >> >>light generator and some plastic jug slices for wind vanes in the spokes >to >> >>make a wind generator out of it? >> > >> >Yup. Only I used slats from an old venetian blind (cut to length). >> >And a bike light generator is too small. Take the tire off and rig a >> >rope around a somewhat bigger generator. The only problem was keeping >> >it turned into the wind. >> > >> >-- Dean -- from (almost) Des Moines -- KB0ZDF >> > >> > >> >-- >> >The silver-list is a moderated forum for discussion of colloidal silver. >> > >> >To join or quit silver-list or silver-digest send an e-mail message to: >> >silver-list-requ...@eskimo.com -or- silver-digest-requ...@eskimo.com >> >with the word subscribe or unsubscribe in the SUBJECT line. >> > >> >To post, address your message to: silver-list@eskimo.com >> >Silver-list archive: http://escribe.com/health/thesilverlist/index.html >> >List maintainer: Mike Devour <mdev...@eskimo.com> >> > >> > >> > > >
