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Bicycle Generator TV

Watch Video Demonstration here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hiWwXp95doY

This project can not be done unless the following requirements are not met to prevent injury and fire damage to yourself and others and to your home: (1) Fuses are used.  You must use proper fuses rated to provide over current protection.  The size of the fuse based on the current carrying capability of the wire you are using.  The national electrical code states that a size 12 AWG wire is good to carry up to 20 Amps.  Therefore you would buy a 20 Amp fuse from the auto store and put it into a fuse holder  like this ne..

2 . Proper size wire is used to handle the current

3. You must follow ALL charging and handling safety guidelines published by the manufacture of the battery.  You must watch a volt meter while generating power to verify that you are not exceeding the max voltage rating of your battery.

4. A certified electrician or auto mechanic checks your work before you hook up to the car battery.

A 50 Watt TV is nearly impossible to power with human power through an AC inverter unless you hook up a car battery to stabilize the voltage.   This is due to Inrush current and voltage droop being a challenge. 

Example of DC Inrush Surge Current Spike Plot Chart for a DC Motor

If you are turning on a Television or motor or something that has a lot of capacitance or in the case of a motor - spin up inertia you will see this type of behavior of  the current.    During the first second the resistance of these devices  changes from being very low to high.  When the resistance is low, the device  requires or "draws" more current then it's typical nominal operating current.