Today I met with my favorite Interstate Battery store owner. I asked Mike to give me a basic electricity lesson and to help me understand the diagram of a generator that I found in my textbook. I had printed off some plans for bicycle generators. One of these used a recycled car alternator. I wondered if that was something I should use. However, Mike explained that without a battery, an alternator does not run. Thus, we decided that a generator would be the best fit for PedGen. Because Interstate Battery collects all kinds of electronic parts for recycling, Mike said he would be a good resource for spare parts. For example, I could scavenge copper wire from a discarded uninterruptible power supply.
Mike asked me about the prevalence of bicycles on LaGonave - i.e. how easy would it be to find scrap parts on the island? I explained that the terrain is so rough that it would be difficult to ride a bicycle there and I had not seen many bicycles when I was there in 2011. Mules were much more popular! Maybe a bicycle is not the best answer. I suggested that we could accomplish the same end result by using some sort of hand crank. However, we decided that using leg muscles is much easier for people, so we should perhaps let go of the bicycle idea, but still use pedal power. If we are not going to use a whole bicycle, then we will not have a back tire on which to mount the generator. Could a generator be attached to the crank somehow?
My next step is to dissect a generator and see how it works.
Mike asked me about the prevalence of bicycles on LaGonave - i.e. how easy would it be to find scrap parts on the island? I explained that the terrain is so rough that it would be difficult to ride a bicycle there and I had not seen many bicycles when I was there in 2011. Mules were much more popular! Maybe a bicycle is not the best answer. I suggested that we could accomplish the same end result by using some sort of hand crank. However, we decided that using leg muscles is much easier for people, so we should perhaps let go of the bicycle idea, but still use pedal power. If we are not going to use a whole bicycle, then we will not have a back tire on which to mount the generator. Could a generator be attached to the crank somehow?
My next step is to dissect a generator and see how it works.