It will be useful for those who like to ride a bicycle or exercise bike. Now this will not only be beneficial to health, but also thanks to physical education, an electric current will be generated, from which you can charge various devices, including mobile phones and a laptop.
The principle of homemade work is quite simple, the most difficult thing is to assemble the electronic part. The mechanical part consists of a bicycle and a generator (using a DC motor), connected by a belt. Further from the generator, the voltage goes to the charge controller, and then to the lead-acid battery. Well, then the energy can be spent at your discretion. For example, you can connect an inverter to the battery and convert the voltage to charge and operate various devices.
DIY materials and tools:
- bike (you will need a frame with a rear wheel);
- materials for securing the bike frame (plywood, timber, bolts with nuts, etc.);
- DC motor at 24V;
- belt and pulley for connecting the generator to the wheel;
- lead-acid battery for 12V;
- DC-DC charger;
- DC-AC inverter with USB outputs;
- Arduino microcontroller;
- MOS transistor;
- LED and photodiode;
- Hall Sensor;
- LCD screen;
- switch;
- 5V regulator, relay, diode, resistors, buttons and more.
Of course, the list of materials may be different, you should not exactly copy a homemade product, if you show ingenuity, you can personally assemble your model according to this pattern.
Charging station assembly process:
Step one. Fixing the bike frame
This step is one of the most important, because if the frame is not properly secured, you can fall with the bike and get injured. The author fixes the front fork with a bolt and nut to the structure of the bars. It is not difficult to make it; you will need self-tapping screws, a drill and a hacksaw.
Further, this structure is attached to a sheet of plywood 2X6 ', this will be the basis of the structure.
A training stand was used to attach the rear end, which greatly simplifies the frame attachment process. In such a rack, you can find a mechanism that creates resistance when the wheel rotates. But here it is not needed, since such a resistance will be created by the generator, so this mechanism can be removed.
Well, now it remains to connect a generator to the bike, a 24-volt DC electric motor acts as it. The engine must be fixed to the plywood, preferably the design allows the belt to be tightened. The tire is not installed on the wheel, a belt is installed instead. Now you just need to tighten the belt so that it does not slip when charging the battery. But do not tighten the belt too much, as this will increase the frictional forces and the belt will wear out quickly.
Step two. Preparing the battery and controller
For such a homemade product, you can use a different type of battery, but the author decided to stay with a lead-acid battery. Firstly, they are readily available, and secondly, they are much cheaper than lithium and others. But it is important to understand that each battery needs a specific charging mode. For example, for the battery chosen by the author, the charging voltage should not exceed 14V, and the current should not exceed 5.4A. Most often, data on the charging modes of the battery is written on a piece of paper that is issued with it when purchasing.
Having chosen such a battery, you will have to monitor the electrolyte level in it from time to time, since it evaporates during charging. However, this is not difficult, you just need to pour distilled water into it from time to time. If the electrolyte level becomes too low, the battery may short-circuit.
It is also important not to overload the battery, as this will quickly shorten its life. However, over time, batteries in any case lose their capacity, this cannot be avoided, but with a careful attitude, the battery life can be significantly extended.
Now a few words about the charge controller. Of course, the easiest way would be to connect the wires from the battery directly to the generator, but in this case, the battery will overcharge and quickly fail. In this regard, a charging controller is provided in the circuit. When buying a charging regulator, it is important to note that it must have an input and output, this is needed to charge the battery. The controller must accept voltage up to 24V, and output 12V with a maximum current of no more than 5.4A.
You can also find universal controllers on the market that can charge various types of batteries.
Step three. Inverter selection
In order to be able to charge mobiles and laptops from the charging station, an inverter will be needed, since such electronics cannot be charged directly from the battery. The inverter must accept 12V at the input and at the same time distribute voltage to the outputs of the USB ports, through which charging will be carried out. You also need to take into account the power of the inverter, an average phone consumes about 5 watts, and a laptop takes 45-60 watts on average.
The author chose an inverter that can deliver up to 400 watts and has two USB ports. It is very simple to connect the inverter to the battery, you just need to connect two wires from the battery in polarity, and the circuit is assembled.
Step four. Participation of the Arduino controller in the work of the generator
One of the disadvantages of the homemade product was that to activate the charging process, you had to start pedaling and hold the power button for 3 seconds. To make the charging process fully automatic, the author decided to install an Arduino microcontroller, now he himself monitors the wheel speed, measures the voltage and decides when to turn on the battery charging.
The Arduino will also turn the inverter off and on when needed, controlled by a MOSFET.
To get some statistics while driving this simulator-generator, you can install a Hall sensor on a homemade product, with the help of it the wheel speed is read. Using this data, you can calculate the distance traveled, maximum speed, the number of calories burned and so on.
Step five. LCD screen
To make it convenient to receive statistics on the work of the simulator-generator, the author displayed the data on the LCD-display. Here you can see information such as:
- total working time;
- distance traveled;
- generated power and more.
The final electronic circuit generator
Life often confronts us with the need to solve problems to improve both our health status and improve our appearance in terms of improving harmony and physical form, since the irrepressible desire to eat tasty and satisfying food leads us to the need to solve the problem of removing excess weight. Its effective solution requires not only a change in the diet, but also an increase in regular own physical activity. This requires appropriate exercise equipment.
To do this, you need to create a home gym or at least a training corner of the required composition, taking into account its functional purpose, free space in your home and financial opportunities to purchase and create the necessary simulators. At the same time, the desire to increase the slimness of the body, to strengthen the heart will require the installation of cardio simulators, which provide an improvement in the parameters of the heart and an increase in muscle tone... and muscle pumping will be provided by the choice of the necessary strength training equipment providing an increase in muscle tone, an increase muscle mass while improving metabolism.
Having determined the composition and type of the necessary simulators for the home from a wide possible composition, it is necessary to choose what needs to be purchased and what to do with your own hands.
If you have the opportunity to purchase professional simulators, this is good, but you can do something with your own hands.
Let's consider the main types of implemented cardio simulators, which include:
- Treadmill is a walking and running simulator. This machine will help those looking to tighten muscles, reduce body fat and improve their health. ;
- Exercise bike is a simulator of cycling. It provides a workout for the lower body .;
- Stepper - for working out the legs and muscle tone. They successfully imitate the process of a person's movement along the stairs, thereby effectively loading the muscles of the legs and buttocks. ;
- Rowing machine - with pronounced power loads... Effectively develop the muscles of the arms and chest .;
- Elliptical (aka ellipsoid, aka orbitrek) is a mixture of a treadmill, an exercise bike and a stepper. Provides stress on the muscles of the legs, buttocks and thighs, as well as secondary stress on the muscles of the arms, chest and back.
From this composition, you can choose the necessary simulator that suits you in terms of functionality and price. You can make an exercise bike with your own hands at a significantly lower cost, especially if you have an old reliable friend. As an example, I will give two such self-made constructions.
For the implementation of the first project, a minimum amount of additional parts and a little wood. Moreover, the same project can be used for an electricity generator.
Simply replace the fan with a pulley and the V-belt drive is connected to the electric motor or alternator of the car.
It's pretty basic and only requires basic tools
1. Drill
1/4 ″ drill, square drive bit, cross bit, bit to match OD bearings
2. Circular saw and ruler
3. Grinder or file
4. Area
5.2 clips 6 ″ or more
6. Jigsaw or jigsaw
7. Craig pocket hole jig
- Please note - if you need any woodwork, Craig Jig will dramatically increase the speed of assembly and simplify your projects. They could be $ 40 at the lowe's and that's the best $ 40 you'll ever spend on an instrument.
8. Pencil
9. Hammer
10. Metal scissors
11. Half round file
12. Chisels
The second exercise bike design is shown below.
Here's how I made my home, cheap, simple and exercise bike, with a minimum of necessary materials and tools. When writing the article, materials from www.instructables.com were used.
I wish you success in the implementation of the projects you like.
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Gentlemen officers. In winter, in some areas of our globe, there are prolonged rains, and in winter in some places the temperature is -40 ...- 50, every day you will not drive for hours on the street, but you need to train if you are an athlete. As a compromise, buy an exercise bike. In my case, the living space does not allow putting an exercise bike in the room, and taking the bike out of the house outside is painful and takes a long time, even on a sunny day. Even if you have the finances to buy a mega-advanced one, they are all with an uncomfortable fitness fit (like on the "Kama") with an ugly vertical steering wheel-horns. That is, a bicycle will definitely be used for training (3 bicycles are already hanging on the wall + buying an exercise bike is already too much)
There are also portable, so to speak, attachment to the bike.
1.
*]
- In the second case, the bike is secured firmly, we just load the rear wheel and at any time we can straighten up and give ourselves a break (on a roller machine, the rotation of the pedals does not stop for a second). But there is one bad point. Since the load is constantly applied to the rear wheel, as soon as we stop pedaling, the wheel immediately stops. That is, there is no simulation of a bike ride at all. It turns out just burning calories ...
Pay attention, in the second video the machine has wheel inertia![I] What the hell * ?!
I will make the simplest version in the form of an inverted stool (you can sit on it the rest of the time). Inspired by the TV show ">
So that is the question: which loading method rear wheel to apply so that both the load and the wheel do not stop when you stop pedaling?
And also your homemade exercise bikes in the studio!
Question 1 of 15
1 .
Are the Rules violated in the situations depicted?
Right
f) tow bicycles;
Not right
6. Requirements for cyclists
6.6. The cyclist is prohibited from:
d) while driving, hold on to another vehicle;
f) tow bicycles;
Question 2 of 15
2 .
Which cyclist doesn't break the rules?
Right
6. Requirements for cyclists
6.6. The cyclist is prohibited from:
Not right
6. Requirements for cyclists
6.6. The cyclist is prohibited from:
b) move on highways and roads for cars, as well as on the carriageway, if there is a nearby Bike Lane;
Question 3 of 15
3 .
Who should make way?
Right
6. Requirements for cyclists
Not right
6. Requirements for cyclists
6.5. If the cycle path crosses the road outside the intersection, cyclists are obliged to give way to others. vehicles moving along the road.
Question 4 of 15
4 .
What kind of cargo is allowed to be carried by a cyclist?
Right
6. Requirements for cyclists
22. Shipping
Not right
6. Requirements for cyclists
6.4. The cyclist can only carry such loads that do not interfere with the ride of the bike and do not create obstacles for other participants road traffic.
22. Shipping
22.3. The carriage of goods is permitted provided that it:
b) does not violate the stability of the vehicle and does not complicate its management;
Question 5 of 15
5 .
Which cyclist violates the Rules when transporting passengers?
Right
6. Requirements for cyclists
6.6. The cyclist is prohibited from:
Not right
6. Requirements for cyclists
6.6. The cyclist is prohibited from:
e) carry passengers on a bicycle (with the exception of children under 7 years old, carried in an additional seat equipped with securely fixed footrests);
Question 6 of 15
6 .
In what order will vehicles go through the intersection?
Right
16. Passage of intersections
Not right
16. Passage of intersections
16.11. At the intersection of unequal roads, the driver of a vehicle moving on a secondary road must give way to vehicles approaching this intersection of carriageways along the main road, regardless of their direction further movement.
16.12. At an intersection of equivalent roads, the driver of a non-rail vehicle must give way to vehicles approaching from the right.
Tram drivers should also be guided by this rule. At any unregulated intersection, a tram, regardless of the direction of its further movement, has an advantage over non-rail vehicles approaching it on an equivalent road.16.14. If the main road at an intersection changes direction, the drivers of vehicles moving along it must follow the rules for driving through intersections of equivalent roads.
This rule should be followed by each other and drivers driving on secondary roads.Question 7 of 15
7 .
Cycling on sidewalks and footpaths:
Right
6. Requirements for cyclists
6.6. The cyclist is prohibited from:
Not right
6. Requirements for cyclists
6.6. The cyclist is prohibited from:
c) move along sidewalks and footpaths(except for children under 7 years old on children's bicycles under the supervision of adults);
Question 8 of 15
8 .
Who has priority when crossing a bike path?
Right
6. Requirements for cyclists
6.5. If the cycle path crosses the road outside the intersection, cyclists are obliged to give way to other vehicles moving along the road.
Not right
6. Requirements for cyclists
6.5. If the cycle path crosses the road outside the intersection, cyclists are obliged to give way to other vehicles moving along the road.
Question 9 of 15
9 .
What is the distance between groups of cyclists moving in a column?
Right
6. Requirements for cyclists
Not right
6. Requirements for cyclists
6.3. Cyclists moving in groups should ride one after another so as not to interfere with other road users. A column of cyclists moving along the carriageway should be divided into groups (up to 10 cyclists in a group) with a movement distance between groups of 80-100 m.
Question 10 of 15
10 .
Vehicles will pass the intersection in the following order
Right
16. Passage of intersections
16.11. At an intersection of unequal roads, the driver of a vehicle moving on a secondary road must give way to vehicles approaching this intersection of carriageways along the main road, regardless of the direction of their further movement.
Not right
16. Passage of intersections
16.11. At an intersection of unequal roads, the driver of a vehicle moving on a secondary road must give way to vehicles approaching this intersection of carriageways along the main road, regardless of the direction of their further movement.
16.13. Before turning left and making a U-turn, the driver of a non-rail vehicle is obliged to give way to a tram in the same direction, as well as to vehicles moving along an equivalent road in the opposite direction, straight or to the right.
Question 11 of 15
11 .
The cyclist will pass the intersection:
Right
16. Passage of intersections
Not right
8. Traffic regulation
8.3. The signals of the traffic controller have priority over the signals of traffic lights and the requirements of road signs and are mandatory. Traffic light signals, except for the flashing yellow one, take precedence over road signs priority. Drivers and pedestrians must comply with additional requirements of the authorized official, even if they contradict traffic signals, road signs and markings.
16. Passage of intersections
16.6. When turning left or turning around at the green signal of the main traffic light, the driver of a non-rail vehicle is obliged to give way to a tram in the same direction, as well as to vehicles moving in the opposite direction straight or turning right. Tram drivers should also be guided by this rule.
Question 12 of 15
12 .
Flashing red signals of this traffic light:
Right
8. Traffic regulation
Not right
8. Traffic regulation
8.7.6. To regulate traffic at level crossings, traffic lights with two red signals or one white-lunar and two red signals are used, having the following meanings:
a) flashing red signals prohibit the movement of vehicles across the level crossing;
b) a blinking white-lunar signal indicates that the alarm is operational and does not prohibit the movement of vehicles.
At railway crossings, simultaneously with the prohibitory signal of the traffic light, the sound signal, additionally informing road users about the prohibition of movement through the crossing.
Question 13 of 15
13 .
Which vehicle driver will pass the intersection second?
Right
16. Passage of intersections
16.11. At an intersection of unequal roads, the driver of a vehicle moving on a secondary road must give way to vehicles approaching this intersection of carriageways along the main road, regardless of the direction of their further movement.
16.14. If the main road at an intersection changes direction, the drivers of vehicles moving along it must follow the rules for driving through intersections of equivalent roads.
This rule should be followed by each other and drivers driving on secondary roads.
Not right
16. Passage of intersections
16.11. At an intersection of unequal roads, the driver of a vehicle moving on a secondary road must give way to vehicles approaching this intersection of carriageways along the main road, regardless of the direction of their further movement.
16.14. If the main road at an intersection changes direction, the drivers of vehicles moving along it must follow the rules for driving through intersections of equivalent roads.
This rule should be followed by each other and drivers driving on secondary roads.
16 Passing intersections
Not right
8. Traffic regulation
8.7.3. Traffic signals have the following meanings:
A signal in the form of an arrow, allowing a left turn, also permits a U-turn, if it is not prohibited by road signs.
A signal in the form of a green arrow (arrows) in the additional (additional) section (s), included together with a green traffic light signal, informs the driver that he has priority in the direction (directions) of movement indicated by the arrow (arrows) over vehicles moving from other directions;
f) a red signal, including a flashing one, or two red flashing signals prohibit movement.
A signal in the form of a green arrow (arrows) in an additional (additional) section (sections), together with a yellow or red traffic light signal, informs the driver that movement is allowed in the indicated direction, provided that vehicles moving from other directions are allowed to pass freely.
A green arrow on a plate installed at the level of a red traffic light with a vertical arrangement of signals allows movement in the indicated direction when the red traffic light is on from the rightmost lane (or the leftmost lane on one-way roads), provided that the traffic advantage is given other participants moving from other directions to a traffic signal allowing movement;
16 Passing intersections
16.9. While driving in the direction of the arrow included in the additional section simultaneously with the yellow or red traffic light, the driver must give way to vehicles moving from other directions.
While driving in the direction of the green arrow on the table set at the level of the red traffic light with vertical signals, the driver must take the rightmost (left) lane and give way to vehicles and pedestrians moving from other directions.
These are ordinary exercise bikes. How much power can they generate if you add a generator?
A new gym opened in Sacramento, California this month. It differs from conventional gyms in that all indoor exercise bikes are equipped with electricity generators. According to the company's management, the electricity generated by customers will not only help recoup the cost of purchasing exercise equipment, but will also reduce carbon dioxide emissions. The very idea that pedaling will help nature, according to the management of the hall, can contribute to more effective training visitors.
Sacramento Eco Fitness estimates that in just a year, visitors will help the gym save about $ 26,000, which will cover the costs of 15 eco-machines purchased earlier. It all sounds fabulous, but isn't it all fantastic? According to one of the netizens who came across the calculations of the management of the hall, the calculations really do not correspond to reality.
Moreover, the calculations themselves were carried out back in 2011, so there was no need to perform all the calculations anew. Then engineer Tom Gibson estimated the power of the "human power plant" at 50-150 watts per hour. This is unlikely to be enough to provide the hall with electricity and save as much as $ 26,000 in just a year. A number of netizens who participated in the discussion of the “eco-hall” idea said that all this pure water marketing, not savings. More or less realistic calculations show that gym users need to sweat on exercise equipment for decades in order to recoup the company's expenses for the purchase of eco-exercise equipment.
Indeed, the other day, the founder of Eco Fitness explained that the idea is not at all to save a lot of money. “We want our clients to be proud of their simulator performance every time they start training,” he said.
By the way, the simulators installed in the gym are manufactured by SportsArt, which was founded in 1978 in Taiwan. ECO-POWR SportsArt trainers generate a current of 120 V. The system is equipped with a converter that converts the generator's direct current to alternating current with a frequency of 60 Hz. The current is fed into the power grid of the room, which makes it possible to use the generated energy.
But if you think about who makes the most of the idea of creating exercise bikes that generate electricity, it becomes clear that the main “beneficiary” is the manufacturer, SportsArt. The cost of the systems supplied by the company ranges from $ 2,795 to $ 7,395, which is significantly higher than the cost of conventional simulators. SportsArt ECO-POWR exercise bikes are also equipped with a mobile application that allows you to calculate the amount of energy generated by the system.
The management of the gym recently announced the price of a monthly subscription. It is $ 80 per month, which is cheaper than in luxury trainers, but twice as high as in conventional gyms located in the vicinity. This, as far as you can understand, will help the audience to return the money spent faster. And the clients of the hall will be people who are worried about problems. environment, and who will decide, albeit at the cost of a higher subscription price, to help nature (although in this case it is not entirely clear how the production of a small amount of energy can have a positive effect on the environment). All this looks more like "green" marketing, which is becoming more popular than a real intention to somehow reduce the anthropogenic load on nature.
Of course, the hall will receive some amount of energy thanks to its visitors. So, 15 simulators will work 3 times for 45 minutes a day. This will generate between 400 and 800 watts of power during each cycle. According to the management of the hall, this amount of energy will be enough to ensure the functioning of a coffee machine, two televisions and two laptops.
The owner of the room also says that the room uses almost exclusively sunlight for lighting during daylight hours, rather than lighting using electricity. In the future, the building where the hall is located is also planned to be equipped with solar panels, which will increase the generation of electricity and reduce the load on the power grid.
However, this is still in stark contrast to the initial claim that it could save thousands of dollars in energy costs. Greg Kremer, an engineer at Ohio University, argues that the power output from systems like the simulators mentioned above is extremely low. “If you want to save energy and work physically, take a regular bike and ride it to work and school - so physical exercise will be significant and energy use will be minimal. This is the real savings. " Probably, it will be difficult to disagree with Kremer's opinion.
At the same time, green marketing is flourishing now and will have to put up with it for a very long time.