Bike Generator prototype

myminifactory

Off the Grid: Open Source and 3D Democratic design ethos: 1) Form: Making life more beautiful every day. 2) Function: Really making everyday life easier and more meaningful for all. 3) Quality: Building things that last longer and age with style. 4) Sustainability: Taking responsibility to have a positive impact on people and the planet. 5) Low price: Making it truly affordable for everyone. This design helps provide communities with access to energy via a bicycle-powered generator. Electricity is a life-changing resource, and this design can be used to power lights, radios/phones, and charge car batteries. Access to electricity can increase the standard of living for remote communities worldwide. The idea presented here is for a cheap and reliable alternative that uses affordable materials and requires no infrastructure or expensive installation. The bicycle is an invention that has revolutionized human-powered transportation and is available all over the world, even in some of the poorest communities. This design concept allows any bike to attach and detach swiftly without modification. Many pedal-powered generators require repurposing an existing bicycle, which may be impractical for poor communities. To address this, the frame is designed to be removable and usable every day. The design provides electricity while preserving a bike's functionality. The price of materials is kept low by using readily available wood and screws. The simple shape of the frame allows it to be built with minimal tools and customized to fit any bike for communities without access to power tools. Many components can be 3D printed, such as the connection to hold the bike wheel bolt, brackets to hold the alternator, and the flywheel. To reduce costs and promote sustainability, an old car's alternator is recycled to act as the generator. These can be found cheaply or even for free from scrapped cars. Alternators produce 12v DC, ideal for connecting directly to small charging devices or large 12v batteries. To achieve this, they require at least 2000 rpm and an initial voltage from a battery. A gearing system is required to keep the generator functional, or resistors can be used to create a lower operating speed. While the design calls for a wooden frame, a prototype was created using an old bike turbo. Sustainability was in mind, as this part of the design can also be made from cheap second-hand or recycled items. Old skis were repurposed to screw everything together. 3D printing was used to make brackets to secure the bike and alternator to the frame and create a flywheel. To give these components strength, they were printed with a 4mm wall of 100% fill around the perimeter and 20% infill for the rest. This produces high-quality components. Through testing, it was determined that a 10cm diameter flywheel is necessary to transfer revs from the bike wheel and turbo axle into 1000 rpm. This translates to 2000 rpm on the alternator wheel, doubling the revs of the flywheel. The effort required to produce these revs was not excessive but rather an average comfortable cycling pace. However, the generator might require an hour or two's use to generate necessary electricity, indicating a need for more efficient gearing system wheels in the future. Using the prototype built, 11 volts were achieved before the belt came off the flywheel. More careful consideration must be taken to align the alternator with the flywheel and perhaps a bigger lip is needed to keep the belt on. Overall, the first test was a success and proves the concept works.