Anotherpower.com Forum
Transportation => Human Powered => Topic started by: Norm on January 03, 2013, 11:16:59 pm
-
[attachimg=2]
[attachimg=3]
My new exercise bike that I bought last year and finally figured
how to make it into a PedGen.....simple just hack up the old one,
take the sprocket and put it on the left side of the crank and hook
it back up to the wheel and EMC just like it was before.....
neat ....I thought !
Norm.
-
[attachimg=1]
I've been making different arraangements and finally decided to
make shorter arms to support the wheel also makes for a shorter
chain length and have the arms swivel around that large bottom horizontal
tube ....should be pretty neat if I ever get it done.
One of my new years resolutions.....to finally get some use out of that Weslo
machine that I bought about a year ago.....tired of hearing the wife remarking,
"We really needed that...... makes a nice coat rack....."
Guess some of you guys have had similar experiences with your spouses ?
::)
Norm
-
I have a lot of "coat racks" too.
Guessing the separate part with the scooter wheel and motor weighs less than 20 pounds?
Is it heavy enough to hold itself in place?
Wondering if it wouldn't flip over at high output.
Maybe if the back sections was fastend to some plywood that went under the back legs of the Weslo it would be solid?
G-
-
Hi Norm,
Heres a though about it raising up in use. At the end of those blue pipes put some springs and make them adjustable so when a heavy load starts the springs can stretch abit. By tweaking the springs i'm sure you'll find the sweet spot also so peddling away won't be like trying to ride up Mt Everest......
Cheers Bryan
-
cool norm................
-
Should have the part that holds the wheel and bolts onto the
slanted beam of the Weslo.
BTW.....Things to do at 3:00 AM to distract from the itching
around my waist that woke me up.....as I was getting the Tylenol
having to line the arrows up .....BS on that....good time to fix that...
utility knife to trim the hump off and shave the top edge of the bottle
where the foil is stuck to.... sucess! no more having to turn on a light
and line the arrows up....no need to have childproof bottles anymore.
guys have any other ideas that a person can do at 3 in the morning?
I'm sure I'm not the only one that has ever been up early in the morning.
....keepin' busy in NE Ohio......
Norm.
-
Should have the part that holds the wheel and bolts onto the
slanted beam of the Weslo.
........finished sometime today.
Tom ...the drill you gave me is really handy made a special
extension cord so I hook it up to any 12 volt battery ...never
have to charge I have a lot of "coat racks" too.
Guessing the separate part with the scooter wheel and motor weighs less than 20 pounds?
Is it heavy enough to hold itself in place?
Wondering if it wouldn't flip over at high output.
Maybe if the back sections was fastend to some plywood that went under the back legs of the Weslo it would be solid?
G-
No the part with the scooter wheel is bolted to the frame of the Weslo.....
and yes the m
EMC is fastened to *Waferboard ? and it fastenens onto the back leg of the Weslo with
hose clamps,
Norm.
-
[attachimg=1]
roughly finished but working made the wheel assembly
and managed to get the whole power train connected and
producing electricity same as it was when it was the old PedGen
with exactly the same ratio .....the back wheel can be lifted from the
ECM chassis which will be part of the carrying case and the whole
front assembly folded into a kind of rolling suitcase.
or such is my plan.
Norm.
-
Now I get it. Looks good.
Weslo is a known name brand, probably with better parts (bearings) than mine.
Does it pedal easier than the last one?
G-
-
well actually this is the last one and the new one combined ....the right sprocket drives
the front flywheel of the Weslo and the left sprocket (showing) drives the 'last one'
1:8 for the Weslo flywheel and 1:6.75 overall ratio to the EMC ,am planning on a 2 step
wood pulley on the EMC so I can speed it up to charge 18 volt cordless drill batteries .
Norm
-
Yeah it does pedal easier because of the Weslo's flywheel smoother and can use my
arms also .....
Norm
-
[attachimg=1]
A modification I discovered I needed when I was pedaling
and the wheel assembly slipped sideways and the chain
came off...so like it says I'm making a metal piece with
small folded edges for stiffness and redrilling bolt holes so
the bolts clamp on tighter to the wide box tubing of the Weslo
and eliminate sideways movement.
Then I also cut that shaded portion from the square tubing
legs when I discovered I couldn't get a wrench on the wheel nuts.
After that will work on attaching generator and much better
seat ( oh my aaching butt !) Weslo seat was designed for a
pre-teen ager.
Hoping my project will help others and avoid a couple of pitfalls
that I have had and no doubt I'll have other kinks on this in the
future lot of fun...! ;D
Norm.
-
It's coming along well Norm. I don't know about others, but my projects always seem to
contain a little trail and error.
Been following fairly closely, as I have family that is showing interest.
Many thanks Norm.
-
thanks for the feedback BJ...what keeps me going....especially
when the family shows interest also ...even when it is down I can continue
with my exercise which helps to keep my sugar down it just irks me when
the generator isn't hooked up and the friction belt on the Weslo is just being used
and heating up instead of using the energy to make electric.
Everytime I have something to eat sugar goes up and lately get this itching
so I pedal for 10 minutes and itching stops 1 hr of pedaling 5 or 10 minutes at a
time to maintain my sugar level. even with my pills to help lower it.
Finished making the metal plate tempted to paint it but I better wait
and make sure it really works first always have bad luck when I make something too good.
Norm.
-
hey norm- have you ever tried a belt drive setup..less drag--better connection-from the source to gen...used auto flat belts work great-...its just my way.....crank it up norm...........!
plywood pulleys work great--just cut out and make whatever thickness-diameter you need..easy way to get the right ratio for pedalling....
-
Yep used auto flat belts....serpentine I think they call 'em
but they are too long and heavy I'm thinking multi-groove
like on a dryer but they're too long I think I'll eventually use
a new narrow v-belt....about half inch wide it is quite flexible
then to make wood v groove for the wheel and generator (treadmill motor)
with the right ratio to suit.
Thanks for the suggestion Hiker !
Mmmm its cold here.....20 F with 1/4 inch of snow brrrr.....LOL !
Norm.
-
Ahh the time sometimes seems to go so fast.....
Just a couple days ago....I thought guess when we go to
Walmart I'll get a couple of hinges so I can swing the generator/alternator
against the wheel.
But yesterday we went BY Walmart...too busy at that time....wife didn't
want to stop......
So today no hinges except what I have .....somewhere ? but not a pair
maybe only one....so maybe I'll spend today and maybe tomorrow until I
get to Walmarts
Guys know that feeling or mood....
shouldn't be thinking of work on Sunday anyway
Way back there was a place and time when went to church ...read the
sunday comics and had a nice long dinner and just relaxed all day .......
Norm.
-
Know that mood quite well Norm. Should have gone in a bought a whole list of stuff today. Didn't feel like the drive.
Got enough going to keep me busy.
Haven't been in the church on Sunday in a fair while either. Figure I'm there couple of times a week fixing things, so
that will just have to do. :)
You will find the hinges you have somewhere, two days after you buy some new ones. It's one of Murphy's laws.
-
Oh well....if you've been at the church fixin things that counts for somethin don't it? :)
Had too much company today to do anything.
keep well bj ......
later,
Norm.
-
Guys know that feeling or mood....
Yup, all too well.
Today, I looked for an hour for a bag of parts.
Gave up, opened a new pack of parts...
which makes me wonder why I spent an hour looking.
Took all 15 parts I needed out of the fresh pack of 1,000,
set it down... saw the previously opened pack behind a box I looked in 10 times.
I was in 'that mood' when I started.
After that I was feeling grouchy.
It happens,
G-
-
Today, I looked for an hour for a bag of parts.
Gave up, opened a new pack of parts...
which makes me wonder why I spent an hour looking.
Took all 15 parts I needed out of the fresh pack of 1,000,
set it down... saw the previously opened pack behind a box I looked in 10 times.
Oh yeah, for sure. No monopoly on that one G!
I had 20 PCBs made a few weeks ago. Each board had 5 smaller boards. Just a cost-efficiency thing. I'd run most of them through the guilotine to make usable product. Another order came in, I went to grab 4 of the 6 boards left. Couldn't find them. Anywhere. Not where I put them. Not where I'd used them. I searched the office, the lab, the workshop. Every room and walkway between. Pockets. Every flat surface (and quite a few that weren't). Even got the wife to search. Nothing. Grrr!
Took two more uncut boards, out to the workshop, cut and trimmed. Came back inside, put them down. Had a phone call...
so while I'm talking to this guy (I'd spoken to him a few days previously) - I was walking around while talking to him (as I tend to do while thinking) - and blow me down - there, on a tiny ledge, hidden by books - were the original missing boards! I'd obviously had them in my hand when he called days earlier and I'd just put them down there! Arghh!
-
I once lost my reading spectacles and went on a search for them.
After a while I realised I was wearing them!
David in HK
-
yeah..like wheres my laptop charger--had it right their !
looking for days---no dout its under the bed--with all my other missing in action stuff !! ?
-
Yep.....sometimes it's better to lose things....turns out I figured out
how to accomplish what I wanted without the hinges ...simpler cheaper !
Then yesterday a screw popped out ....It was the wrong way of doing it
I figured today I'm always amazed how things work out when you sleep on it.
Next day ....no problem ....seems like the solution is right there and ready to go...
All of your replys were good ....made my day/s thanks people what keeps me
goin....turns bad days into good ones !
Norm.
-
Just need one more test?
Put a dump load in the house...
Put the PedGen in the driveway...
See if the temp in the house increases before the electricity freezes.
Geeze it's cold out there.
G-
-
Geeze it's cold out there......
......Not too bad today....double digit! better than yesterday's
single digit ....(9) .....
second biggest issue is the dang snow....Cheryl cleared it off (our car)
yesterday evening and this morning I look out and the car has more snow on it than
yesterday before Cheryl cleared it off ......
Dump Load ? you mean all that white stuff ? :)
pitza delivery by snowmobile or dog sled nowadays ? :)
Norm.
-
Things just not working out like they ought to,
so next I'm going to try all chain drive.
So back to plain exercise bike while I work on the generator.
Got to keep exercising to keep my sugar level down.
Its a compromise....the more I eat the more I have to
exercise.
I can do pretty good all day until about 8 in the evening
especially as I watch tv....
groan.....
Norm.
-
hows the pedgen comming along norm ? do you use it to charge your e cane ?
just drifting throu past posts...hay what happend to fieldlines ..no site their today...
cooled off up here today after having a mild winter in the 30s-40s--did get down below 0 their forawhile...but overall it has been a mild winter....later norm--keep on cranking........
-
Have been pedaling the exercise bike hasn't been a PedGen for a 2-3 months now
My knee started going bad again as the shot wore off.....cold for us wimps here
like 25-35 degrees and snow an inch or two just when you think winter is over....
waiting for warmer weather....in the meantime I'm organizing my batteries charging
a couple sticks at a time and making sure that they will hold a charge using
a couple pipes and including the E cane to do it with I finally got a regular cane to
use when shopping....the wife didn't like me using a cane that looks like a piece of pipe.
......LOL .
Good to hear from you again Hiker.
thinking about upping the ratio on the PedGen so I can charge 18 and 19.6 volt cordless
drills.....making special holders out of this 3/4 plastic pipe into 5 tubes glued together
then load it up like loading a 5 barrel shotgun (if there ever had been one) with shotgun
looking 3 cell batteries . Sound confusing? I'll post some pics next week....
Norm.
-
Here it is now the covers haven't been installed to hide the ugly ::)
[attachimg=1]
[attachimg=2]
That's the ECM, sitting under the stool .
those white PVCs hold single cells some with the tabs attached only on the positive ends ready to be installed in a jig for cordless drill paks of various
size and brand ....I take a tube and charge it up to 13.80v if it goes down
and see which cells are bad or low ....set them aside and replace them with
cells that have stayed to at least 1.30 for a week.....repeat the charging on
that tube until I have it staying up to about 13.60 for a week.....do this with all 3 or 4 tubes until I have enough for the one particular cell .
The yellow spoke wheel (solid rubber wheel and fixed rear sprocket) $1.98 for
whole bike at Goodwill) and drive is what I added to the Weslow.
I sit on the stool and pedal..... that stupid seat was meant for some 10 yr. old
kid with a tough butt >:(.
I usually can charge good cells from 12v to 13.80 in about 20- 30 min.
and yes ....If I pedal even at a moderate pace I can warm them up !
So no way are these ever going to be overcharge accidentally !
I can hit about 50-60 watts in 5min.sprints 75 watts for about a min.
.....but that's me an 82 old man with arthritis , and diabetes(type 2).
So that's about it ....any questions just ask.
Those PVC cell holders are the Greatest !!
Norm.
-
Looks like a good way to burn of some calories for sure!
-
Looks like a good way to burn of some calories for sure!
.......but wait .....there's more !
[attachimg=1]
[attachimg=2]
a real good way also, hand pedaling only.... a whole different thing !
also discovered was.....( a temporary set up anyways) ....but discovered
forward (clockwise for the ECM) lot of slippage 16 watts.....reverse pedaling
(CCW for the ECM) was 32 watts. powered with 19.2 cordless drill either way
rpm unknown but drill when freshly charged about 60 watts either way
so like I said lot of slippage in the set up I have now !
Norm.
-
Maybe 82, with diabetes, Norm but I think the neighborhood kids call you the tough guy. ;)
-
glad to see your still hard at it norm....
way to go at 82 !
-
Thanks for the encouragement guys !
Norm.
-
There is a need for me to change ratios on the PedGen as is... it is almost
right for charging 12 volt the driven wheel is not the ideal way of delivering the Power
tho so I'm going to make 3 pulleys on the same shaft ( 3 round discs of 4x2)
1. 4'' diameter for 12 volts
2. 3 1/2 " diameter for 14.4 volts
3. 3" diameter for 18 volts .
the shaft of the EMC is about 6 inches long ...plenty of room
for all three pulleys.
Shifting pulleys will be a simple matter of sliding the EMC
so the appropriate driven pulley is engaged underneath the drive wheel.
The seat also requires a different arrangement.
and in the meantime I'll have to finish Tom's PVC 14.4 cordless drill pack.
busy, busy,busy............ :)
Norm :)
-
any updates on your pedgen norm ?
-
post a couple of pics later today on the temporary adjustment to it.
Been busy on other projects like the 2nd and 3rd stage of the
Folgers Savonius.
Tested it yesterday after I have made the the other two stages,
I tried with the motor so it was more positive ly attached with
Rubber Tire pulley screwed onto the base of the 1st stage .....but
only a 3mph wind ....so no go ....maybe today ....looks like an 8mph .
Norm.
-
Been busy on other projects like the 2nd and 3rd stage of the
Folgers Savonius.
I want to see the 35 stage version ?
-
Hi Woof !
No 35 stage version but I did at one time have an eight stage version
all staggered from each other made out of plastic picnic cups.
Working on my Lenz type now....3 blades 4CC high * (C offee C ans)
:) the flat part plywood.
Figure will be big enough to turn a treadmill motor. fast enough to charge
a 12v SLA ?
Working on that on my good days (one leg keeps/stays swollen )
......but still having fun.
just watching the 2 stage FCC VAWT spinning in an 8 MPH or more
so its usually spinning.
One day may make it 3 or 4 stage when I find a longer stick or maybe a PVC
pipe about 4 ft. also the shaft would be large enough to have the RT stepper wheel run against.
Norm.