DIY Plans Pedal Power Generator -

Electricity From Exercise

"Power From The People!"

Ultimate TV

A Day of Pedaling

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Electric Blanket

Village Lighting

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Washing Machine Curious about Human Power? Need some exercise? Trying to
lose weight? Looking for a zero-carbon workout? Need
Bread Machine inspiration? Researching technical information? Expensive
electricity and gasoline making you nuts? You have come to
Blender the right place.

Genesee Genny
Today, Wed Jan 31, 2018 I Generated 110.5 Wh
For Teachers
Every morning, I ride my Pedal Generator to generate
Convert Your electricity. The Pedal Generator I built and ride charges
Bicycle batteries, that run an inverter to produce 110v AC, that powers
LED lights, the monitor on my computer, my cell phones, and
Virtual Gym charges my Roomba, my eGo Electric Moped, as well as many
other battery-powered things. All Powered by Me. It is the
PPPM Science most inspiring workout you can imagine, and it saves me
money!
Pedal Power Tools
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Daily PPPM Workouts - Four Year Anniversary
Arctic Ice Free by San Francisco Chronicle: Power From the Pedals
2013 Save 10% On Your Electric Bill! Take the 10%
Kids! Pedal to Challenge!
watch! New Movies! Ultimate Pedal TV, Blender, Washing
Machine, Bread Machine, Electric Blanket, Trip Hammer
Lots More: PPPM Live!

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My Pedal Power History: 35 Years
Researching the Power of Human
Energy
The 12 Volt DC Pedal Generator you see on this site is a
completely original invention. I built the first version of the 12v
Pedal Generator in 1976. As an improvement over rudimentary
bicycle generator and bicycle dynamo designs, I focused on
efficiency and versatility. While a 12v bike generator is an
alternative to my design, pedaling will be less efficient, and
powering non-electric equipment may be difficult. A unique
feature in my design was a 36" particle board disk with a
groove routed in the edge that served as the flywheel and
crankshaft for the permanent magnet 36 volt DC motor ( 1 2 )
seen at the upper right edge of the device. A small-pitch chain
provided the power transfer system. The groove around the
outer edge was lined with "rim strips" - thin rubber straps that
prevented the chain from slipping and digging into the particle
board. They are standard bicycle parts. The motor was
obtained around 1980 from Northern Hydraulic, now known as
Northern Tool and Equipment Company. It is a General Electric
Permanent Magnet Motor, model 5BPA34NAA44, a very nice
heavy-duty, ball bearing unit. I paid USD $29 for it if I
remember correctly, and I still have it.

The bottom frame of the Pedal Generator was welded steel

plate and channel, the crankset was an American Schwinn ball
bearing set, a cotterless crank conversion spindle, alloy cranks
and inexpensive pedals with toe clips.

The crankset had a steel chainwheel on it. I drilled some larger

holes in the chainwheel and bolted the particle board disk to it.
It was strong enough (fine Schwinn steel!) to hold the weight
of the particle board disk and run true. I routed an oblong hole
through the particle board disk for the "arm" of the crankset.

The seatpost and handlebar tube were standard galvanized

water pipe. The generator/motor was mounted on a piece of
3/4 plywood visible in the motor pictures seen above, which
was then bolted to the water-pipe frame.

The particle board disk was a key feature of this unit. The
weight of the disk served as an excellent flywheel. Human legs
and pedals create an extremely "peaky" torque curve, resulting
in jerky motion and lots of stress on parts. The flywheel
smoothes this all out by absorbing part of the energy on the
power stroke, lowering peak torque, and releasing it on the
"dead" part of the stroke, creating torque where Human
legs/pedals cannot generate any. Another thing to remember is
that Human legs do not like extreme stress. The flywheel
allows the Human to avoid having to generate extreme
pressure during the power stroke just to make it past the
"dead" spots. Many "bicycle converters" lack the flywheel
characteristic because tires/rims are designed to be so light.

Noisy but extremely efficient, I have powered 12v CHAIN

SAWS directly (yes, while someone else cut wood with them)
with this unit.(1) Pedaling position was similar to a bicycle. The
seat is barely visible at the upper left of the photo, and the
handlebars (dropped, as on a ten speed road bike) are at the
upper right.

Burst pedal power output: 25 amps at 17 volts (425 Watts) at

25 years old, and 265 Watts at 52 years old, and 301 Watts
at 55 years old! Yes, I am in better shape than I was three
years ago!

30 minute average output (back when I was in shape) 150

Watts

Accessories:

A drill chuck threaded into the end of the motor shaft provided
power for a flexible shaft drive. Drilling 1/2" holes through 2x4
fir with this arrangement was easy. The flex-shaft was rated at
1/2 HP (a commercial unit, about 3/4 in. thick - not a "dremel"
type!!) and I was still worried that the torque would be too
much for it.

For immediate electrical use, cigarette lighter outlets provided

direct access to the generator output. I even had a small 12v
toaster oven, and pedaled bread to toast more than once. For
electricity storage I would charge a 12v 100Ah fork-lift battery.
I could approximate the output of a small 10 amp battery
charger.

Instrumentation consisted of a voltmeter and an ammeter,

which together provided me with state of battery charge,
output watts and somewhat of a "speedometer." The math
needed to determine power output was easy: VOLTS x AMPS
= WATTS. A 50 amp silicon stud diode mounted to a four inch
square piece of aluminum sheet metal prevented reverse
current flows (which would cause the motor to turn the
flywheel, instead of the other way around!), and became
satisfyingly warm after long sprints. It was mounted in the
center of the aluminum plate visible in the first motor picture.
For top efficiency (and safety), a switch was also installed to
completely isolate the diode and motor/generator from the
battery.

I had to be careful - I burned out several expensive 12v

halogen bulbs powering them directly. If there was no voltage
control, exuberant pedaling would fry the bulbs in short order.
When the storage battery was connected, this was less of a
problem because the battery tended to even out the voltage,
but sprinting would still raise the voltage to the danger level.

I experimented with various non-electrical devices, connected

directly to the chain with their own sprockets. I substituted a
ball-bearing 3600 GPH Labawco type P pump for the generator,
resulting in amazing water pumping capacity. The suction from
the pump was strong enough to collapse the heavy wall 1 inch
vinyl tubing used for the intake (radiator hose would have been
better, with the wire reinforcement) and the output shot a
stream of water about 25 feet across the street. A 5 gallon
bucket was emptied using this pump in less than half the time
it took a garden hose to fill it. I believe the pump was driven to
capacity (1 gallon per second, emptying the bucket in five
seconds) in sprints.

I also tried smaller pumps, including a MATEX rotary vane

pump, with great success. I have had difficulty locating that
brand recently (30 years later!), but Northern Tool &
Equipment carries a pump that appears to be identical. And
what a great price!

I never had a chance to determine how efficient the Pedal

Generator was in converting mechanical energy to electrical
energy, but I believe it was probably quite good. When it was
running, only 4 ball bearings were turning, the only high-speed
part was the armature of the motor, and I know from research
that chains can be as high as 98+% efficient in power transfer.
The permanent magnet motor was probably better then
average at power generation, because it was designed to be
efficient as a motor. In "reverse" tests, with the motor driving
the unit with no load, the power consumed was less than an
amp at 12 volts. This is negligible, and much of it was
resistance loss in the motor windings, since the motor drew
half an amp with no load connected to it.

Status: The Original Pedal Generator never broke down, and

never wore out. I still have the motor and flex-shaft, but
several job-related moves finally forced me to dismantle the
unit, even though it was still in perfect working condition.

(1) Three things about the MINIBRUTE 12 Volt DC chain saw.

One, I was in great shape and probably was generating over
one horsepower in the sprint. Two, the branch/log was about
three inches in diameter - not anything near the 10 inch bar
length. And three, the saw was a 12 volt saw, so it was
designed to be efficient. The literature from the saw said that
the motor was a permanent magnet Bosch electric winch
motor, which was a good match for the maximum output of
the Pedal Generator. It was great to see the chips fly!

Human Pedal Power Potential: What

is possible?
There are many other possibilities that I can think of for this
device. It is much more powerful than a hand crank generator.
The efficiency and variable speed of the output are two
features that can be exploited. Since it requires no fuel, and is
not affected by time-of-day or weather, it would make an
excellent Human-powered emergency generator, ready for any
blackout. Here are some other devices that could be powered
by the basic unit:

Pedal powered charging system for portable "Jump Start"

systems. These devices feature lights, air compressors,
battery chargers, power meters, 12 Volt DC outlets, and
of course jumper cables. The Portable Power station in the
photograph was purchased at Costco for $49.95. It can be
plugged directly into the 12 Volt DC output of the PPPM
for charging, and then moved to wherever the power is
needed. Add a small 110 Volt AC inverter (100-150 Watt)
and you have everything you need for portable power.
Run a laptop, TV, PA System, or any other small electrical
device for hours from your stored energy. Real Goods
sells an equivalent device that seems to be the next level
up in quality and features (and cost, of course!).

Pedal powered backup generator for solar electric systems

or other off-grid power systems. With the newly available
white LED as a light source, a few minutes of pedaling
would be enough to create hours of light.

Pedal powered biodiesel circulation pump or biodiesel

transfer pump - direct drive, with no electricity and no
battery. If you make biodiesel, and you wish to eliminate
electric pumps from your biodiesel equipment, the Pedal
Generator design is perfectly suited to circulate, agitate
and then transfer a batch of biodiesel, and the power
source is YOU!
Pedal powered washing machine (this is a tremendous
workout, especially with the spin/sprint at the end!)

Pedal powered clothes dryer (when combined with a

simple solar hot-air collector - such as your attic! -
pedaling would tumble the clothes and circulate the
heated air)

Pedal powered whole-house ventilation fan (15 minutes in

the evening to cool off an entire house)

Pedal powered pump and watering system when

combined with a cistern to store rainwater

Pedal powered emergency sump pump - keep your

basement dry during a power outage

Pedal powered energy source to power astronomy

equipment during stargazing. (A Human powered star
party!) A PPPM in a pickup truck could provide a steady
60-100 Watt 12 Volt DC power supply, quietly, and keep
the riders warm at the same time. Switch riders
frequently and you'll keep the all of the PPPM Human star
party generators warm. Don't even think of starting
vehicles during the event!

Pedal powered whole-house (central) vacuum cleaner -

requires two people, of course

Pedal powered backup circulation pump and backup air

pump for tropical fish, expensive pond Koi or other
animals requiring small but constant energy flows.

Pedal powered generator, emergency bilge pump, crew-

warmer and exerciser for marine use.

Pedal powered air compressor (compressing air takes a

LOT of power, and is not very efficient. This would work
for small jobs only, like filling tires, staple guns, nail guns,
caulking guns, small hand tools - no jackhammers!!)

Pedal powered offset printing press, sewing machine (an

ancient idea), hand tools (grinder, disk sander, buffer,
drill, reciprocating saw, lathe), mulch grinder

Pedal powered public address systems, projectors, or

amplifiers for music - Radio Shack has a perfect unit for
this! A single rider could power two of these with 12 Volts
DC direct from the PPPM. Musicians, your green, portable
PA system is finally here!

Pedal powered Science Fair Project - anything from the

efficiency of the unit, to the physiology of the rider can be
 studied. Human power generation is a vast subject with
many possible areas of scientific exploration.

Pedal powered replacement for hand cranked generator -

your legs are almost ten times stronger than your arms.
Free your arms and hands for other tasks, like reading,
knitting, or mousing!

Every safe room, bug-out bunker, fallout shelter and

hidey-hole should have a PPPM pedal powered backup
generator. In addition to keeping you warm, fed,
illuminated, circulated, ventilated and connected with the
outside world, it can give you something to do besides
staring at the walls. And it is totally safe with no fuel,
fumes, or dangerous voltages! (unless you need more
than 12 Volt DC appliances) Don't leave your generator or
solar panels out as an advertisement for mischief. The
PPPM is the only power source you can have in the bunker
with you.

Basically, any device that was hand cranked, foot-

powered, or powered by a fractional horsepower electric
motor could potentially be converted to pedal power.

Also note, if the base unit is being used to power an auxiliary

device in addition to producing electricity, adding a solar panel
will result in additional power from the motor/generator! That
means whatever device you are powering would receive the
combined power of the Human pedaler and the solar panel.
This combination makes the best of both power sources, as
efficiency would be very high, because the solar output would
not suffer the losses of being stored and then extracted from a
battery. Charging a battery and then extracting the same
power is less than 80% efficient, and can be much worse.
Direct utilization captures that wasted power.

Finally, keep in mind that a tandem setup for the pedals, with
the pedals out-of-phase, doubles the power and smoothes out
the power flow. Only one "flywheel" is needed, so this
enhancement needs only a simple pedal/seat addition to the
basic unit. With out-of-phase pedals, peak torque is not
increased, so other parts of the system are not stressed. The
torque curve for a complete revolution of the flywheel simply
smoothes out, while RPMs stay constant, resulting in twice the
power.

Latest News: Pedal Powered Prime

Mover - Reborn
News: Sun Sep 14 12:44:02 PDT 2014
Last weekend at TechShop San Jose I completely rebuilt the
PPPM, after 10 years of hard riding. It has taken on the look of
a Steampunk Project, except I am the power source instead of
steam. The PPPM is a very interesting machine to see, and now
that I have painted it and replaced worn parts it's ready for
another 10 years of power-generating rides!

News: Sun Nov 16 13:00:00 PDT 2008

The PPPM shared the stage with Tamara Dean, author of The
Human-Powered Home. After the presentation, the PPPM was
moved to the publisher's booth, where it became the only
Green Energy powered display in the San Francisco Green
Festival.

News: Thu Nov 18 12:21:13 PDT 2008

The Christian Science Monitor interviewed me during one of my

pedal-powered webcasts, and included the interview in an
article about Human Power.

News: Thu Sep 18 20:19:22 PDT 2008

The Mother Earth News printed an article on generating power

with bicycle generators, and the PPPM was mentioned: Make
Electricity While You Exercise. The author describes several
different approaches to Human Power Generation, including a
state-of-the-art design he invented and assembled for a friend.

News: Sat Aug 23 21:21:18 PDT 2008

The San Francisco Chronicle printed a detailed article on the

PPPM: Power From the Pedals. It's a fun article with a detailed
diagram of the PPPM and its power systems, and a firsthand
account by the author of how it feels to generate power.

News: Sat May 10 12:23:17 PST 2008

After a long bike ride, I arrived at UCSC where I worked with a

visionary Professor and an incredible group of students to
construct FOUR PPPMs in ONE DAY! Here is a link to a photo
album showing this unbelievable event:

PPPM Mass Production

The day ended with pizza, and a test of power output, of

course!

News: Sun Feb 24 01:23:17 PST 2008

Use this new interactive Circuit Builder Tool to see what kinds
of equipment are needed to power various devices, from
Television sets to Breadmakers.
News: Wed Aug 15 23:06:41 PDT 2007

PPPM technology lit 15 lanterns in an enormous Oak tree at the

Big Chill Festival at Eastnor Castle, UK.

News: Sat May 19 23:06:41 PDT 2007

The PPPM is displayed at the Maker Faire powering a complete

home office. I pedaled all day Saturday, generating 335 Watt-
hours!

News: Tue May 8 23:09:04 PDT 2007

So far in 2007, the PPPM has been on display at the Burning

Man Green House event, Earth Day, and Springtime in
Guadalupe Gardens. Record power was produced at Guadalupe
Gardens: 147 Watt-hours! See the PPPM Live!

News: Sun Dec 10 14:29:39 PST 2006

PPPM designs and technology powered The Boycott Coca Cola

Experience in London.

The PPPM is powering power the Wasteland installation at the

Bates Museum by Artist Virginia Valdes.

News: Sun Oct 8 10:30:00 PDT 2006

The PPPM was the power source for a Demonstration of

Incandescent vs. Compact Florescent light bulb energy use at
an Energy Fair

News: Sun Sep 24 16:55:16 PDT 2006

Today I tested a 1.5 Farad Xpress Digital Power Capacitor, also

known as an Audio Stiffening Capacitor, as both the power
"smoother" and the voltmeter for the PPPM. The test was a
complete success. I ran two different devices directly from the
PPPM. One was an IBM ThinkPad T40 Laptop, and the other
was a 12 volt air compressor.

The capacitor provided a real-time voltage display, and it

stabilized the voltage and amperage being produced by the
PPPM. When passed through a Targus 12 Volt DC converter to
the laptop, pedaling was smooth and easy. With a comfortable
seat the laptop could be pedaled indefinitely. The air
compressor required more effort, especially when it was used
to pump the tires on my eGO Electric Vehicle to 100 PSI.

The capacitor was on sale at Frys Electronics for $19.95 - a

great deal considering it is both a capacitor AND a voltmeter.
While it does not provide as much information as the Watt's Up
I describe below, it does address two critical needs: voltage
measurement and power stabilization. It's not in the same
league as my Maxwell 58 Farad capacitor, but it costs 7 times
less! It's perfect for a basic PPPM.

News: Wed Aug 16 20:30:33 PDT 2006

The Pedal Powered Prime Mover is a hit in Australia! - Main

BioSUB Site

News: July 31, 2006, It has been one full year since I brought
the Pedal Generator back to life. I have been riding that
generator every day, and storing the power it produces in a
battery bank. Motivated people from all over the world have
bought plans to fulfill their own visions for Human Power. It's a
success!

Previous News: On July 31, 2005, I rebuilt the Pedal

Generator, and I call the improved model the Pedal Powered
Prime Mover, because it can do much more than generate
electricity.

I built the Pedal Powered Prime Mover (base, frame and

flywheel) in one day!

The design is similar to the early version in the picture at the

top of this page, but I made a point of reproducing it in a way
that would be friendly to a "do it yourselfer." The only tools I
have used are: screwdriver, hacksaw, wrench, hand drill, and
wood chisel. I finished it with only those tools, and all "off the
shelf" parts. It's great to have the Pedal Generator back online,
as the new and improved PPPM I.

I recently installed a power measuring device called the "Watt's

Up" from BatterySpace.com. (search for "battery analyzer") I
think it is the best such device I have seen for this use.
Disclaimer: I was so impressed with this device, I joined their
affiliate program, and the link above goes to it. If you prefer to
go directly to a different site, PowerWerx.com, visit
http://www.powerwerx.com/. This device provides a real-time
display of volts, amps, watts, and other valuable and
interesting information, such as peak output! It has become
the "speedometer" and "odometer" for the Pedal Generator.
Here it is in action! It's small, powered by the electricity it is
measuring, and it measures in real time. In this display I am
pedaling with no hands to take the picture, and the display
shows an instantaneous output of 2.68 Amps, 15.83 Volts DC,
42.4 Watts, and also shows that the peak output for that
session was 51 Watts. The display cycles through other useful
information, like total Watt-Hours and Amp-Hours produced in
that session. It sure beats the old panel meters I had on the
original Pedal Generator!
Pedal Power Movies and
Specifications: The Pedal Powered
Prime Mover in Action
Here are some movies of the PPPM I in action. One of the last
issues I solved was a slight alignment problem with the
flywheel. If you listen to the movies, that is the loudest sound.
The final version of the PPPM I - which is used in the Ultimate
Pedal Powered TV Movie - is MUCH quieter.

Some of the devices shown in the movies are powered by 110v

AC through an inverter, some are powered from 12 volts DC
directly from the PPPM I, and some are powered mechanically.
No batteries are used in ANY of the movies!

Ultimate Pedal Powered Television: PPPM I, 400 Watt

Victor 12v DC to 110v AC inverter

14 Inch Television: Short Movie, Long Movie, 12v DC

1 Farad capacitor
(Note: the black bar on the TV screen is caused by
unsynchronized camera and TV frame rates. The
picture is actually perfect.)
32 Inch Television 12v DC 58 Farad capacitor

Pedaling Effort: Light to Extreme, depending on the

screen size ;-)

Pedal Powered Laptop Computer: PPPM I, AD-SDR-70W -

Universal DC-DC Regulated Adapter, 12v DC 58 Farad
capacitor
Pedaling Effort: Light to Medium

Pedal Powered Blender: PPPM I, 12v DC 58 Farad

capacitor, 1,000 Watt 12v DC to 110v AC inverter
Pedaling Effort: Light to Medium

Pedal Powered Water Pump: PPPM I, direct drive to 3600

GPH Labawco type P ball-bearing pump, 6 gallons pumped
during the movie
Pedaling Effort: Medium

Pedal Powered Trip Hammer: PPPM I, directly driving a 16

ounce (.4Kg) hammer through a 3 foot (1 Meter) swing.
Pedaling Effort: Effortless

Pedal Powered Fan: PPPM I, 400 Watt Victor 12v DC to

110v AC inverter, 12v DC 100,000 MFD capacitor, Box
Fan
Pedaling Effort: Moderate (Low Speed), Medium (Medium
Speed), High (High Speed)
 Pedal Powered Air Compressor: PPPM I, directly powering
12v DC air compressor, 15 PSI added during the movie
(50->65 PSI)
Pedaling Effort: A good workout. 100 revolutions
generated 30 PSI. Easier than a tire pump!

Pedal Powered Die Grinder: PPPM I, 400 Watt Victor 12v

DC to 110v AC inverter, 12v DC 1 Farad capacitor,
10,000-20,000 RPM Die Grinder
Pedaling Effort: Light to Medium

Pedal Powered Vacuum Cleaner: PPPM I, directly powering

12v DC vacuum cleaner.
Pedaling Effort: Medium to Heavy

Pedal Powered LGB Garden Train: PPPM I, 1.5 Farad Audio

Stiffening Capacitor, directly powering an LGB G-Scale
Train.
Pedaling Effort: Very Light - Moderate, Depending on
Speed and Grade

The fun part of this is you can "feel" the effort the
locomotive is making when it hits the grade. Controlling
the speed of the train is easy - just speed up or slow
down the pedaling. The Capacitor creates "momentum"
electronically which adds to the overall effect. Is your
consist a little too heavy? Don't just see the action, BE the
action.

Pedal Powered Compact Florescent Light: PPPM I, 400

Watt Victor 12v DC to 110v AC inverter, 12v DC 100,000
MFD capacitor, 60 watt equivalent bulb
Pedaling Effort: Very Light (sorry for the pun!)

Pedal Powered Biodiesel Pump (Methoxide Agitation and

Transfer): PPPM I, directly powering Hypro 4 roller pump.
Pedaling Effort: Very Light (Agitate) to Medium (Transfer)

You may be wondering if it is possible to do more than one of

these activities at the same time with a single unit. The answer
is YES. The light, for example, could be combined with any of
the other activities. As long as the rider can handle the extra
workload, the Pedal Powered Prime Mover can deliver multiple
outputs simultaneously!

One of the unique features of this design is that the Pedal

Powered Prime Mover is not limited to generating electricity,
unlike other Pedal Generator or Bicycle Generator systems. The
mounting possibilities for pedal powered machinery are almost
infinitely flexible. In the pedal generator movies above, where
the Pedal Powered Prime Mover is being used directly as a
pedal powered water pump for example, the generator has
been removed and the new devices has taken its place. The
flexibility is tremendous. In just a few minutes, you can change
the Pedal Powered Primer Mover to a pedal generator, or to
any of the other configurations you see in the movies. That
means one Pedal Powered Prime Mover can serve a wide range
of pedal power needs, including whatever you are thinking of
right now...

It is more fun than you can imagine to power things by

pedaling, with just you as the "Power Plant." It's healthy, and
it's green, sustainable energy. What would YOU like to power?
Tell me here, and I just might give it a try and make a movie
of the result.

Suggestion: Suggest

Pedal Generator: Frequently Asked

Questions
Over time, a number of questions have asked about the
information on the page. Here are some Frequently Asked
Questions and answers/opinions:

Do you have plans available?

YES! Follow the link below to order plans.

Why this design instead of a bicycle generator or a

recumbent generator?

This design is simple and efficient. You will generate up to

twice as much power for the same effort with this
design compared to other bicycle generator designs.

Ok, but I see on the web other pedal generator designs

claiming 250 Watts, 300 Watts, even 440 Watts - and
people posting they have "generated 700 Watts" - or
way more! Why all the different numbers?

Some sites quote MAXIMUM power output in an absolute

all-out sprint, and some riders are not quoting actual
electrical power generated at all. They are quoting
"calculated output" from their exercise equipment meters
that has nothing to do with real power generation.

I always quote REAL NUMBERS representing measured

Amps and Volts coming OUT OF ME and going INTO A
DEVICE or BATTERY. In other words, "real power output."
Don't be fooled by the other numbers you see.

Do you have assembled PPPMs available?

 NO! It is not cost-effective OR energy-effective to build
the units and ship them. The best way to obtain a PPPM is
to assemble it yourself, or find a local resource to
assemble it, such as a Bicycle Shop. You will also be able
to fix it yourself if you built it yourself.

Is there a recumbent version of the PPPM?

It is theoretically possible to convert the PPPM to a

recumbent Pedal Generator. The image at the top of the
page shows an early, working prototype of a recumbent
version. In fact, the PPPM could be assembled for both
upright AND recumbent use, and the riders could simply
choose the riding position they prefer. The current plans
do NOT contain instructions for this conversion, but a
version of the plans is being written that will provide the
details.

If I build the Pedal Generator, how do I power things

with it?

Take a look at this Power Board I built for an Energy Fair

for ideas. It shows how to wire 12 Volts DC through a
junction box into an inverter with Ultracapacitors to
smooth out the power, and both cigar lighters for 12 Volt
DC appliances, and a power Strip for 110 Volt AC devices.
A 12 Volt DC Laptop Power supply enabled me to run an
IBM Thinkpad directly, drawing only 20 watts. The Watt's
Up meter shows how much power is flowing out to both
the cigar lighter outlets and the inverter, in real time. You
can power anything within reason with the setup shown.
It's a great visual learning tool for educators to use in a
classroom, too!

Here is a short movie explaining the inner workings of the

Power Board. For mode information, check out the
Interactive Circuit Building Tool!

Do you offer parts in a pedal power kit I could build

myself?

No. All of the parts needed to build your own Pedal

Powered Prime Mover are likely to be available locally. All
you need are plans.

Would a car alternator work better for generating

power?

No. Most automotive alternators have one ball/one sleeve

bearing, a built-in power-robbing cooling fan, and they
require external power to excite them at low-to moderate
RPMs. They have never been designed with efficiency in
mind, since they were attached to monstrous motors
 capable of producing orders of magnitude more power
than the alternator required. They actually produce AC
power, which subsequently must be rectified to DC to
charge batteries. This step causes significant power loss in
the diodes (around 5%). As I noted above, I ran power
output around the diode and directly into the battery to
avoid this loss. In addition, alternators are designed to
run at extremely high RPMs (alternator pulleys are smaller
than the driving pulley on the engine, meaning the
alternator turns FASTER than the car engine. Look at your
tachometer reading and double it. Whew!), and do not
produce usable power until they are rotating quite rapidly,
requiring high ratios of step-up from your pedals. A well-
designed permanent-magnet ball-bearing motor,
preferable one designed to squeeze every last bit of power
out of a set of batteries, will easily beat an automotive
alternator in efficiency, yielding 20-50% more electricity
for the same effort.

Wouldn't gears help generate more power? And what

about belts instead of chains?

Maybe. Humans can only pedal through a small speed

range, about 40-120 RPMs. Below that you can strain your
joints, and above that efficiency falls off. There is a
"magic" speed (different for every Human Being) at which
they can generate maximum power. The proper gear ratio
enables the Human to pedal at that speed. You may have
noticed, though, that a Human's maximum power output
can change quickly from fatigue, and slowly from changes
in conditioning and age. The magic speed is always
changing, so having a few closely-spaced "gears" or ratios
may enable a better match of Human to generator. No
matter what, though, gears don't create energy, they
waste energy, so having fewer of them is always better.
The same goes for bearings, even ball bearings. The
pedal-power generator described on this page has very
few of both, so it is very efficient.

Regarding belts, the transfer efficiency of most belts is

less than chains. This is mostly due to flexing energy loss
within the belt material and friction losses at the
engagement points between the belt and the pulleys.
Belts also work best when transferring low torque at high
speed (the opposite of what a pair of legs produce!) which
is why you do not see them on bicycles, for example.
There may be some exotic, thin, high strength belts that
could approach the efficiency of chains with the right
design. For example, the "serpentine" belts used in
modern automobile engines are much more efficient than
the old "V-belts" from the past. Belts rely on friction to
transfer power. Friction is bad. The best feature of belts is
 that they are quiet, so I can't say to avoid them
completely. If you decide to use a belt to transfer power,
use the thinnest, strongest belt you can find, and place
only enough tension on it to keep it from slipping during
use. I do not know whether equivalent "toothed" and
"grooved" belts are equally efficient, but I believe the
toothed belt has slightly lower friction losses. If I can ever
find some real research data on the web I will link it in
here.

I would rather use my bicycle in a stand and rig up a

generator connected to the rear wheel, or convert an
exercise machine by attaching a generator to it. Will you
help?

I may, but I have all my attention focused on this design.

I want to improve it, and make it even more efficient and
easier to build. Every stand and exercise machine is
different, and I can't invent a solution for each one
separately. It's also impossible for me to work with
equipment that I can't see, touch, or measure in any way.

If you are still interested, click on "Convert Your Bicycle"

to the left.

Could I generate more power with my bicycle in a stand

and a generator connected to the rear wheel?

No. You certainly can rig up a bicycle stand and hinge the
generator against the back tire using a tension system. I
don't think you will be able to generate more power than
the PPPM does, and here's why:

To get an idea of how much energy is wasted in a bicycle

power train, pick up the back end of a multi-gear bike,
like an 18-speed mountain bike, and give the wheel a
good spin - backwards. See how long that much energy
input can keep the machinery moving. I would be
surprised if you counted more than five complete
revolutions, unless you are testing a perfectly-maintained
track bike.

With the same "push" the PPPM flywheel keeps spinning

more than a minute. The difference is not caused by the
flywheel - it's due to the rapid loss of the energy you put
into the bicycle machinery due to friction. That loss will be
a constant drag on YOU as you ride your bicycle
generator. The PPPM design is simply more efficient.

You will also wear out your bicycle's tire, gears, chain, and
bearings. If you have an expensive bike, you will be
paying more than you think for your Human-powered
 electricity. If you have an inexpensive bike, it will be even
less efficient!

If I pedal now and store the energy in a battery, can I

watch TV later?

Of course! A Pedal Generator plus a battery is an

interesting combination of technologies. Here are a
number of different scenarios:

1. If you pedal the TV directly, with no battery, almost

all of the energy you create will go into the TV set.
Very efficient.
2. If you pedal the TV and have a battery attached to
the system at the same time, the energy used by the
TV will be used efficiently. If you pedal a bit more
energy than the TV needs, the surplus will go into
the battery. Due to battery inefficiency, you will only
be able to get some of that surplus energy back. It
could be anywhere from 70% to 90% depending on
the chemistry of the batteries. If you wait a month to
use the surplus stored in the battery, with some
chemistries (like NiMH) you may find it has
completely dissipated in battery self-discharge.
3. If you pedal ONLY to the battery, with the idea that
you will watch TV later, you will loose 10%-30% of
ALL the energy you create in the manner of #2
above.

So - lets say it takes 60 Watt-hours to watch TV for one

hour.

In scenario #1, you pedal at a 60 watt output for one

hour, and watch TV for one hour.

In scenario #2, you pedal at, for example, 70 watt output,

and watch TV for an hour while pedaling. The surplus (10
Wh) gets stored, but you can only draw 8 Wh back out of
the battery, enabling you to watch TV for an additional 8
minutes, not 10 minutes as you might expect.

In scenario #3, you pedal at 60 watts for an hour with the

TV off. Later you watch TV, and you discover the power is
all consumed after watching 48 minutes of TV (80%).

In other words, if you pedal the TV directly for an hour,

you need to maintain a 60 watt output. If you want to
watch TV for an hour later, after pedaling, you will have to
pedal at 70 watts for an hour to account for the power
lost through inefficiency.

No matter what, you will be watching TV!

How much power can one Human Being create?

This is an opinion. I used to be a competitive swimmer,

and for a number of years, I worked out 6 hours a day,
swimming approximately 11 miles. Yes, 11 miles a day. If
you pedaled that hard for that long you might be able to
run one ordinary refrigerator for 24 hours. To make any
kind of significant contribution to your energy supply, you
must use the most efficient devices you possibly can. For
example, a small refrigerator designed to be powered by
solar power would be much more practical. For example,
if you are prepared to use a slightly unconventional
refrigerator there is a chance that you could power it with
one good workout a day, and maybe even have some
energy left over for other things. A rule of thumb: if the
device was designed to be powered by batteries, even BIG
batteries, you might be able to keep up with it.

If your electric bill shows KWH (kilowatt-hours), take the

number, multiply by 8 (assuming you can crank out 125
watts for an hour, which is very ambitious) and that is
how many hours you will have to be in the saddle to
create the same amount of power. Sorry, it can be
depressing. The moral of the story: Using less power is
as important, if not more important, than making
more.

There are numerous sources of efficient appliances on the

web. One place I like to shop is Real Goods, and of course
I have spent time inventing my own efficient devices. The
white LED light I built shows how technology can create
new solutions to increase efficiency. Pedaling for an hour
at the 200 watt pace, with 80% efficiency of
generation/storage/extraction, would create enough
energy to run that light for 320 hours!!!

You may be interested in the details of the effort and

energy required to run the 12 volt appliances. I have
compiled a Pedal Generator Energy Statistics page with
the details.

Finally, here are some facts. Lots of people write to me

and suggest that a more efficient method of capturing
Human energy would result in a better power output. I am
using this page for reference: Horsepower - Wikipedia.
Here is the figure that matters:
1 horsepower = 33,000 ft/lbf/min = exactly
745.69987158227022 Watts

Calculating:
 A Human would have to lift 33,000 pounds one foot
in a minute to generate one horsepower (746 Watts
output for one minute) - or, equivalently:
A 200 pound human would have to run to the top of
a 14 story building (12 feet/floor, about 4 seconds
per floor, 165 feet straight up) in one minute to
generate 745 watts of output, and would have to
continue that pace to keep generating one
horsepower. Lighter weight people would have to get
to the top even faster to generate the same amount
of power.
So - I dare you to generate 746 watts/one
horsepower, even for one minute ;-)
As you can see, even if we could capture Human
output with 100% efficiency (we can't) you alone are
not going to be able to run a refrigerator or air
conditioner, or even a plasma screen TV directly by
pedaling. No way. (Unless it is an unconventional
refrigerator!!) However, with the combined output
from multiple PPPMs, anything is possible!

Can I generate 110v AC? Can I run my electric meter

backwards?

I don't recommend this! (Mostly, because it's illegal!) If

someone were to replace the permanent magnet DC
motor in a Pedal Generator (such as the one on this page)
with a 1/4 to 1/2 horsepower 110v AC induction motor
and pedal that it would result in an amazing thing. If the
motor was hooked to the power lines and it was "pedaled
faster than it wanted to go", it would start generating
110v alternating current. Beautiful sine wave AC. If it was
creating more energy than your clocks, refrigerator, all
those little square black power supplies you have plugged
in around the house, your lights, and that 300 watt stereo
you are listening to while you pedal all use together, your
electric meter would slowly creep backwards. However,
that same motor would generate exactly 0 power if it is
not plugged in to 110v AC.

For very light duty "off the grid" use of 110v AC, you can
try pedaling your 12 volt DC generator into a large battery
and hooking up an inverter (12v DC - 110v AC) to get
some pretty decent 110v power. In general, plan on being
able to pedal at the rate of about 70-150 watts for half an
hour or so, if you are in good shape. WARNING: You
CAN'T use an ordinary inverter to "run your meter
backwards"!!!! (Think smoke and flames!) If you are lucky
enough to have a "grid tied" inverter that matches the
output of the PPPM, you just might be able to send power
back to the grid. However, read this before you consider a
grid-tied pedal generator.
 For efficiency, however, you are much better off
producing 12v DC for a 12v DC TV (for example)
than you are producing 12v DC to charge a battery
to run an inverter to power a 110v AC TV. The UPS
(uninterruptable power supply) for my website computer
system can power the computer for about five minutes.
The same battery (12v 1.5 AH) would power my laptop
computer for about 45 minutes. Everything (efficiency-
wise) works FOR you when the device being powered is
designed to be efficient (12v DC) and AGAINST you when
it is not (110v AC).

How do I know how much power an appliance requires?

Almost every appliance, motor, light bulb, etc. has a

"Watts" rating. You need to know how many Watts the
appliance uses while it's running. Keep in mind, some
appliances, like air compressors and refrigerators, require
a MUCH higher amount of power to start than they do
once they are running. Others, like washing machines,
use variable amounts of power depending on what they
are doing at any given moment (pumping vs. agitating vs.
spinning, for example).

The BEST way to know how many Watts an appliance

require is to measure it! Here are several ways to
measure power (Watts) used by devices:

AC: Watts Up? Meter

AC: Kill A Watt Meter
DC: Watt's Up - search for "battery analyzer"

How big should my batteries be?

If you are considering building a similar system, plan on

using two batteries, and a simple switch which allows you
to use one while charging the other. Flip this switch right
before you begin charging to ensure that you are charging
the battery with the lowest charge (the one most recently
used). Also be sure to use a battery that is roughly equal
to ten or twenty times your power output for a charging
session. For example, if you crank out ten amps for an
hour each time you charge, choose a 100-200 amp hour
battery. Larger batteries will simply loose charge through
self-discharge faster, resulting is less efficiency for your
system and more useless work for you.

What are "rim strips" and what did they do in the

original Pedal Generator?

On the original Pedal Generator, I used rim strips on the

outer edge of the particle board disk to keep the chain
 from slipping. They were exactly what you would use on
bicycle rims to keep the spokes from poking through. The
rim strips I used were for narrow 27 inch wheels. They
were approximately one half inch wide. I had tried leaving
the particle board groove bare, and there was no way to
prevent the chain from slipping.

The particle board disk I used was too large for a single
rim strip, so I used two strips end-to-end and glued
together with silicone rubber. I overlapped the seam
several inches. They are quite thin, so there was no
noticeable "bump" going over the seams. I was also
pleasantly surprised to find they prevented slipping
completely, and there was no evidence of any wear on
them for the life of the machine. Be careful when
lubricating the chain, however. Keep the lubrication on
(and inside if possible) the rollers, not on the outside of
the side plates. I was very careful to not let the lubricants
reach the parts of the chain contacting the rubber strips.

Where can I learn more about Electricity?

Learn about basic DC electricity here, and all kinds of

electricity here.

Remember:

1. The most efficient way to use the power you create is

not to create electricity at all, but to pedal power your
(pump, fan, hoist, winch, drill press, grinder, sewing
machine, etc.) directly through a mechanical connection.
2. The second most efficient way to use the power is to
pedal a generator to electrically power your (television,
radio, floodlight, chain saw, laptop computer) directly,
with no battery. Be careful about controlling voltage, or
use a good regulator.
3. The least efficient way to use your power is to generate
electricity and store it in a battery, then extract it from
the battery to power some device. Avoid this method in
favor of methods 1 and 2!!

Pedal Powered Prime Mover: Do-it-

yourself Plans
That's me above, on the rebuilt PPPM I. The DIY plans for
constructing your own Pedal Powered Prime Mover are
available for purchase ($USD50) below.

28 Pages, Materials List, Over 150 Detailed Assembly

Photographs
Yes, You Can Build This Yourself!
How To Buy Pedal Powered Prime Mover
Plans

Online Magazine/Site Mentions:

Make: Television - I give the Pedal Powered Blender a whirl.

Planet Green - 5 Ways Going Green Can Help You Lose Weight
(PPPM is #3).
Bicycling Magazine - High-Voltage Workouts.
The Christian Science Monitor - An electric workout through
pedal power.
The Mother Earth News - Make Electricity While You Exercise
The San Francisco Chronicle - Power From the Pedals
Earthtoys Emagazine June 2006 - A PPPM Workout
Treehugger's Article on the PPPM
WorldChanging: Another World Is Here: BikePower! (Pedal
Powered Electricity)
Make: Features the PPPM

Interesting References:

The Human-Powered Home - If you are looking for more

information on all forms of Human Power - get this book!
Visit The BioSUB Project to read how the PPPM was used to
generate power in a unique underwater habitat.
An excellent writeup giving details on a different design based
on a bicycle and rollers.
A handcrafted masterpiece demonstrating unique construction.
Yahoo 12 Volt DC Power Group
Yahoo Human Powered Devices Group
Pedal Powered Grid Tied Inverter (PPPM-sized) Note: not
tested by me!
Nifty Digital Voltage Meter and Socket Multiplier
12 Volt Appliances and Devices - Including LCD DVD/TV
Combo!
P2 - Awesome!
AltE Kill-A-Watt database - how much power do devices use?
Modern Outpost, lots of interesting Personal Power Gadgets
Alternative Energy News
Cyclean, The pedal powered washing machine
The Easyseat - the only seat I used on my PPPM
Solar Panels, Inverters, RV Chargers
 Many different kinds of Inverters
Tons of 12 volt battery and charging information
Every imaginable kind of 12 Volt Appliance

The 12 Volt Shop (UK)

Battery and power supply technical information

Joan Baez 'Rejoice in the Sun' - Silent Running

Home Power magazine is the Hands-on Journal of Home-Made

Power. If you are interested in making your own electricity
from renewable energy, alternative vehicles, or finding out the
latest in related technologies and life-styles, then this
publication can keep you up to date.

Waistlines Continue to Grow in U.S.

Free Energy from Magnets! (I don't believe in this, but if YOU

do, off you go!)

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