Bicycle Light Generator

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FAQ about Bicycle Light Generator

what type of current comes out of a bicycle light generator? the kind that run on the tire.....? is it AC or DC , and how can I determine which one it is? I believe it is DC.

How do I build a bicycle generator for use with LED lights (I saw one used as an aide project for India)? I would like to reduce my use of electricity by trying to go to solar power but I have limited resources (cash and knowledge). I would need free plans and instructions on how to build and simple procedures for maintenance, care, and use of the system. I also need any safety precautions I would need to follow to implement this system. I have no mechanical background so I need layman's terms so I can understand what I am going to be doing. This is being done for areas in India or Pakistan with no electrical power so must be cost efficient but there was no further information available to my knowledge on the program I saw. You need a dynamo it has a tiny wheel inside which touches the wheel and when the wheel rotates the dynamo's wheel rotates.
The wheel is connected to copper coils which gets charged and produces electricity from the friction. The electricity is used to power lights in a bycycle.
http://www.nscl.msu.edu/~daniel/regulator.html Check that out.

Moped light? heeeeeeeellllpppp meeeeeeeeee? I have a moped and live in a woody area. i need to go around at night and cant do it by car what with the gas prices being insane. the problem is my lights dont work. I tried buying a battery powered bicycle light but it isnt bright enough. would it work if i Got a bycicle light generator and attached it to the headlight wires? the moped doesnt have a battery. it had a generator powering the lights

Bicycle generator in case of an emergency.? I remember watching television many years ago and on it, it had a person watching television and using a bicycle generator to power the television. I mean a generator that could produce a fairly large output I don't mean to power a small little lamp on a bike. I don't see why you can't use this application to draw water from a well or power lights in their home. To help communities in smaller countries where you have have access to power or batteries or fossil fuels fail them or in case of an emergency. You can but:
You need a few pieces of somewhat complex equipment to smooth out the person's cycling power into cotinuous, even power.
AND
People don't produce a lot of power. You'd have trouble powering a 100W bulb for too long. Sad but true.

Why does it become more difficult to pedal a bicycle-powered generator as the load increases? A bicycle-powered generator is hooked up to a light bulb. The rider pedals the bike, lighting the bulb. A second bulb is added to the circuit, and it becomes harder to pedal. Why does this happen as opposed to having to pedal the bike faster? Thanks!!! Zargon - Thank you! Hopefully I remember to come back and give you best answer for that. i'm no expert here, but i would guess that if you increase the power of one bulb that would be true (increases speed), but adding quantity instead increases the difficulty.

Will the bicycle be easier to pedal when the light is on or off? Explain.? Some bicycles have lights that are powered by a generator connected to one of the wheels. Will the bicycle be easier to pedal when the light is on or off? Explain. JH
When the generator is engaged with the wheel / tire is when it is harder to pedal. Generator is causing friction thus requiring more effort. I haven't looked at generators in years. The old system used to snap into place when you wanted to use the light, and then swung away when not in use.... I always found generators cheap and prone to breakdown. I would use the rechargeable lamps myself...
Soccerref

Is it possible to provide light using LCDs so that the power consumption is minimal? There was an article in the Reader's Digest describing how a Swiss couple provided light in a remote village in the Himalayas by gifting them LCD lights, a 12 volt battery and a bicycle generator You're probably thinking of LED (?). LEDs consume very little power, generally at low voltages. Originally LEDs were expensive, dull, and came in limited colors. Huge changes are underway. Intensity is growing by leaps and bounds, numerouse colors and IR are available, and they're cheap!
Current uses include vehicle marker and brake lights, flashlights and annunciator lights for nearly everything. The next big step, already under way, will be the near elimination of incandescents, including vehicle headlights, with LEDs.
It appears that LEDs will take over almost all lighting in the not-to-distant future, until another source comes along. (Vapor lights might be an exception.)

Where can I buy a bike-powered generator? I'm looking for either one of the following 2 things: 1. A bicycle light that is powered by the wheel but has a battery that kicks in if you're going too slow for the light to be bright. -OR- 2. A bicycle generator that can store the generated electricity in a battery that can then be used to power a light. Thanks. Generators disappeared from bikes once batteries were commonplace. Now, with LED lights, a couple batteries will last 1500 hours. In any case, here you have a few.
http://www.amazon.com/s/?ie=UTF8&keywords=bike+generator&tag=mh0b-20&index=aps&hvadid=21136447&ref=pd_sl_62ahlq2m8_e

Bicycle powered electric generator? I live in the central U.S and as you can imagine we get tornado's and most of the time they are not that awful like you see in the movies. However, they have been known to knock out power for a while. Last time this happened I had no power for 2 weeks. So I need a bicycle generator when the time comes. I need one that can power nessicities of a house which is mostly stove, lights, and etc. Please and Thank you. I think your best chance of having some backup power from a bicycle generator is to setup a bank of 12 volts batteries connected together and charge them on a daily basis using a bicycle generator setup.
Checkout the products from Windstream;
http://www.windstreampower.com/
They have a bicycle generator where you can simply drop your road bike onto the rollers and start charging a battery, it's fairly expensive though;
http://www.windstreampower.com/Bike_Power_Generator.php
The average person can expect to produce in the range of 150 watts sustainably, charging variably at between 10A - 16A
While it is possible to directly power some DC appliances such as water pumps, the Bike Power Generator is primarily designed to charge a deep cycle, 12-Volt battery or to contribute to a 12 Volt battery bank.

what's better, an alternator, dc motor, or another type of generator? I'm looking to make and store electricity using a bicycle generator. I have researched a few sites on how to build a bike generator but different people use different methods. Which of the above mentioned should I use to charge my storage batteries which in turn will power my lights and other small electrical items? Is one better than the other? Which is more efficient? Please email me if you have deep insite into making efficient bicycle generators. Thanks all for your help. An alternator is best value since they are cheap from a junk yard, are efficient and contain all the necessary electronics for regulation etc. the downside is that you may not be able to provide enough power for it to work. The human body is very limited at power production.
Also bear in mind the alternator requires to be connected to a battery to work and many of them also need the indication lamp to be wired for them to work.
A DC motor will give problems by overcharging at high speeds and tending to take power at low speeds as it contains no regulation circuits.

Bicycle Light Generator is from category: Flashlights.