Input from ones that have and use Pedgens daily ?

[Norm]

I get input from ones that have or have had Pedgens but is there
anyone  out there that use one everyday ?
I think that our experience will help others will enthuse others to
join in.
Once you get started and as you really get going you'll realize what
you've been missing.
So many times you can give the pedgen a whirl.
I can generate 10 or 20 watts before we go out shopping while
waiting for the wife to get ready.
Other times sitting around I get a little chill, instead of turning up the
thermostat, I get on the bike for about 10 minutes.
Taking a shower after 20 or 30 minutes you don't need hot water.....just warm
will do !
I don't try for maximum output too strenuous, with an efficient generator
at the right ratio, I can pedal crank out 50 or 60 watts....10 or 15 minutes
at a time.
So instead of just viewing this....go ahead and post even if you don't have
a Pedgen right now....but are thinking about making one.

Norm.

[jvnn]

I have a Schwinn recumbent exerbike that I am in the process of converting.
I have already removed the eddy-current brake.
Obviously, my alternator will have magnets on one side only.

My wife wants to run her netbook off of it and restrict herself to internet time only if she's pedaling.
I have stuck 8 magnets 1/2X1X2 onto the iron flywheel and my test coil of 100 turns makes 8 volts at a very brisk rpm.
Ultimately I will have 3 pairs of coils in a star configuration.
Since she likes to pedal pretty slow and I want to make around 21 to 22 volts, I will probably be in the 200 turns vicinity.

My next step is to see what voltage the test coil makes at her preferred rpm.

[Norm]

looks like you are off to a good start.....is it going to be just enough to run the netbook
or charging batteries also....if she pedals hard enough ....you'll be able to turn the thermostat
down....LOL !

looking forward to updates on this.

Norm

[jvnn]

Writing this inspired me to get her onto the bike and pedal with a voltmeter hooked up.
She only made 2.6 volts

That means roughly 400 turns of wire on each coil.
Or I suppose I could go with two sets of 3 coils and do 266 turns.  I'd need a little help laying out the geometry for that.
That big heavy flywheel will pretty much eliminate cogging I think.
It takes quite a bit to stop it by hand.

Charging batteries is a possibility too, I could just stick a 12 battery on it and let it clamp down the output. 
I^2 R would be higher than it needed to be.
Another option I suppose would be to put in a switch to take the power out after two coils instead of 3 for 12 volt charging.

[Norm]

Writing this inspired me to get her onto the bike and pedal with a voltmeter hooked up.
She only made 2.6 volts

 
Charging batteries is a possibility too, I could just stick a 12 battery on it and let it clamp down the output. 
I^2 R would be higher than it needed to be.
Another option I suppose would be to put in a switch to take the power out after two coils instead of 3 for 12 volt charging.

Correction She made 2.6 volts 
Okay 59 people read this and you posted so far.....
I pedal 5 miles a day , 170 miles in 37 days.....it helps to have some kind of device to record your progress.
5 miles a day = 50 watt/hrs. ,enough to charge 6-2.6 amp/hr. NiCad batteriy packs
and has me looking around for something else to charge.
about a year ago I weighed 228 and I now weigh 190 all from
this casual exercise! and losing weight wasn't even one of my goals.
Norm.

[dave ames]

 hey norm,

 you have a great way of getting people excited about stuff!

i don't use the pedgen as much as i should, a few times a week..my better half says she uses it more than me. it does get regular use though-even heavy use at times. our pedal generator is available to the public, so it gets used throughout the day on and off.

the best we have done to date is 300 watt hours logged over a 12 hour period at an energy expo last fall. we had close to 200 different riders try it out! some stayed on for quite some time.

i have no doubt that your rig can out do this one, we are only 50% efficient I^R .

it's all good fun!
cheers, dave

[Norm]

Thanks Dave,
  That is my intention....would be nice to get quite a few of Otherpower
members as enthused about pedal power as much as they are about
Windpower.
It's so much easier to get started with pedal power ....I started with a very
small  PM motor took an hour to make 30 dubious Watt/hrs.
But it could be tipped around and hand powered so a third of the time
I used hand power which was good therapy for my left shoulder that I had
recently had operated on.
I thought David Butcher had a good thing going....I was the first member
but it hasn't panned out I think mostly lack of communication. just enter
your watt hours daily and comment....and if he don't believe that you can
pedal twice as long as usual and enter twice the watt/hrs. he wants an
explanation before he'll enter the watt/hrs....so I'm froze at 100 watt/hrs
with a permanent comment like the other 2 members.....don't get me
wrong he is a good guy with a lot of good ideas.....I just don't have time
for stuff like that....life's just to short   .....
especially since I just turned 79 yesterday !  LOL
Norm.

[Fused]

PSSSSST, Hey Norm

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

 

Fused

[Norm]

........Yeah.....Thanks Fused.....My oldest son's birthday tomorrow 53
like only yesterday we put a small twig of Christmas tree on steps to
deter him from crawling up the stairs!
Norm

[GbreadMan]

Pedgens may not produce large amounts of power, but their power savings is significant, especially in cooler weather with space and water heating taking the biggest cuts in demand.  In cooler weather no energy seems to go to waste; even the heat generated by the generator (perm-mag motor) and charge controllers is dissipated into the room.  I've been using mine for a year now, and it's done a lot for me, both in health as well as power savings (average electric bill down by 500 kwh/month;  10 lbs gone and total cholesterol down from 240 to 189).    

Granted, some of that savings came from other spots, especially the $100 worth of caulk, weatherstripping & urethane foam that sealed up the holes in the concrete around the dryer outlet, the sump pump outlet, etc. etc...but I'm sure the bike did its part.

Even with several inefficient safeguards in place, such as a charge controller and batteries (to protect the inverter) an average 60-watt avg power output is generated during a 30 minute workout (so 30 watt-hours generated; more generated during a quick 3-minute sprint, of course).  A simple 5 minute warm-up in a 50-degree room can produce 5 watt-hours, and the baseboard heat stays off.   I've been comfortable even in a 37 degree F room after about 10 minutes of pedaling in shorts.

One problem; the grid-tie inverter tends to take more and more from the pedgen until it "maxes out" at 200 watt demand.  This repeatedly causes a "crash" and reset back to zero, since I cannot constantly supply such a "large" amount of power.  It also causes a lot of stress on my legs, and I've had both a sore achilles tendon as well as a tender ACL due to the repeated stress of 'sprinting'.  Anyone know of 80 watt or 100 watt 60hz grid-tie inverters out there?

Thanks,
Dan

PS These are also fun to crank, but usually I just try to let them charge in the sunlight:  http://www.amazon.com/FR160B-Microlink-Self-Powered-Weather-Flashlight/dp/B001QTXKB0/ref=sr_1_cc_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1288155868&sr=1-2-catcorr

[ghurd]

GbreadMan,
Your set up has some issues somewhere.
If it needs a charge controller for 60W for 30 minutes, and a GTI inverter is overloading at 200W, something is big-time not right.
My money would be on the controller.
G-

[Norm]

GbreadMan,
   I find it completely unnecessary to have a charge controller,
most of the times even getting by without an inverter.
   I prefer to use NiCads for storage in small units mostly 2.6 amp/hrs. each.
average voltage 12.5 charged up to 13.5v. takes an average of 6 minutes each.
10 or 12 an hour and I pedal about 5 miles actual distance the 34inch wheel would
have traveled if it was mobile in an hour. I usually charge 2 of these at a time 12
minute increments with long random breaks.
   So that is an average of 50 watt/hrs a day.
I figure that amounts to 1.5 kilowatts a month, so it would be a long
time for a pay off of a charge controller.....
Actually I am the charge controller.....I can see the relative state of charge by
seeing what the voltage is with a cheap HF $2.98 multimeter (or buy one....
get one free!)

in complete agreement with you about keeping warm by pedaling....
but all the time I'm sweating profusely , the wife is cold and wanting
the thermostat turned up LOL !
looking forward to more replys and updates !
Norm.