Mechanical battery charger - pedal power!
I loved the whole process of researching and learning about solar battery charging and installing my own system on our camper. I'm also an absolute bicycle junkie. Rather than buy more panels, I thi...
Forum Discussion
A cycling generator doesn't produce that much usable wattage. 250 watts or so, and an average person wouldn't be able to do that for long. Some people can do more sustained, but at most 400 watts is the best 95% or so of the population can do. So, this means about 15-20 amps making it into the battery for charging. Which means that to have enough charge to spin my furnace's fan overnight, I'd have to be on the bicycle generator for almost as long.
I would consider a cycling generator as a last resort. It would be something to have... but something that is for dire worst case scenarios... and definitely not something for a RV, unless one had a trackstand and could compactly pack that up. I would sooner use the stoves that use reverse Peltier strips to do thermal-electric power generation. In a survival situation, last thing one needs, is to be completely exhausted.
I would consider a cycling generator as a last resort. It would be something to have... but something that is for dire worst case scenarios... and definitely not something for a RV, unless one had a trackstand and could compactly pack that up. I would sooner use the stoves that use reverse Peltier strips to do thermal-electric power generation. In a survival situation, last thing one needs, is to be completely exhausted.
