Rather than using a battery, I would like to feed the generated power back into my wall socket and have an amp-meter read-out attached inline for psychological satisfaction. It seems to me that this would save on parts and maybe even be more efficient.
But I'm no EE. I assume it's possible to do - but what would it take to convert the energy appropriately/safely? How much energy would be wasted in the conversion to 120v ac over other applications? I also assume that any modern household circuit could safely handle the additional supply from pedal power.
"Dynapods"
"This pedal-powered contraption can run a computer, split logs, or churn butter"
http://grist.org/list/this-pedal-powered-contraption-can-run-a-computer-split-logs-or-churn-butter/
- An average adult can pedal it to generate 100 watts of electricity, pump 5 gallons of water per minute, grind a variety of grains, operate an air compressor, a hydraulic pump, most any hand-cranked machine, and a variety of small shop tools. It has been found to be particularly suitable for small scale agricultural applications such as cracking grains, churning butter, and pumping water.
Writtenonsand 14:01, 24 May 2013 (PDT)