How to Recharge Batteries With Wheels
Build your own wheel-powered generator to recharge batteries or electronic devices. Any method that turns a DC motor in reverse will create electricity that you can harness to power devices that run on standard AC power, including consumer battery chargers. Hand cranks, wind turbines, pedal systems and water wheels are all examples of free, renewable energy sources that can turn a wheel to power your electrical generator system. Does this Spark an idea?
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Instructions
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Harness a form of green power to turn a wheel or axle. If you have a body of running water on your property such as a stream, you can build a water wheel to harness that energy. Wind-powered turbines are a common method for turning a DC motor; detailed instructions for building a wind turbine are available at homemadeenergy.org. A stationary bike can be used to turn your DC motor if you affix the toothed gear from the rear wheel of the bike to the motor axle. Similarly, a hand crank can be substituted for bike pedals. Regardless of what method you use to turn the DC motor, the rest of the construction steps will be the same. Use a DC motor with a high voltage and low RPM. A DC motor that runs between 30 and 90 volts and that operates below 425 RPM at 12 volts would be optimal. There are a number of commercially available solutions for methods to turn your generator wheel (see Resources).
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Wire the DC motor to a charge controller using a soldering iron or by using nuts and bolts if the wire gauge is thick enough to support such hardware. Use a 45-amp charge controller for best results. The charge controller prevents the batteries you will use to store electricity from overcharging, which could be dangerous. Set the charge controller to allow current to the batteries when the charge drops below 11.7 volts and to shut off when the charge exceeds 14.3 volts.
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Wire the charge controller to a bank of "deep cycle" batteries. The number of batteries you will need depends on your power needs. Deep cycle batteries are used in forklifts and golf carts. Often, you can get used batteries from facilities that use these vehicles. "Home Made Energy," a manual for building wind and solar energy systems, gives detailed information on calculating the number of batteries you will need for your batter bank and how to obtain them at the lowest cost.
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Wire the battery bank to an AC inverter by soldering fine-gauge wire or bolting more substantial cables. The gauge and length of wire you will need in between the DC motor, charge controller, battery bank and AC inverter will depend on your power needs and the distance between your components. If the electrical generator system is built outdoors, you will need to house it to protect it from the elements.
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Plug appliances and battery chargers into the AC inverter's outlets to use the electricity you have stored in your electrical generator's battery bank. The AC inverter can also be connected to your household electrical system by wiring it directly to the exterior fuse box.
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Tips & Warnings
If you plan to use a hand crank or pedal-powered system, don't crank your generator if the charge controller is off. When the charge controller is off, you are wasting effort turning the wheels.
Commercially built wind turbines are available for home use, but local ordinances may apply to building this type of wind device.
Batteries can be dangerous. They may leak or explode if mishandled. If you are ever unsure of how to proceed, consult a professional electrician.
References
Resources
- Photo Credit Water Wheel image by Towards Ithaca from Fotolia.com
