We decided to make a bicycle generator, if only to power a light bulb, for fun in the off-the-grid spirit.
First Krrrl bought a used stationary bicycle stand at
BICAS:
Kyle donated his electric generator, which he built by hand:
The idea was to attach the generator to the bike stand:
Vince took apart the stationary bike stand:
And made measurements:
And then milled a coupling to attach the generator to the bike stand:
The piece was similar to a cylinder Vince had milled earlier:
Then he made wooden mounts to strengthen the connection:
The final product:
Elliot tested the bicycle generator, producing up to 12 volts:
However, after a while the generator rod slipped and came loose from the coupling. The 2 opposing set screws did not bite strongly enough into the rod. Therefore Elliot filed two sections of the rod flat, on opposing sides, so that the set screws had more surface area to grab onto:
Unfortunately, when we tested the bicycle generator again, the coupling came loose from the other rod (the stationary bicycle rod). So Elliot repeated the fix, filing two opposing sections of that rod flat.