Hi everyone!I'm a producer and playwright who is working on a play right now about climate change, renewable energy, and the power of the individual. It's a sci-fi comedy about one dysfunctional family trying to stop a mega-corporation from taking over the Earth (by destroying it). What better set piece for such a play than a pedal-powered bicycle?I'd love to hear any suggestions or answers that you all might have. We're committed to learning more about the DIY and renewable energy processes as part of this production. Thank you for reading and for your help!Some background:Last summer we built a prototype for a run of the show, but the stakes are a bit higher this year. We're bringing the show to the Edinburgh Fringe in August, where we will perform for a full month. With so many shows, we need to improve the prototype to increase efficiency and consistency.Here's the bikeWith someone on itHere's a quick breakdown of the equipment we used...Number 25 Roller Chain, 10 feetExpertPower 12v 33ah Rechargeable Deep Cycle BatteryPowerBright PW400-12 Power Inverter, 12V DC to 110V ACBrushed Electric Motor, 350WIn short.... the chain attaches to the bike's back wheel, which then loops around the motor. The motor is then wired in two separate connections: one to the deep cycle battery / inverter, and one directly to a 12V power appliance (LED lights).This allows the bike to create two forms of energy. One is direct: as soon as you start pedaling, the bike powers the LED lights on. The other is stored: pedal power can be stored in the battery, which then powers the inverter, which then can power an electrical appliance of any voltage. Of course, the higher the voltage, the faster the drain.Here are my questions...1) We had two issues with the bike itself. We found that the chain often flipped off the motor when pedaling too hard, and that because the wheel alignment was not perfectly true, it was possible that we were wasting lots of potential mechanical energy. Do you have any recommendations on increasing energy efficiency? Whether that's with suggested bike fix-ups or different types of roller chains/ motors?2) Do you know of any additional features that could be added to a pedal-powered bicycle? For instance, I've seen some that are able to turn the blades of a blender and make a smoothie. If you know of any of these - particularly ones that wouldn't need a battery or inverter, I would love to hear about it!Thank you so much. Hope this is enough information - I'm happy to take some pictures up close if that helps! via /r/DIY https://ift.tt/2MmvrSp
