Well, we've been busy settling into our new digs, but I managed to
recover a movie we shot the first of the year, and a picture showing
the massive generator mounted to the MOEPED #3, the chain drive and
chain ring, the inverter (which is barely visible), and the 24 watts of
Christmas lights that the generator drove through the inverter. The AVI
files, shot during the day, show me riding the MOEPED around the
corners, giving voice to my enthusiasm.

ftp://users.aol.com/DGoncz/Bicycle/L...tmasLights.jpg

ftp://users.aol.com/DGoncz/Bicycle/L...tmasLights.avi

ftp://users.aol.com/DGoncz/Bicycle/L...ppyNewYear.avi

and for browsing the site:

ftp://users.aol.com/DGoncz

The AC motor/generator still is not working as a generator. I am
consulting rewind shops in the area.

Yours,

Doug Goncz
Replikon Research
Seven Corners, VA 22044-0394

wrote:
Well, we've been busy settling into our new digs, but I managed to
recover a movie we shot the first of the year, and a picture showing
the massive generator mounted to the MOEPED #3, the chain drive and
chain ring, the inverter (which is barely visible), and the 24 watts of
Christmas lights that the generator drove through the inverter. The AVI
files, shot during the day, show me riding the MOEPED around the
corners, giving voice to my enthusiasm.

ftp://users.aol.com/DGoncz/Bicycle/L...tmasLights.jpg

ftp://users.aol.com/DGoncz/Bicycle/L...tmasLights.avi

ftp://users.aol.com/DGoncz/Bicycle/L...ppyNewYear.avi

and for browsing the site:

ftp://users.aol.com/DGoncz

The AC motor/generator still is not working as a generator. I am
consulting rewind shops in the area.

Yours,

Doug Goncz
Replikon Research
Seven Corners, VA 22044-0394


Cool.. Hey, I like that bike- how's it ride? Stable on a long hill where
you can really get some speed? It looks like riding it would feel like
flying.

What kind of AC motor are you using as a generator? I remember a site
where a guy was using capacitors to use a squirrel cage motor as a
generator. He was getting good results too.

John

JohnM wrote:

Cool.. Hey, I like that bike- how's it ride?

A little to the squirrely side of agile.

Stable on a long hill where
you can really get some speed?

Yes. Wilson Blvd nearby builds up to like 30 plus mph.

It looks like riding it would feel like
flying.

Sort of a magic carpet ride, eh? It's mostly about not craning your
neck, not getting "wedged" and not stressing your wrists.

What kind of AC motor are you using as a generator?

It's a surpluscenter.com 10-1134 ceiling fan motor. It's the only motor
I could find that was only 3 inches long. Because of this, the motor
drops down between identical chain rings left and right, and the chain
line is short and tight. The chain to the rear generator gives trouble;
it's too long and derails on bumps, trashing the chain ring and the
chain.

I remember a site
where a guy was using capacitors to use a squirrel cage motor as a
generator. He was getting good results too.

Yeah, that's what I am trying but it's an impedance protected motor and
will probably have to be rewound or at least reworked somehow to make
it generate. There's a lot of resistance in series with the inductance,
damping the generated excitation current.

I am planning on buying two 10-1134 motors (cheap) and screwing them
together at the end bell hanger threads with a close nipple, adding a
spring pin or maybe just a dowel, then driving one with the other and
trying a cap sub box (expensive) or parallel caps (cheap) to
demonstrate that the more cap you add, the higher the voltage output,
up to around 50 V, the cap rating. That might predict the right cap to
use as a generator. The alternative is measuring the inductance, and
computing the resonant cap at 60 Hz, but I don't know if this is
supposed to be a resonant circuit.

One web source says poor results can be expected with less than 1/6 HP
single phase, and this is a 1/12 HP motor.

Theoretically, it's a large inductance, and adding a capacitive
(capacitative?) load brings the power factor closer to unity, while
adding a motor, which is an inductive load, moves the power factor away
from unity. Did I get that right?

--Doug

wrote:

JohnM wrote:

Cool.. Hey, I like that bike- how's it ride?


A little to the squirrely side of agile.


Stable on a long hill where
you can really get some speed?


Yes. Wilson Blvd nearby builds up to like 30 plus mph.


It looks like riding it would feel like
flying.


Sort of a magic carpet ride, eh? It's mostly about not craning your
neck, not getting "wedged" and not stressing your wrists.

That sounds pretty much like what I imagine a magic carpet ride to be
like;-) I'd like to try a bike like that though..



What kind of AC motor are you using as a generator?


It's a surpluscenter.com 10-1134 ceiling fan motor. It's the only motor
I could find that was only 3 inches long. Because of this, the motor
drops down between identical chain rings left and right, and the chain
line is short and tight. The chain to the rear generator gives trouble;
it's too long and derails on bumps, trashing the chain ring and the
chain.

Spring-loaded idler sprocket?



I remember a site
where a guy was using capacitors to use a squirrel cage motor as a
generator. He was getting good results too.


Yeah, that's what I am trying but it's an impedance protected motor and
will probably have to be rewound or at least reworked somehow to make
it generate. There's a lot of resistance in series with the inductance,
damping the generated excitation current.

What about rewinding the stator and adding some neodymium (however it's
spelled) magnets to the rotor? I've seen where those are available very
small, about 1/8" round and 1/16" thick IIRC. Do away with the caps
entirely.

Another thought I've had; mount a slug of the mega-magnets on the rim
(you'd lose the brake on that wheel, but I suppose that's the price of
progress;-) and a coil on each side. If you wanted to get fancy, you
could vary the airgap to regulate voltage.. Might be easier to make a
stationary unit with a very true-running wheel?


I am planning on buying two 10-1134 motors (cheap) and screwing them
together at the end bell hanger threads with a close nipple, adding a
spring pin or maybe just a dowel, then driving one with the other and
trying a cap sub box (expensive) or parallel caps (cheap) to
demonstrate that the more cap you add, the higher the voltage output,
up to around 50 V, the cap rating. That might predict the right cap to
use as a generator. The alternative is measuring the inductance, and
computing the resonant cap at 60 Hz, but I don't know if this is
supposed to be a resonant circuit.

One web source says poor results can be expected with less than 1/6 HP
single phase, and this is a 1/12 HP motor.

Theoretically, it's a large inductance, and adding a capacitive
(capacitative?) load brings the power factor closer to unity, while
adding a motor, which is an inductive load, moves the power factor away
from unity. Did I get that right?

Sounds right, but I think you're past me on that..

--Doug

JohnM wrote:

Spring-loaded idler sprocket?

Yes, I have a derailer arm on a shoulder screw on the motor, but it's
too far from the chain ring to guide the chain. Adding one on the chain
stay would be quite a bit of work. The arm I have needs a bushing to
keep it straight. Right now, I'm very limited in what I can fabricate.
Everything's been condesned in the new place. It's cramped.

What about rewinding the stator and adding some neodymium (however it's
spelled) magnets to the rotor? I've seen where those are available very
small, about 1/8" round and 1/16" thick IIRC. Do away with the caps
entirely.

I want to see the self-exciting induction generator work. Adding
magnets defeats that purpose. I guess I'm obsessed with it.

Another thought I've had; mount a slug of the mega-magnets on the rim
(you'd lose the brake on that wheel, but I suppose that's the price of
progress;-) and a coil on each side. If you wanted to get fancy, you
could vary the airgap to regulate voltage.. Might be easier to make a
stationary unit with a very true-running wheel?

I've had that thought, too, or something similar. I figured I could put
fairly large magnets on the spokes and keep the rim brake.

Theoretically, it's a large inductance, and adding a capacitive
(capacitative?) load brings the power factor closer to unity, while
adding a motor, which is an inductive load, moves the power factor away
from unity. Did I get that right?

Sounds right, but I think you're past me on that..

I'm just parroting what I have read, mostly. I understand a little of
it.

Doug

wrote:

JohnM wrote:


Spring-loaded idler sprocket?


Yes, I have a derailer arm on a shoulder screw on the motor, but it's
too far from the chain ring to guide the chain. Adding one on the chain
stay would be quite a bit of work. The arm I have needs a bushing to
keep it straight. Right now, I'm very limited in what I can fabricate.
Everything's been condesned in the new place. It's cramped.

Been there, in a big way.



What about rewinding the stator and adding some neodymium (however it's
spelled) magnets to the rotor? I've seen where those are available very
small, about 1/8" round and 1/16" thick IIRC. Do away with the caps
entirely.


I want to see the self-exciting induction generator work. Adding
magnets defeats that purpose. I guess I'm obsessed with it.

I recognize the obsession, having had it my share of times.. I haven't
built an induction generator yet either, got a little Deutz diesel out
back and a *big* old 7&1/2 HP 3ph. motor that looks just right to mate
with it.. we'll get another blackout and I'll be out there in the dark
wondering how to pull it off.



Another thought I've had; mount a slug of the mega-magnets on the rim
(you'd lose the brake on that wheel, but I suppose that's the price of
progress;-) and a coil on each side. If you wanted to get fancy, you
could vary the airgap to regulate voltage.. Might be easier to make a
stationary unit with a very true-running wheel?


I've had that thought, too, or something similar. I figured I could put
fairly large magnets on the spokes and keep the rim brake.

That ain't so bad of a thought..



Theoretically, it's a large inductance, and adding a capacitive
(capacitative?) load brings the power factor closer to unity, while
adding a motor, which is an inductive load, moves the power factor away
from unity. Did I get that right?

Sounds right, but I think you're past me on that..


I'm just parroting what I have read, mostly. I understand a little of
it.

Doug