This morning I tested the battery that had a beginning resting charge of 12.32 volts (between 25 and 50% charged). Unfortunately the alternator still did not put out any more voltage that it had done with the fully charged battery.
I am considering another experiment based on the idea that the amplifier + mixer maximum power rating = 200 watts (which is what I expect to use at the outdoor concert when we will need maximum sound). I don't have enough speakers/monitors at home to set up that exact scenario, but I could set up a load of 2 box fans + 2 regular fans (sum of 196 watts as measured by a handy dandy kill-a-watt meter) and run the fans for 1 hour. A few people cold take turns pedaling the whole hour and then let the battery rest 30 min before measuring its voltage. I would compare the pre- and post- battery voltages to see if the alternator is keeping up or not. This is close to the reality of the concert since I will begin the concert with a fully charged battery and the question is "Can the bicycle generator keep up with the power draw of the sound system - at least somewhat - enough to supply 200 watts continuously for 6 hours?" If the answer is "No" then I am not sure what comes next. Find a way to add more bicycles to the system?
I am considering another experiment based on the idea that the amplifier + mixer maximum power rating = 200 watts (which is what I expect to use at the outdoor concert when we will need maximum sound). I don't have enough speakers/monitors at home to set up that exact scenario, but I could set up a load of 2 box fans + 2 regular fans (sum of 196 watts as measured by a handy dandy kill-a-watt meter) and run the fans for 1 hour. A few people cold take turns pedaling the whole hour and then let the battery rest 30 min before measuring its voltage. I would compare the pre- and post- battery voltages to see if the alternator is keeping up or not. This is close to the reality of the concert since I will begin the concert with a fully charged battery and the question is "Can the bicycle generator keep up with the power draw of the sound system - at least somewhat - enough to supply 200 watts continuously for 6 hours?" If the answer is "No" then I am not sure what comes next. Find a way to add more bicycles to the system?