The Pedal Powered TV/VCR
Designed and Built by Bart Orlando
The pedal powered TV/VCR was designed and built by Bart Orlando for display at CCAT's pedal powered lab in 1998. The components include a Schwinn recumbent exercise bike, a 1800 rpm - 24v permanent magnet generator and a Panasonic 12v-color tv with a 13" screen. The generator is driven by a fan belt which wraps around the outer circumference of the bike's 15" diameter - 40lb flywheel and the 4" diameter pulley on the drive shaft of the generator. The generator is mounted on the underside of a wooden pedestal that the front end of the bike rests upon. The relative sizes of the flywheel and pulley determine the range of voltage the generator can deliver, which is between 0 - 20 volts. The exact output voltage is determined by how fast one pedals. The optimum voltage, based on ease of pedaling effort seems to be approximately 15 volts while pedaling at 90 rpm. There is no battery used in this system. Electricity flows directly from the generator to the panasonic tv/vcr, which has been operated this way for five years without damage to its circuitry.
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The pedal powered TV/VCR and its recumbent generator bike was displayed in the pedal powered lab by the interpretive display.
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CCAT co-director Kendra Cecil demonstrates how to pedal power the TV/VCR for a group of touring students.
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CCAT co-director Dana Papke assisting Bart Orlando as shown in this article taken from the HSU school newspaper.
