# Bicycle Dynamo powered by model I.C. engine



## Brian Rupnow (Nov 25, 2014)

Today I tested the bicycle generator (dynamo) that was sent to me by a fellow member. Not knowing what voltage this thing produces, and not having a voltmeter, I robbed a 2.9 volt rated battery out of a flashlight and jerry rigged a pigtail and alligator clamp to the bulb and the output terminal of the dynamo. I have a small cogged drive belt that I salvaged off something, and holding a 1" pulley in the milling machine chuck and pulling the belt tight I was able to light the flashlight bulb.  This satisfies me that the dynamo does indeed produce electricity. It did need to be rotating at a pretty respectable rpm to light the bulb, but I don't have actual figures on the rpm.  I intend to machine a 0.8" diameter flat pulley with side flanges on it to press fit onto the knurled end of the dynamo, and use the same belt that is in the picture to drive the dynamo from the 2" diameter starter hub on my side valve engine. This will give me a ratio of 2.5:1, so if the engine is rotating at 1500 rpm, the dynamo will be revolving at 3750 rpm. I have to design and fabricate a mounting base for the dynamo and a belt tightening mechanism, as I want the dynamo and its base to be a "composite unit" separate from the engine.--Stay Tuned!!!


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## /// (Nov 25, 2014)

The sight of this thing has caused an involuntary twitch in my left eye.

Memories of my youth and how damned inefficient these things are.

I can't find an english version, but this video is exactly how I remember it:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=i7kgzgcqe5s


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## Swifty (Nov 25, 2014)

That's exactly how I remember mine as well, I longed for one as a kid and eventually got a secondhand one.

Paul.


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## Brian Rupnow (Nov 25, 2014)

I think I have most of this sussed out now. I have a short length of 24DP rack left over from when I built the sawmill, and I will build the mounting plates from 3/4" aluminum. The sprag will be a bit of 1/4" square steel key stock. I want to be able to start the engine with the belt loose under "no load" conditions, then tighten the belt gradually until the revs come up on the dynamo. The sprag will hold the belt tight. I haven't modeled the release mechanism yet. I have to go out and buy a bulb and holder yet.


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## Brian Rupnow (Nov 25, 2014)

I made the pulley and pressed it on. That went well, but the pulley was so smooth the belt slipped badly. Next trick was to go all around the pulley with my automatic punch and "upset" the metal to give a little something for the belt to grip. If I was smart instead of good looking, I would have knurled it while it was still in the lathe.---Nah, that wouldn't have worked. I just checked and the knurling tool is too wide to fit between the flanges.


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## Toolguy (Nov 25, 2014)

How about some skateboard tape on the pulley?


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## gus (Nov 25, 2014)

Hi Brian,

You have justed started a ''Bicycle Genset'' Trend and we expect more such Gensets will appear powered by IC Engine.th_wav .


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## Hopper (Nov 25, 2014)

Have you thought about using an old "Dyno-Hub"? It was a generator built into a small hub like a small brake hub on the front wheel. Unlike the type of dynamo that rubbed on the tire, the Dyno-Hub required no extra noticeable pedalling effort to turn it over.
From what I remember they were made by Sturmey Archer in the UK. But apparently more powerful models are available today from the Japanese manufacturers.such as Shimano.


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## offchopdarwin (Nov 26, 2014)

that out put is around 3.5 volts


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## Brian Rupnow (Nov 26, 2014)

I like the sound of the skateboard tape Toolguy. I may buy some if I need it.--Brian


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## Brian Rupnow (Nov 26, 2014)

There was a bit of method to my madness!!! By building and installing the pulley first, I was able to start the engine this morning and drive the dynamo via drive belt from my engine itself. Remember, the only test done previous to this was to drive the dynamo from my milling machine arbor. At any rate, even at half throttle the engine doesn't even grunt, and the lightbulb lights up like the lighthouse at Rhodes!!!---A very positive result!!! I needed to check this out before I wasted time building any of the other parts. Now that I know the engine drives the dynamo with no problem, I can proceed.


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## goldstar31 (Nov 26, 2014)

It's all very ancient stuff but interesting. It was the English firm Raleigh that sold the Raleigh Sturmey Archer Dynohub. There is lots on the 'net at least from the Brits. I recall vaguely the dynamo which knackered the side walls of already pretty knackered push bike tyres(tires) during the war.
There were no replacements when the Far East was overun for tyres and tubes! I recall that some aspiring guys wound cycle tubing around the milled edge  to minimise wear.

Matron let me out of the asylum for a couple of hours and I visited a sort of Aunty Wainwright  of Last of the Summer Wine junk shop- and found a Winged Wheel thing. I guess that Ned Westbury built the Busy Bee motor to do much the same.

One of my old 'dearies' in her near nineties has a NSU Quickly in the cellar. Never been run for perhaps 50 years- and she is playing 'sticky- to it

Cheers

Norman


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## canadianhorsepower (Nov 26, 2014)

Brian 
 your motor is running so slow we can read the part number 
 on the belt, and the fan is almost stopRof}Rof}Rof}


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## tornitore45 (Nov 26, 2014)

Light bulb?  Have you considered LED's, they consume very little and place a corresponding minimal load.

Since the "dynamo" generate AC, LED's need to be place "back to back".
LED's will flicker, perhaps not visibly but enough to strobe any part of the engine.


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## Brian Rupnow (Nov 26, 2014)

I believe everything that has been said about the effort to pedal a bicycle with one of these installed on it. I used to own one many years ago. Fortunately, the engine seems to run it with no problem. I did consider LED units, but I'm not an electricky sort of person. A bulb will do fine for me.


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## Lathejack (Nov 26, 2014)

I have been reading this thread with interest. Amongst several projects I have on the go at the moment is one of the 1/4 scale hopper cooled horizontal open crank Red Wing engines.

A year or two ago I rescued a dynamo from the front wheel hub of an old bike thrown in the big skip at work, with the intention of driving it with the Red Wing engine, when I finally finish it.

This dynamo is also a Sturmey Archer and although in good external condition it  is in need of a strip and rebuild. I think it dates from the late 1950's or early 60's, it's stamped on it somewhere. A special keep plate is required when dismantling to prevent loss of magnetism. 

When I was a teenager I had a speedometer on my bike and this, like your dynamo, was also driven off the front tyre. So while eagerly seeing how fast I was going it was actually slowing me down. I remember crashing into the front of a parked car while concentrating on the speedo as I frantically tried to break the 15 MPH barrier! Spectacularly bent front forks were the result.

I also remember fitting a small mileometer, this was mounted on the front wheel spindle and was driven off a small lug clamped to one of the spokes. I am sure I also crashed into another stationary solid object while squinting to make out the vast distance I was sure I had travelled, bloody hell!

Anyway, this thread has renewed my interest so I will take a closer look at that old dynamo. I suspect the hub type do not need to rotate as fast as the tyre driven type.


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## gus (Nov 27, 2014)

I bought a lot of five bicycle dynamo from Ebay. I have four to give away as Christmas Presents. Any taker??. DHL from Singapore will be expensive.


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## ShopShoe (Nov 27, 2014)

Brian,

I vote in favor of the light bulb. To me it seems in character with the rest of the setup. You may be able to use a suitable socket and find bulbs of different voltages to play with for your final effect.

--ShopShoe


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## jj-smith (Nov 27, 2014)

offchopdarwin said:


> that out put is around 3.5 volts


 
 Seems to me that that's right, I remember something like 2.9v through the cob webs in my mind.

 I think I played with six volt lights. J.


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## jj-smith (Nov 27, 2014)

Brian Rupnow said:


> There was a bit of method to my madness!!! By building and installing the pulley first, I was able to start the engine this morning and drive the dynamo via drive belt from my engine itself. Remember, the only test done previous to this was to drive the dynamo from my milling machine arbor. At any rate, even at half throttle the engine doesn't even grunt, and the lightbulb lights up like the lighthouse at Rhodes!!!---A very positive result!!! I needed to check this out before I wasted time building any of the other parts. Now that I know the engine drives the dynamo with no problem, I can proceed.



 Don't you just love it when things work better than you thought they would?


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## jj-smith (Nov 27, 2014)

Lathejack said:


> I have been reading this thread with interest. Amongst several projects I have on the go at the moment is one of the 1/4 scale hopper cooled horizontal open crank Red Wing engines.
> 
> I year or two ago I rescued a dynamo from the front wheel hub of an old bike thrown in the big skip at work, with the intention of driving it with the Red Wing engine, when I finally finish it.
> 
> ...


 

 LMAO...,

 Those are indeed memories that will always return and make one laugh.

 I flipped when you mentioned the "mileometer" it was one of those "status" things at school, it was a prized possession back then in Holland when I was a kid.
 A nice solid and compact chrome little thing with the tiny window on top. it read off miles (kilometers in my case.) 
 A wonderful little ticker that went all the way to 9000 klicks.
 Totally useless mind you, but fun. J.


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## jj-smith (Nov 27, 2014)

gus said:


> I bought a lot of five bicycle dynamo from Ebay. I have four to give away as Christmas Presents. Any taker??. DHL from Singapore will be expensive.



 Gus...,

 If you can give a price and possible shipping I am interested.

 I believe that mailing it here might be cheaper, or better than DHL.

 Thanks, J.


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## jj-smith (Nov 27, 2014)

Brian,

 I follow your neat little projects with interest as they are just right up my alley.

 This dynamo thingy has got me thinking on (again) making another wind powered bulb lighter lol.

 I don't know where you get the energy and time to do these little things, but I sure get persuaded to have a go myself.

 I think your engine is a gem, and should possibly come close to one Horsepower.

 I'm having a blast just reading, thanks for posting these interesting projects, 
 Regards J.


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## Brian Rupnow (Nov 27, 2014)

I am always pleased when whatever I build looks like the 3D model. The only change I made is that I didn't but the large radius on the bracket holding the dynamo, because I may need it to have a flat top for mounting the bulb. I haven't totally worked that out yet, but I will tomorrow. So far--So good!!!


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## Brian Rupnow (Nov 27, 2014)

jj-smith--I'm glad you enjoy my posts. It's amazing what old men do to keep from going crazy!!! The engine wouldn't have anything remotely close to 1 HP. The piston is only 1" diameter. The Briggs and Stratton washing machine engines I used to mess with when I was a kid had a 2" piston and only put out about 5/8 Horsepower.---Brian


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## gus (Nov 27, 2014)

jj-smith said:


> Gus...,
> 
> If you can give a price and possible shipping I am interested.
> 
> ...



Will be passing by GPO aka General Post Office nearby to get a quote.

Hang on. There.


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## jj-smith (Nov 28, 2014)

Brian Rupnow said:


> jj-smith--I'm glad you enjoy my posts. It's amazing what old men do to keep from going crazy!!! The engine wouldn't have anything remotely close to 1 HP. The piston is only 1" diameter. The Briggs and Stratton washing machine engines I used to mess with when I was a kid had a 2" piston and only put out about 5/8 Horsepower.---Brian


 
 You made me think Brian,

 You're right of course, I have a few stationary engines, and the International  2-1/2 - 3-1/2 has a piston way bigger than the one you made, I surprise myself again.., I was thinking on the little mopeds we had in Holland and they only put out 3 hp I think the pistons on those were fair size too though, they could be souped up to go faster but still only 50 or 60 km/hr. Just got it mixed up.

 I really like the stand you made for that dynamo, it looks fantastically like it belongs! Well done.

 Regards, J.


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## jj-smith (Nov 28, 2014)

gus said:


> Will be passing by GPO aka General Post Office nearby to get a quote.
> 
> Hang on. There.



 OK Gus,

 I'm hanging lol.
 Cheers, J.


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## Brian Rupnow (Nov 28, 2014)

Of course there is more to this than just mounting the dynamo itself. The squeeze bolt is going to morph into a handle, and I have added a bulb, bulb socket, and bulb socket support. The only remaining unknown is the release handle for the sprag.


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## Brian Rupnow (Nov 28, 2014)

The bulb holder is just a bit tricky. It has to contact the outer shell of the bulb, but not the center contact. Since I don't have any Corian, I will fall back on the "hillbilly" insulator and turn one from a piece of hardwood. The insulator will epoxy into the end opposite to the bulb and have a 3/32" hole through the center for the contactor wire which gets the electricity from the dynamo up to the end of the bulb.


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## Brian Rupnow (Nov 28, 2014)

The engine has a throttle on it so I can run it at a reasonably low rpm. The bulb I have is out of a flashlight with two D cells in it, so is basically a 3 volt bulb. The dynamo probably puts out 6 volts at peak rpm. Now in a perfect world, I would be able to get a 6 volt bulb with the same diameter base as the 3 volt bulb, but the world is seldom perfect. There is a blizzard going on outside at the moment, but I think perhaps I will mush my Huskies down to Ideal Supply and see what sizes (if any) their 6 volt bulbs are before I go any farther.---Brian


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## Brian Rupnow (Nov 28, 2014)

Well I'll be----Sometimes ya just get lucky. The hardware store had 6 volt bulbs with the same sized base as the 3 volt flashlight bulb I based my bulb holder on. I must have done something right in a previous life----I have absolutely no idea why the package says 6 volt lanterns at the top of the package and 4.8 volts at the bottom of the package.


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## Brian Rupnow (Nov 28, 2014)

So---If I just had a handle to disengage the sprag when I want to loosen the belt, I think I would almost be done.  I have spent the day playing and have grandchildren coming to visit overnight, so I won't get back to this today. I also got a "good news" phone call from a customer who wants me to design a packaging machine for one of his products, so I will be gainfully employed for a week or so.


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## Herbiev (Nov 28, 2014)

A great hobby, grandchildren and an income. What more could one ask for ?


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## Brian Rupnow (Nov 28, 2014)

Herbiev said:


> A great hobby, grandchildren and an income. What more could one ask for ?



How about 70 pounds lighter and 30 years younger----


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## /// (Nov 29, 2014)

Brian Rupnow said:


> I have absolutely no idea why the package says 6 volt lanterns at the top of the package and 4.8 volts at the bottom of the package.


At some point people wanted brighter torches(flashlights  ) so the torch manufacturers started using lower voltage rated globes. They run hotter and brighter but the obvious tradeoff is reduced lifetime of the globe. 'Dolphin' brand torches usually have a spare globe inside for this reason. I always forget to replace the spare 

Edit:
Just made a liar of myself.... opened up my Dolphin and.... the spare is there! Hahaha


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## Brian Rupnow (Nov 29, 2014)

Yes!!! We have a sprag release handle. Nothing too scientific here--just something to disengage the sprag from the rack so I can loosen the belt off when I want to.


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## jj-smith (Nov 29, 2014)

Brian Rupnow said:


> How about 70 pounds lighter and 30 years younger----


 
 I'm with you on that one Brian lol, don't look for a minute and prrrt,  you've gone fat!

 I'm still at Jack Benny's age though! (in my mind!)

Cheers, J.


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## dsage (Nov 29, 2014)

Tape is a good idea but how about a lobster rubber band around the pulley. You know the ones that keep the lobster claws closed? Small-ish diameter / wide and really strong and lots of friction.
Too big??

Sage


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## Brian Rupnow (Nov 29, 2014)

Next time I see a lobster going down Carson road, I'll run out and wrestle him into my machine shop!!!


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## Brian Rupnow (Nov 29, 2014)

So, here we have a view from the rear, with everything wired up. I just tested it on the mill spindle, and it seems to work the way I intended it to (the bulb does indeed light up). One of the things you see from this side is the tapped #5-40 hole in the side of the socket which holds the bulb in place. It has a set screw in there with a very light pressure against the base of the bulb, just to ensure that I have a good path for the electricity to flow.  What you don't see is the wooden insulator that sets inside the bulb socket to keep the electricity from shorting out and finding a path to ground through the aluminum holder. The bulb holder is press fitted into the 1" x 3/16" flatbar which bolts to the top of the dynamo bracket. At this point all that is left to do is make a video of the engine driving the dynamo and lighting the light.


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## Brian Rupnow (Nov 29, 2014)

And away we go!! Everything went very well on this project, except for one surprise. If the dynamo turns one direction, it runs fine and freely. If it turns in the opposite direction, it tightens up inside and becomes very stiff to turn. My original plan was to have the engine setting on the left hand side of the engine with the pulley facing out. The result was that the dynamo would tighten up to the point where it stalled the engine. So---I turned the dynamo 180 degrees and put it on the right side of the engine. That reversed the rotation and fixed the problem, and it works like a charm. The bulb I have in there is only rated at 2.9 volts, so I bought two "back-up" bulbs for a 6 volt light in case I need them.
[ame]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xP1bOhvse8Q&feature=youtu.be[/ame]


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## Herbiev (Nov 29, 2014)

Cool project. Thanks for sharing Brian


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## Brian Rupnow (Nov 29, 2014)

I may have learned something here about the Chuck Fellows carburetor which I built and installed on this engine. The carb works great, and I recommend it to anyone looking for a simple, easy to build carburetor with a "throttle" on it. The carb I built is from one of Chuck's early designs, with a #8-32 screw acting as the throttle. By turning the screw in, it closes off the 1/8" diameter main air passage, and by unscrewing it, the air passage is opened, thus letting more air (and venturi induced fuel flow) into the engine. I took matters a step farther, and made up a little handle to clamp on the head of the #8-32 socket head cap screw, so that with an arc of about 180 degrees swing I can go from idle speed up to a much higher engine speed.---And that works fine, as long as there is NO LOAD on the engine. However, when the engine is under a load, it doesn't want to rev very high. I thought about this for a while, and come up with the following theory---An 8-32 thread only advances (or retracts) 1/32" for a full 360 degrees of turn. The 180 degrees of arc I am limited to with my "throttle handle" only advances (or retracts) the screw 1/64". Now on an engine running under "no load" conditions, that 1/64" is enough to go from idle to quite a respectable "high" rpm. However, in an engine running under a load, that 1/64" simply isn't enough to feed the fuel and air the engine requires to overcome the "load" and rev higher. The main air passage on the carburetor I built is 1/8" diameter. To really feed the engine the fuel and air it needs to rev higher under a load would require that the screw be unwound possibly a full turn or even 2 or 3 turns. This is all just theory at the moment, but tomorrow I will do a practical test and remove my "throttle handle" and see what happens when the engine is running under the load of the generator and I unwind the screw more than the 1/2 turn I am currently limited to. In the video I posted, the engine is running with the throttle "wide open" within the limits imposed by the swing of my throttle handle.


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## jj-smith (Nov 29, 2014)

Good theory and good thinking Brian,

It makes me think also, as I wanted to build my own mini micro carb some time in the near future.

I am playing with thoughts of a primary and secondary equipped throttle system where you use the secondary supply to partly control the primary supply, basically controlling what the primary throttle can deliver.

Think of a screw control like you have with an additional screw control within it, and a fuel supply large enough to feed both full open.
Work with the first (no load), and open the second if demand dictates more fuel.
 The idea in my head is to keep it verrry simple and that makes it harder, but I'll think of something. 

Should the time come for bigger coal, you can then simply open up the primary control in addition to the secondary or control the amount of extra flow to the primary, and in this way feed double or some proportion thereof bigger than the secondary can deliver by its lonesome.

If this is confusing, think of how a carburetor has primary and secondary jets, or idling, intermediate and running feed passages in the smaller ones to overcome the dead spots or starvation at a higher required flow.
 The big problem has always been the smooth transition from one to the other in order to keep the engine fat dumb and happy.

Carburation is still a big thing in my vocabulary of things to invent as I have slugged and toiled with the rather crude and inefficient early designs (I know..."old School") in my youth. 
The Harley "linkert carburator" comes to mind lol, basically a bronze tube with a needle valve, a jet and a fuel feed 

I am not intending to break any barriers here, but rather want to come up with something to, lets say, enhance the way fuel gets delivered for the demand, and not that demand should suffer because of inefficient delivery in more than one way, and still keep it simple, that's the thing. (and mini.)

If all else fails use a BIGass screw!

In the aircraft business where I was an apprentice AME for a bit (hated the job, but still like aircraft and flying.) there is a saying that everything is a compromise in aviation.
I always thought that that was the dumbest saying and attitude.

If there IS a way, let's find it! ( Me..., the Einstein who's going to change the world lol.) :hDe:

Just saying!

Beers...., er...., Cheers, J.


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## Brian Rupnow (Nov 30, 2014)

For what it's worth--after spending some time adjusting the carburetor, I ended up with the following results. The top engine rpm with no load on it is 1900 rpm. When the slack belt is in place, it puts enough frictional load on the engine that the rpm drops to 1780 rpm. When the belt is fully tightened and the generator is lighting the light very brightly (2.9 Volt bulb), the rpm drops off to 1467 rpm. The finished diameter of the driving and driven pulleys is 2.0" and 0.845", giving a ratio of 2.367:1----So, the dynamo is turning at 3472 rpm. That is without factoring in any belt slippage. If we allow 5% for belt slippage then the dynamo is turning at 3300 rpm, and that gets pretty darn close to the "best guess" calculation I had made originally, that based on a 28" diameter bicycle tire, with the "rub contact" diameter at 26" , the dynamo with a 1" friction wheel on it would be turning 3000 rpm. when the bicycle was going 10 miles per hour.


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## Brian Rupnow (Nov 30, 2014)

JJ Smith---Back when I was a kid, a neighbor had a "wind charger" mounted on his garage. As I remember, it had 4 or 6 "blades" made out of old car license plates, and was about 30" overall diameter. The "blades" were attached to a center hub that was mounted on a car generator, and he must have had a voltage regulator wired into it somewhere. He used it to keep a spare battery charged up. That would have been in the 1950's. Then in the 1960's when they ran the hydro line into Kaminiskeg Lake near Barrys Bay I was in high school in Bancroft. I got a part time job with Ernie Byers, a local electrician, wiring and doing some plumbing in cottages in on the Lake. One place sticks in my mind, because it had a fast flowing stream coming down the hill from the northwest side, right beside his cottage. He must have been a pretty resourceful guy, because he had a Pelton wheel in the stream, hooked up to a car alternator and had the whole cottage wired for 12 volt electric lights. One of the funny/crazy memories I have from that time---Ernie had a little wee car, I think it was a Mini Cooper or an Austin Mini. We went to the hardware store in Bancroft and picked up six 10 foot lengths of 1/2" copper pipe to take up to Kaminiskeg. He didn't have any roof racks, so he had me roll down the passenger window and stick my arm out the window and hang onto the pipes. They didn't weigh very much, and he taped the ends together so they wouldn't all come apart while we were driving. About half way up to the lake, we ran into an absolutely ferocious thunder and lightning storm. i was scared right to death that I was going to become a human lightning rod, hanging onto all that copper pipe, but Ernie said "Don't worry Brian, we are up on 4 rubber tires, the lightning won't bother us!!!" I don't know if he was right or not, but I didn't get struck by lightning. I was awful damn glad to get to the end of that trip, anyways.


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## Cogsy (Nov 30, 2014)

Brian Rupnow said:


> but Ernie said "Don't worry Brian, we are up on 4 rubber tires, the lightning won't bother us!!!"


 
So his theory was - even though the lightning jumps a spark through several miles of air, it wouldn't go through the metal car then jump a foot or so to the ground .

I'm glad you got lucky that day Brian.


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## Brian Rupnow (Nov 30, 2014)

Cogsy---I don't think I have ever heard of a car being struck by lightning---Have you? Airplanes, yes, boats, definitely yes, but not cars that I know of.


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## Toolguy (Nov 30, 2014)

They have videos on YouTube of cars being hit or have been hit by lightning. Lots of damage.


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## Brian Rupnow (Nov 30, 2014)

Toolguy said:


> They have videos on YouTube of cars being hit or have been hit by lightning. Lots of damage.


Do you have a link?


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## Cogsy (Nov 30, 2014)

I have certainly heard of it, it generally makes the local news when it happens here. Usually though, the occupants are safe as the charge runs through the metal of the car then to ground and they are untouched inside - kind of like a faraday cage. In your case, holding on to the copper pipe (which is likely what the lightning would have hit) I think you would have had some nasty burns at the very least.


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## Cogsy (Nov 30, 2014)

Here's a video I just found of it happening (in Canada too).

[ame]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k4WL0s09Z9c[/ame]


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## Cogsy (Nov 30, 2014)

Sorry to triple post but here's a link to an interesting story as well.


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## /// (Nov 30, 2014)

A car was struck by lightning in New South Wales late last year, just one of the many news articles with video and story at the following link:
http://www.smh.com.au/environment/w...htning-in-newcastle-video-20131123-2y29y.html

An excerpt:
_
''I was filming for like 30 seconds and then BANG!'' he said.

''It hit the aerial of a car about 30 or 40 metres in front of me and just kind of exploded and orange sparks shot out everywhere.

''I was just in shock and ducked down in the car because it was just so loud.

''The guy got out of his car and checked his aerial, he looked a bit rattled but otherwise he was OK.

''Luckily an ambulance was driving past and it just ducked straight to him, it pulled up next to him and the officers spoke to him and he didn't appear hurt or anything.

''It was pretty miraculous to have that happen and walk away.''_

Storm-chasing is one of my pastimes (lightning photography). I've had some pretty close calls over the years tho never had a direct hit! Phew!
One of my images (much reduced) attached, full size view here: http://www.pbase.com/mrb/image/144604924


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## Brian Rupnow (Dec 1, 2014)

Well!!--I'm luckier than I thought!!!


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## Herbiev (Dec 1, 2014)

You could build a Van de graaff generator powered by that engine and make your own lightening :hDe:


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## gus (Dec 1, 2014)

Playing golf can be very hazardous in Singapore. Colleague was struck and saved due to persistent efforts of my junior to revive him. Ambulance came but gave warning he may not survive but they will continue life saving efforts all the way to A&E. They were about to give up but he did revive in due time. Took three years to recover.

When lightning strikes about 500 meters away from my boat,I do get very weak shocks on the helm. When lightning hazard is bad,all carbon fibre fishing rods are removed from rod holders. There are warning labels on the rods. 

Take Care.


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## Swifty (Dec 2, 2014)

Hi Gus, also no flyfishing with graphite rods when there is lightening about. It's like waving a lightening conductor around.

Paul.


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## tornitore45 (Dec 2, 2014)

> He didn't have any roof racks, so he had me roll down the passenger  window and stick my arm out the window and hang onto the pipes.



Which remind me... when I was 15 or so I flew U control aerobatic planes.
Friends ad I used to go competition in a 50 miles radius, I had no vehicle but an older friend had a scooter so I sat in the back holding my plane and his plane along the sides with the wings vertical.  The models had a wingspan of 5 feet and it was mandatory to keep the wings "toed in" otherwise the lift would have been very difficult to control motoring around 50 mph.

The crazy things you do when young.


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## Lathejack (Dec 7, 2014)

jj-smith said:


> LMAO...,
> 
> Those are indeed memories that will always return and make one laugh.
> 
> ...



Glad I am not the only one who remembers these, I can now distinctly remember the clicking sound they made now you mentioned it, takes me right back.

Since this thread stirred up my interest I have dismantled and rebuilt my Sturmey Archer Dynohub. All I can say is I am impressed with their performance, it was manufactured in July 1959 and appears to perform exactly as it did on the day it was made.

I cleaned up the dirt and rust from the internals, and used a piece of 70mm diameter steel to push the armature out of the magnet and act as a keeper to maintain the magnetism. I replaced the corroded ball bearings with new ones from a local cycle shop that still has the odd spare part for them, still in Sturmey Archer boxes that have sat on the shelf since the 1950's.

It produces power almost the instant it is rotated. I test ran it on my lathe up to 300 RPM with around 18 volts, and it continues to produce power as the speed is wound down until it comes to a stop.

 There is quite a bit of magnetic drag from the 20 pole ring magnet, which makes it feel notchy and lumpy as it is rotated, as if the whole thing and bearings are full of grit despite being assembled spotlessly clean with fresh grease.

  I think it will suite the Red Wing engine and should have a little flywheel affect as well.


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## Lathejack (Dec 7, 2014)

And thanks Brian for renewing my interest, otherwise that old dynamo would probably have sat under the bench untouched for many more years.

 Now to get the Red Wing finished while the inspiration is restored.


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## Brian Rupnow (Dec 7, 2014)

Lathejack--Interestingly enough, I had never heard of that type of dynamo before I started this thread. The only ones I ever seen as a kid were exactly like the one I used in this thread.---Brian


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## jj-smith (Dec 8, 2014)

Brian Rupnow said:


> JJ Smith---Back when I was a kid, a neighbor had a "wind charger" mounted on his garage. As I remember, it had 4 or 6 "blades" made out of old car license plates, and was about 30" overall diameter. The "blades" were attached to a center hub that was mounted on a car generator, and he must have had a voltage regulator wired into it somewhere. He used it to keep a spare battery charged up. That would have been in the 1950's. Then in the 1960's when they ran the hydro line into Kaminiskeg Lake near Barrys Bay I was in high school in Bancroft. I got a part time job with Ernie Byers, a local electrician, wiring and doing some plumbing in cottages in on the Lake. One place sticks in my mind, because it had a fast flowing stream coming down the hill from the northwest side, right beside his cottage. He must have been a pretty resourceful guy, because he had a Pelton wheel in the stream, hooked up to a car alternator and had the whole cottage wired for 12 volt electric lights. One of the funny/crazy memories I have from that time---Ernie had a little wee car, I think it was a Mini Cooper or an Austin Mini. We went to the hardware store in Bancroft and picked up six 10 foot lengths of 1/2" copper pipe to take up to Kaminiskeg. He didn't have any roof racks, so he had me roll down the passenger window and stick my arm out the window and hang onto the pipes. They didn't weigh very much, and he taped the ends together so they wouldn't all come apart while we were driving. About half way up to the lake, we ran into an absolutely ferocious thunder and lightning storm. i was scared right to death that I was going to become a human lightning rod, hanging onto all that copper pipe, but Ernie said "Don't worry Brian, we are up on 4 rubber tires, the lightning won't bother us!!!" I don't know if he was right or not, but I didn't get struck by lightning. I was awful damn glad to get to the end of that trip, anyways.




Thats a neat story Brian,

Back home, I was told many times by my dad, who worked as a streetcar mechanic, never ever to exit the streetcar after lightning has hit it as he was afraid I would become the human "fuse" between the car and the ground and would be killed instantly.
Needless to say, I never had the experience but always wondered and still do if there was any truth to the warning as I can't see how the streetcar would hold the charge and not pass it through the wheels to ground.

I did however go through a hit on a streetcar (very common tranportation in Holland) and all the fuses and breakers were tripped and some fried!
And we did get told to stay put till things were back on track. (No pun intended.)

J.


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