Fab Lab - making the flywheel and maybe the stand.
Gimp - to make most of ours designs.
Scratch - to make the animation.
EL Wire - to make lighted patterns on the bike for entertainment.
Basically we will be using alternative energy for the entire project, because we depend on an alternate energy to generate power.
Description:
-Update 7/18/2012:
Basically what we are making is a bike powered generator. We were donated a bike from the Community Spoke. We removed the rear tire of the back wheel, in order for a V-Belt to wrap around it. The other end of the V-Belt connected to a flywheel, which is a piece to hold the belt in place. This piece is held onto the motor. Connected to the motor is a capacitor, which will store energy. In addition, a diode is connected to ensure a straight and single current to flow to the end of the wire. As the bike is pedaling, the motor will spin, and it will be connected to a battery from there. Because the batteries output will be in a direct current (DC), we will need to convert it into (AC) since that is the form of electrical current we will be needing. This is where an inverter will come into play, because an inverter's job is to change a direct current into a usable alternating current.
Problems/Issues
The problems that people have, especially in America, is the growing increase in obesity. According to the Adult Obesity Facts from the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Protection), over 35.7% of American adults are obese. Therefore, us as a group are trying to solve obesity, but also find a way to double up on the use of the bike. So we concluded that another way we can use the bike in addition to exercise is to create energy that is able to power small appliances, like a phone battery, blender or microwave oven. The issues that arise in the world is the amount of energy and money we spend on a daily basis. Through our method of eco-friendly energy production, as well as living a healthy lifestyle, we can help people save money, gas and lose weight and stay fit, all at the same time.
Problems/Issues that we encountered:
-Finding all of our materials, either low-priced or donated, since most of our materials are pretty pricey.
-Converting DC to AC, which we now have, by using an inverter.
History:
A group in Guatemala called Maya Pedal (http://mayapedal.org/index.html) has developed a new way to create and develop energy through bike power. Since the rural villages in Guatemala are lacking in technology, they used a bike to power their essentials, such as a blender, washing machine and corn stripper.
We chose to do a bicycle powered generator that stores energy because it is cost-efficient and is a lot more convenient. These links influenced us because it was a simple way to help people and the environment as a whole.
- 2" X 4" Wood - Wrench - V-belt - Saw - Diode - Wood screws or nails - Battery - Hammer or Screwdriver - Inverter - Tape Measure - Wire - Screwdriver - Motor (12-V or higher) - Perforated plumbers steel (if motor does not have mounting bracket)
Extra: EL Wire/Motor
Definitions of Materials:
Electric Motor: a device that changes electrical energy into mechanical energy. Most motors use the force of magnetism to work. In 1821, Michael Faraday made the first electric motor using magnetism.
Generator: a device that changes mechanical energy into kinetic energy.
Diode: In simple terms, according to Jalen, a diode is a piece that will ensure that a current will flow one way.
V-Belt/Vee Belt: "Vee belts (also known as V-belt or wedge rope) solved the slippage and alignment problem. It is now the basic belt for power transmission. They provide the best combination of traction, speed of movement, load of the bearings, and long service life. The V-belt was developed in 1917 by John Gates of the Gates Rubber Company. They are generally endless, and their general cross-section shape is trapezoidal. The "V" shape of the belt tracks in a mating groove in the pulley (or sheave), with the result that the belt cannot slip off. The belt also tends to wedge into the groove as the load increases — the greater the load, the greater the wedging action — improving torque transmission and making the V-belt an effective solution, needing less width and tension than flat belts. V-belts trump flat belts with their small center distances and high reduction ratios. The preferred center distance is larger than the largest pulley diameter, but less than three times the sum of both pulleys. Optimal speed range is 1000–7000 ft/min. V-belts need larger pulleys for their larger thickness than flat belts. They can be supplied at various fixed lengths or as a segmented section, where the segments are linked (spliced) to form a belt of the required length. For high-power requirements, two or more vee belts can be joined side-by-side in an arrangement called a multi-V, running on matching multi-groove sheaves. The strength of these belts is obtained by reinforcements with fibers like steel, polyester or aramid (e.g. Twaron or Kevlar). This is known as a multiple-V-belt drive (or sometimes a "classical V-belt drive"). When an endless belt does not fit the need, jointed and link V-belts may be employed. However they are weaker and only usable at speeds up to 4000 ft/min. A link v-belt is a number of rubberized fabric links held together by metal fasteners. They are length adjustable by disassembling and removing links when needed." (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Belt_(mechanical))
2x4 Wood: Wood that is originally 2 inches by 4 inches LOL
Flywheel: a circular piece that holds the V-Belt in place. This piece is stuck to the motor.
Pros/Cons:
Pros: Able to save money, gas and power.
Requires little effort to power.
In case of power outage, the ability to power something is available.
Cost efficient.
Cons: Inconvenient.
Takes up substantial space.
Time is not efficient.
Not as strong as an average device, i.e, a microwave may take up to 1800 watts to power, while our project may be over 80% less strong.
Questions:
Will it work?
How does it work?
Why does it work?
Weight limit?
Are there specific devices that can/can not be powered?
What is the amount of power produced?
What general technologies will we use?
Will we finish in time?
Total cost?
*These questions may/may not be answered by the end of the project session.*
____________________
Monday July 9th, 2012.
W.D.W.D.T. (What Did We Do Today)
-Brainstorming ideas.
-Elaborate on prior and past projects.
-Come up with a new project idea for Summer 2012.
Ideas:
-Solar Powered Energy Bike Generated Oven.
Tuesday July 10th, 2012
W.D.W.D.T.
Goals: Update the wiki.
Upload drawings and sketches.
Contact "Bikes Not Bombs" for Marine Battery.
LOTS OF RESEARCH.
Wednesday July 11th, 2012
W.D.W.D.T.
Goals: Check to see if "Bikes Not Bombs" has responded to past email about donating a bike to us.
Update the wiki.
Seeing where we can buy our materials and if they're affordable.
Deciding what type of battery is best for this project.
Find out how to incorporate EL wire into our project and how to use it.
From Susan:
1. Find a mentor - I listed some places you can call in a comment: Someone with experience who can guide you.
2. Find at least 3 generator designs on web and chart and compare them: What is the same and different? What is unique about design? What problems did they run into and how did they solve them? What are the pros/cons of the designs?
3. Find at least 3 bicycle stand designs. List pros and cons. Can you make it with a 4x6 router?
3 Types of Generators:
1. Marine Battery - has both battery and inverter directly connected: direct connection between both.
2. Car Battery - a rechargeable battery that is found in automobiles. It supplies power to vehicles. If using a car battery, you will need an inverter.
3. Inverter - a device used to convert a direct current to an alternative current. Usually it increases the voltage.
Possible Design Mechanisms:
Using Permanent Magnet Blower Motor from car, part can be attached to the side of the wheel on bike and while the wheel is being turned by the pedals, the blower motor could be attached to the marine battery in order to produce the recharged energy.
Thursday July 12th, 2012
W.D.W.D.T
Goals: Update the wiki.
Check to see if "Bikes Not Bombs" has replied with an e-mail yet.
Make an actual prototype that is approved by all college mentors.
After the approval, hopefully get a bicycle to start to build a frame around it.
Finally determine the battery we will use and incorporate into the project.
Jobs: Jalen/Gerard: Build Lego prototype and frame.
Hassan: Research on how to make bicycle stand, how much energy can a generator produce, overall research for project and sketch.
Joshua: Update wiki, consult with group what kind of battery to use, draw prototype and upload, e-mail different locations of resources to be donated/given.
Have 2 wooden sticks of 1.5 x 1.5 in, and 2 wooden sticks of 1.5 x 0.7 in.
Measure width of the handlebars; make sure to use about two inches less of space.
Measure the height of the wheel from the bottom to where the wheel bends in.
Have two beams screwed together for the extra support.
Connect beams to needed height.
Prototype Finished Video:
Monday July 16th, 2012
W.D.W.D.T
Goals: Find a mentor from MIT Miters.
Pick up the bike from "Bikes Not Bombs".
Jobs: Gerard & Hassan are going to MITERS (MIT Electronic Research Society) to find a mentor to teach us about a BPG (bike powered generator).
Jalen and Joshua are going to "Bikes Not Bombs" to pick up a bike that Susan has called prior about. (The specs for our bike is just a simple frame, no brakes. It just needs pedals, gears and the chain to connect to the motor that will spin to the generator.)
Update lé wiki.
We contacted "Bikes Not Bombs", but unfortunately, the man there was away and would not be back until later today, so were redirected to the Community Spokes, which is bike co-op, and they were willing to make a bicycle for us fitting our needs. However, the bike would be available tomorrow between the times of 6pm to 9pm. Therefore one of us as group members will need to stop by the location and build the bike with the man there named Alex, and then take it home and bring it in the next day for use. We also have to e-mail Alex about any specifications and requirements. We have to show him our layout and plans, drawings, etc. We will also display and advertise the Community Spokes on the bike, once we get it.
We took a motor from a prior project that we can use for our project.
We contacted Alex from the Community Spokes on coming into their location and picking up the bike.
"Hello my name is Joshua Yu. I work at the Learn 2 Teach Teach 2 Learn program at the South End Technology Center. We help the community and solve various problems around the world using knowledge of tools and programs that will enhance the lives of many people. My team members and I have been collaborating and working on a project in the summer to make a bicycle powered generator that will be connected to an oven to be powered. An idea we came up with was to use solar panels in the day to power the oven by sun, and in the night using the bike to pedal and generate energy. So what we need is a simple bike frame with working pedals and spinning wheels, and moving gears. Along with this e-mail is an attached drawing and layout of what we need exactly. In addition to me, my team members are Jalen Wiggins, Hassan Sakhta and Gerard Potts. One of us will be going to your location to build the bike with you and take it to work the next day. You can reach me at 617-780-7038, and the Learn 2 Teach program at (617) 578-0597 and we are located at 359 Columbus Avenue Boston, MA 02116-6005. The woman who called is Susan Klimczak, and I believe she left you her phone number. Thank you for your time reading this, and I hope to see you soon."
We contacted the Community Spoke because we called many different places and they only led us to other places, which got us nowhere. However, we were introduced to Alex from the Community Spoke, and therefore we were able to obtain a bike.
Tuesday July 17th, 2012
W.D.W.D.T
Goals: Update the wiki, A LOT.
Research what type of battery we need.
Jobs: Hassan and Gerard made a Google Docs Powerpoint Presentation on a general idea of the whole project in case different hubs need to know what our plans or.
Jalen found a motor will a V-Belt Gear that fits perfectly with a V-Belt.
Joshua will be updating the wiki, looking some history of bike powered generators and contacting some people in case the "not using a mentor" idea will backfire.
We contacted Jessica Mink from rozziebikes.org, and we asked if someone would consider giving us some insight on coming in and mentoring us.
"Hi my name is Joshua Yu and I work at the Learn 2 Teach Teach 2 Learn program at the South End Technology Center. Here at the South End Technology Center, we strive to help the communities around us by using greener and efficient ways to solve problem around the world. My fellow colleagues and I are working on a project involving a bike. We plan to use a bike and power a device like an oven or blender. One of our ideas was to use bike power and connect it to a motor which will be connected to a generator to create power in which we will use. Using this type of technology, people will save money, power and gas. However, we have never done something like this before, and therefore we would like a mentor to come in, or we could come in ourselves, and give us some insight on our project, and some advice on what to do. Because our deadline is in about 2 weeks, we would like to find a mentor before the said time period and help us. My partners are Hassan Sakhta, Jalen Wiggins and Gerard Potts. You can reach us at (617) 578-0597 and we are located at 359 Columbus Avenue Boston, MA 02116-6005. You can specifically reach me at (617)-780-7038. Thank you for your time reading and I hope to see you soon."
Notes:
Using a fly wheel, it will require less effort. The generated RPM must be same or a little higher than the RPM of the dynamo because if there is less RPM, there will be less voltage generated and it will not be sufficient enough to charge the battery. If the RPM is too much, it may damage the dynamo. Some alternatives to a motor include a car alternator because they are designed not to overcharge. The battery we can use is a standard automotive battery, 12 volts pushing >50 amps. Also, if we change the gear ratio on the bike, you could spin the back wheel faster with less energy.
Google Docs PPP: (credits to Hassan Sahkta and Gerard Potts)
Jalen is removing the wheel from the bike that was donated to us by the Community Spoke, thanks to Alex, who was very humble and kind enough, and configuring measurements for the stand.
Gerard is continuously researching for car batteries and calling Auto Shops across of Boston to see if anyone is generous enough to donate a car battery to us.
Joshua is working in the Fab Lab to produce a fly wheel for the motor of the bike generator.
Hassan is writing this and is going to work on the model of the bike stand and configure measurements from the bike.
Joshua attempted his first fly wheel with acrylic and it ended up being a failure because the hold in the middle was too big for the motor to go inside of the motor and the acrylic ended up cracking in half.
Gerard has been repetitively contacting numerous amounts of auto body shops around Boston attempting to persuade anyone to donate a car battery to us and frankly has not had any luck. I also tryed to look up the book "Pedal Power" In Work, Leisure and Transportation. edited by James C. McCullagh. the internet said that they didnt have one. So I think im just going to try and find it on the web and use that one, instead of just using a regular book. The internet would be easier than just using a book I believe.
Today has been a tremendous breakthrough with the project as a whole with Hassan being able to contact an auto body shop in Allston called by Glenville Terrace Autobody owned by Barry Hynes whom was extremely enthusiastic in donating a battery to the South End Technology Center. Barry was looking for an opportunity to give back to the community and this was the one when Hassan called. The battery we obtained was a standard 12 Volt battery from a regular car and is in very good shape, looks like new.
Joshua, Gerard, and Jalen have been working all together in the Fab Lab and middle room in producing the bike generator. They have removed the rubber from the back wheel, as well as producing a fly wheel for the motor. Now as a group we are working in making a stand so that the bike could stand on its own and the back wheel will be hanging up in the air so that the bike is stationary and won't go anywhere. In the end the big piece of wood screwed onto the bottom of the bike was not the best procedure and went back to the drawing board.
With the day drawing near an end, we need to get a V-Belt, and hopefully someone will be able to donate that item as well. We also need 2 by 4 wood in order to maintain a well ans sturdy stand for the bike since the idea we had tried today did not work to its best potential. We as well need to be able to know which inverter we are going to use for the project as well, we need to know which inverter is compatible with the car battery.
In addition, Susan's friend Ming came in during the last half hour of work and gave us some insight. He said that the flywheel can only be made when we determine the voltage output of the motor connected to the battery. That way we can see if the flywheel can be a sufficient size for the overall structure, otherwise the flywheel may be too small/big and the project will not succeed.
Thursday July 19th, 2012
W.D.W.D.T
Goals: Get approval by college mentors for us to buy 2x4 wood planks to make our stand.
Test our motor and how much voltage it produces.
Look up and contact people about getting an inverter.
Jobs: Jalen is in the Fab Lab working on the motor since we found out that the motor that we took from Phi last year had diodes already attached to it, but we didn't check so therefore we added an unnecessary diode.
Joshua will put down what we need on the materials list from the Google Docs Spreadsheet.
Hassan and Gerard are contacting people from around the neighborhood to donate an inverter.
Notes:
Beckett helped Jalen and Joshua in the fab lab test the motor to ensure that energy flows only one way, but we had the diode for that. In addition, we also need to ensure that energy will be produced to charge, and not to spend on the motor. That is why we need a capacitor, in which we already have. We should also think about where to get a flywheel and if someone can donate it to us.
Monday July 23, 2012
Today as a group, we will be working on several things:
Gerard is continuously looking for an inverter and seeing which is the cheapest and which would be the best fit for the design.
Jalen is making the stand for the bike, and seeing which is the best fit for the design.
Joshua is making a design for the stand in which the bike will be rested upon. He also made a GIMP drawing of the layout of wires and electrical components.
Tuesday July 24, 2012
First and foremost, a special thank you to David Solomon (our college mentor), for bringing in the DC to AC Power Inverter (300 Watt) to work today. But for the day, we are going to need find out where to get a 12V Battery Clip-On Adapter because the inverter we received today directly plugs into the cigarette plug in cars so we need the adapter so we can directly connect the inverter to the car battery via clip on.
Gerard will be looking up the the adapter clip on and figuring out where we will be purchasing it and have concluded that we will purchase it from Sears.
Joshua and Jalen are working on the stand and the dimensions for it, we need to know the dimensions of it so we will be able to know how big and how short the wood should be. We will also using different size wire for the motor because 24 Volts will be too much voltage passing through such a small wire.
After trying for getting approval for the adapter, Susan has told us that that would be too lose and the it could be hazardous to the children if they are running around. We came up with an alternative as having a box around the battery and the inverter to prevent anything from happening.
Wednesday July 25th, 2012
According to Susan, we can't teach today and we have to work on the Wiki all day.
To Susan,
We know how many times you told us to update our wiki, and we did it to the best we could, but there were just some things that we couldn’t improve upon, and therefore you kept persisting us to improve on it. We just didn’t have anything to add. You kept saying to organize everything and putting things in this place and that. Just because the other groups from prior years had their priorities straightened out, and they knew where to put things, we as a group feel like we shouldn’t base our wiki upon theirs. Another underlying reason you feel this way is because our group has 2 returning youth teachers that worked on a project last year that failed. This reason does not seem fair because we know that you are trying to get us to improve and do better last year, but you have to realize that we also lost 2 members last year during the last couple weeks, and we were forced to carry the load on our backs in time for the Project Expo. When it came time for the Project Expo, we struggled to fill up an inflatable pool, using cups of water. The pool wasn’t filled in time, and therefore we couldn’t get the project to work. Therefore you are saying that Gerard and Joshua should improve based on last year’s project. It doesn’t make sense to judge a group’s ability to work based on their wiki. You can do well without it. If you compare our wiki to any other groups, we stand out in the end. Honestly, we as a group feel like we have the best wiki. You expect us to be the best and have the greatest wiki because we have 3 returning youth teachers, but that’s no reason to expect the best from our group because you can’t base someone’s prior knowledge depending on the amount of years they have stayed. In addition, making people stay after to work on the wiki is not understandable as a group. Everyone has things to do, and the criteria were that we stay until 3 o’clock. We could do the wiki during work time, not after. If you really wanted the wiki to be perfect, you should’ve sat down with our group and discussed it with us. Just telling us or writing down things we needed to change was not going to cut it. Sending two groups to Archdale wasn’t such a good idea. As a group, we did not have as much problems. However, the other group that joined us quarreled to the max. They were throwing blames here and there, and we think their group was hurt as a whole.
In conclusion, we think your judgments are very biased. We shouldn’t be here at Archdale writing this letter right now. This could’ve all been avoided if you just sat down with our group to discuss. We feel like there has to be drastic changes to the way you treat certain people and groups in the program. We feel like you’ve changed because Ed’s not here and you had to take the role of the disciplinarian, but that doesn’t seem to be working out. Us as a group, feel like our wiki is in tip-top shape and we feel that our group is better than some groups in the program. Thanks for reading this and we hope you take this into consideration.
Sincerely,
Gerard Potts, Hassan Sahkta, Jalen Wiggins and Joshua Yu
Dear iBike,
Thanks for your cries of outrage, which I believe need to be an essential part of every learning process, especially learning from experience! Hurrah to you for putting this into words and posting it publicly, for until we all "get real" with each other, we can't give each other "real help."It doesn't make sense to hide the bumpy parts of the process.
Now, as far as the "discussing" goes, we tried to explain why we were asking each group to rework the Imagine, Explore and Design steps of the Engineering Design Process in our circle up at the end of the second week of building. It was to help you clarify your process and thinking and so that others could get a clear idea of what you are doing up front. We followed this up with some written notes. Then you got verbal feedback and explanation of your task when you met in the design review with college mentors. I followed up with you all on a number of occasions.
Every group had a chance to complete their wiki updates for the Imagine, Explore and Design steps during the 9am - 3pm work time. I pushed the deadline up several times. From my perspective, the consequence of having you finish the assigned job before signing in for work today was about being fair to the groups that did pull together successfully as a team to get the job completed! Team work makes the dream work.
Now, you say that my "discipline" is not working out, but when I look at the work you have done on your wiki page in the last 24 hours, I feel you have transformed your documentation into a strong contender for an excellent wiki that is among the best. 48 hours ago, I would not have said that! I believe (from my 25 years of education experience) that you will find the process of struggling to put into words what you have done and what you plan to do -- even tho you feel resistant to doing it -- will significantly increase your learning and looking back at the end of the summer, you will be amazed and might feel differently.
I have high expectations for you being able to live into and demonstrate your genius. Today, Mel gave a talk about what happened in our group at SETC. He talked about how what is wrong with schools in Boston is that they don't have high expectations and our youth get used to low expectations that stunt their genius. And if you get mad at me for holding you to those high expectations, I welcome that anger, indeed! And whether you feel it or not, I hold each of you in my heart with great sense of highly affectionate responsibility for your educational care and a commitment to doing my best to help you grow a strong "technology of the heart" as well!
With great respect and love, Susan
p.s. since i am not sure joshua is gettin' my text messages, just want to say again that I love love love your battery/inverter diagram that you posted a few days ago. it made me smile a few nights ago when i was lookin' over the wikis.
p.s.s. As for you not participating in teaching practice, I think of you all as already having among the best teaching skills. Even Hassan, as a first year youth teacher, has teaching experience with Scratch through his other job. So, when I sent you all over to Archdale, it was because I had confidence that you already had the chops to teach and would benefit more from this work you did on your project and the kind of teaching prep you are doing with Donna. That wasn't a negative part of the "consequence." It was a sign of my esteem and confidence in you as teachers, but I should have told you this outright. . . my bad and I apologize. But now you know a little more of the why. . .
Monday August 14, 2012
Joshua and Jalen spent the whole day at SETC finishing the bike stand. Basically we sanded the stand down and drilled the pieces on. We took ideas from Susan , Ming and the college mentors and incorporated them these ideas were basically to drill the stand on a base. We're going to put triangles on the base to strengthen the base so that it wouldn't wobble when someones on the bike and riding.
Tuesday August 15, 2012
After testing the weight of the bike on the actual stand, it came to notice that the stand was not fully stable. When Hassan had gotten onto the bike and began to pedal, the weight ended up cracking the wood. Attempting to resolve the issue, it had come to the group's attention that the stand was not supporting the weight, the bike was too shaky. The group concluded that to resolve the issue, we would use 6 inch bolts in order to keep everything intact.
Inspirational video: http://mayapedal.org/index.html - A project based in Guatemala developed upon only using bike power to power the things that they use daily, including washing their clothes, working a blender and getting clean and running water.
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