Introduction
This pedal-powered "Personal Power Plant" (P�) is an example of a "do-it-yourself" project that students could build economically and with limited technical skills. The P� is a good long-term project to be undertaken by middle and/or high school students interested in designing, building, and using an energy bike to learn about energy production, conversion, efficiency, and related concepts. The P� was designed by the following mechanical engineering students at UW - Madison: Bart Downing, Aaron Everson, Rick Giallombardo, and Tami Peissig.
Students and their instructors may use the P� as a springboard to design and build a similar device -- something that is able to convert mechanical energy to electrical energy. Let us know of your own designs and we'll be happy to report them on our web pages!
The P� is basically a modified bicycle frame mounted upside-down on a wooden platform in front of a steel stacking chair. The rear wheel of the device is connected with a belt to a 12 Volt DC generator. The generator provides power to an array of devices arranged to demonstrate their relative power demands.
We've included step-by-step instructions on how the P� was constructed. All you need to do is: