How to make a bike charger for your iPod!
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photo credits: nijne
Well, the idea was very simple… take my hand crank charger I made earlier...
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...connect it to a bike-dynamo and tada! we should be there… That’s how I thought about this last weekend and that’s what I did… :-)
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...so… wiring up the dynamo…
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...connect it to the internals of my hand-crank-flashlight… (oh, and put everything in a static bag :-))
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..and start biking! wow, this is looking good, a charge light!
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...and I’ll be damned! this all seems to work, woohoo!
So then, this is the How-to? Well, if you will… the rest of it is more of a personal journal of how I ended up with my bike-charger, things I ran into etcetera… I’m pretty sure there’s useful information in there if you’re into making such a charger yourself, but a lot of the things I did from this point on is, well, how I liked it best, not necessarily how I thought anyone else would like it, that’s all :-) Let’s get on with it!
Making/choosing a case for the charger
Of course I thought of an altoids-tin to put this project into… but, I never come across them somehow…
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I did come across this old project of mine, iNO and somehow, when I thought about it for a while, I decided this would be it… I’m gonna mod this charger into an old ADB-mouse!
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So, I got pretty much the same parts as I did for making the cable which connected my hand-crank charger to my ipod… (that’s a USB-extension-cable, a 100 ohm resistor, a 5.1V zenerdiode and a normal diode)
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Righty, first tests of fitting this inside the mouse…
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..and Dremel-ing a space for the USB-connector…
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...covering up the hole (cause we don’t want any electronics to drop out, now do we?) :-)
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...and I drilled a small hole for the charge-light, cause that’s such a neat feature, I want to keep that!
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...my kitchen-table somewhere in this process…
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...and then… it seemed the overall idea still was possible but I ran into all small problems… like a capacitor which was too high…
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...or a PCB which got in the way of one of the little holes to close the mouse again…
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...yet another test to see how we’re doing…
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...and the DIY-part of these electronics… the logic which should take care of making sure the ipod doesn’t get anything above 5 volts… (and a normal diode for making sure the ipod isn’t charging the charger instead of vice versa…)
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...so… now it looks like this! (I always use papertape, a lot… for making sure things don’t shortcut etc… you may criticize this, but this is how I work, for years already :-))
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...and the backside… (yeah, I know, I’m a sucker for details… the ‘rechargeable’ comes from an old ibook-battery which I had laying around)
Connect it all to the bike
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Time to get my bicycle into my livingroom!
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I was eager to try this out, so I wired it up quickly, got out of the house and took it all for a spin…
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Well, look at that, we have a charge icon… (only it seemed later on, the voltage was like, 3.5 volts, so it probably doesn’t charge one bit…)
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Time to get my bike inside again and start doing some wiring there!
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...that’s braided UTP-cable I used… (I did that before once)
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We do want some lights on our bike, but the normal bulbs in there (6 volts, 2.4 watts) would drain our charger in no time… so I decided to simply solder white leds in there (the voltage on the lighting dropped from 6 to about 3 volts because we connect it to the charger… The light of the hand-crank flashlight gets 3 volts and it’s the same wires I use)
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Tada! we have light with the click of a mouse button!
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...that includes a backlight :D
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...time to tidy it all up (and get this bike out of my livingroom!)
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I actually used a female s-video-connector on the bike-side, you can perfectly put an ADB-mouse-connector in there… (it’s exactly the same connector…)
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But then… I had it all together (I thought…) but then on a middle-of-the-night testrun, it seemed I wasn’t getting the voltage I needed… hmmmz… (this is a pic from my phone, but that building really is curved)... back to the drawing board kitchen table…
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First thing I did was, putting a lighter normal diode in there… Diodes can dissolve some volts… (excuse my language, I’m not an electrician or such)
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Then it became really silly… on the pic you can see a black and a yellow wire… originally there was an orange and a green wire in between and when I measured my old cable, I thought I had to connect the USB-plug to these two wires, but then I got no voltage… So I took the easy way, took my multi-meter and measured which wires did have some voltage… It seemed it was the one next to the yellow wire, only about 3.5 volts. I thought that was down because the whole thing was hardly charged, so in my first attempt I made this charger connected to there… But the voltage didn’t get higher than that 3.5 volts (that’s what you see on the phone pic)... Then I measured my cable again and it really should be this yellow and black wire… Luckily I do have another hand-crank-charger/flashlight… So I measured that one… and then it seemed, when you connect a plug to the charger, the two wires in between the yellow and the black one are short-cutted, but only then! And when they are, you have around 6.2 volts in between yellow and black…
So… because the PCB was getting in a bad shape on some points (because of all the soldering/desoldering) I took two points on the PCB, corresponding with the two points in between the yellow and black wire and short-cutted them with a piece of wire (that’s what you see on the pic). But then… I had no light! (but I did have a charger which gave me 4.9 volts… So, in the end, after some thinking… I decided to connect the two points, I pointed out with arrows… the left arrow is the downside of the switch of turning the light on/off and luckily it’s a switch with an extra (unused) connection, which is switched when the lighting is switched off… So, now I shortcut the two points in between the yellow and black wire when the lighting is turned off… and then we have a 4.9/5.0 volt USB-charger… :D …and when you turn on the light… you don’t have a charger… (voltage on the USB drops to zero)... So, to be honest, that’s the only downpoint I came across and I have to see if I can find a solution for it… But for now, this baby is good to go! (I just have to watch for cops really carefully when charging my ipod at night…) :-)
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So, this is it! my ipod and my charger!
euh, wait a minute… what about those socks?
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...well, I do like my skull-embroidered ipod sock and I do wanna use this charger for real… So… I made a hole in my sock (and in an orange one also, for the charger)
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So… tada! my ipod and my charger… :-)
all dressed up and no place to go we do have a place to go, cause we’re gonna do some rigid testing!
Testing the charger
Right, well, I drained my ipod overnight (all artists -> all numbers > repeat :) )... This way I want to see if I can get enough current from it to boot it, charge it and hopefully it charges enough to get some usable tunes out of it… (with my hand crank setup I had to crank for about 30 minutes to get two stripes on the battery)...
So, how does it perform?
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photo credits: nijne
...so I took this baby for a spin…
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photo credits: nijne
...did I already mention bicycles are a popular means of transportation overhere?
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photo credits: nijne
...checking it out… yep, the lights work… :-)
Well, I had some issues with the mouse-switch on my testrun, so the lighting worked, but not the charging… hmmmmz
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It seemed very simple, the switch didn’t get properly switched (I put some tape underneath the mouse-button, but probably too much… So I removed it, switched the button and tada! charging… (although not booted yet)
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So I took this baby for yet another spin and yes we’re in business, this thing is charging for real now :D
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...and we have a stripe on the battery! :D it works! (it’s hard to say how much human energy went into this, cause I’ve been on my bike almost all afternoon, but with my lights on instead of charging and now it charged, probably from some full batteries inside the charger as well as biking for about twenty minutes :-) )
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Verdict
Well, it’s a little too early for that, I have to do much more real-world testing. In a real world my ipod never gets drained to the bottom, so I have to see how this thing is gonna charge on a daily basis and I will be testing that the coming days/weeks. I travel to my work on my bike, in the morning I can charge my ipod, in the evening I have to use my lights… :D
added some overview pictures (I got actually asked for this by journalists :D )
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Anyways, I’m open for suggestions, if you have something to say, please do…
DIY trackback
MAKE:blog
The Unofficial Apple Weblog
arstechnica
Engadget(!)
treehugger.com *smile*
uk.gizmodo.com
digg.com (also here on digg, but this one seems more popular somehow… :D)
Lifehacker
Dutch:
bright.nl
telegraaf.nl
in print:
MAKE: issue 11
you can find all of my projects overhere
this was very cool. :-)
this is also on my blog now
Very nice!! I’ll about this into my blog
Excellent article markie. The blog is excellent as always.
Nice project. Wonderful pictures. If you have enough extra voltage add a diode on top of the white ones since they limit max V on the generator. (You were searching for high efficiency diodes for the indicator light. 1ma is quite doable.) LM7805 and protection is all that is necessary for the IPOD mini. 12V necessary til end of 4th gen IPOD.
Nice job, congrats.
I must say that is intresting how mutch time people can put into one thing.. But man It is a great news for Ipod bikers. God job!!!
Very cool, Groningen C.S. can be seen at www.engadget.com ;-)
Ipot ist für idioten!
ipot is häslich teuer und scheiße klinkter och!
also fickt euch alle ihr Ipot wixer
wir brauchen kein blöder wurstfresser hier.
very cool mod, gonna try this out for my X5 :)
Kraut zu Hause!
i bow to you, sir; you can void my warranty any time.
You obviously enjoy life! Very nicely done with the image report and all. Have fun and do more of those projects. (real ones like this one)
can u become even more geek than this?! I believe not.
Hi! This is great! I think you are a source of inspiration. Isnt this what Apple is all about? “THINK DIFFERENT”. You done it mate!
Wow, That`s cool !! Ever thought of sending it to some invention contest ? you`d probably win !
Maybe next time you can show us how it looks on a man’s bike! LOL!
hehe, you’re a real geek! :)
thanks for the digg support!
This is ingenius; I really admire people like you who think outside the box! I wish you every success.
Maybe the guys at Griffen technology would be intrested in something like this.
I just said this on the Gizmodo site:
Isn’t this an iPod charger for a bike? And not, say, a bike charger for an iPod?
Both sound awesome, though, don’t get me wrong.
yes, I guess you’re right :-) Somehow I called it a bike charger… I mean, it can charge probably anything which can be charged using USB, not only an iPod… When MAKE blogged it, I thought ‘hmmmz, iPod charger for a bicycle, maybe that’s how I should’ve put it…’ But well… most people seem to get what it does :D
Nice mod :)
ps. That is a man’s bike.
Idiotic american.
In the states thats a womans bike. Idiotic foreigner.
Awsome job man!
I apologize for the other “rude” idiot from germany. Some people over here just dont get it :-(
Keep on modding, that is seriously cool!
Wow. That’s cool. Talk about saving the environment! hahaha. I guess every little bit helps.
Love your bike,,,
Where can i purchase one?
sorry about the mix-ups.
big apologies. :-)
Those bikes can be purchased from any drug user in Amsterdam.
It is lovely to see such creative and talented people hobbying around.
Thumbs up for this dutchie. I recognise the dutch landscape.
This is time well spent…bet it feels good…
who needs tv or computer!use your imagination and make your own creation :-)
Wow you are a modern day MacGyver!!! i even made an entry of this in my blog, if that’s ok.
That is one dorky assed bike. You ever get beat up because of that thing?
Wat een prachtig idee, zou dit ook kunnen voor gewone gsm”s. Ik zou erg graag rechtstreeks met jou in kontakt komen over het opladen van een laptopcomputer op zeilboten die langer op zee zijn.
Groeten Bouke
ey bauke, ik heb eventueel idee voor je:
Soort van energie opwekker met schoepen naast of achter de boot hangen…dat zou toch moeten helpen.. Btw prachtig idee dit.
#1. Well Done!!
#2. There will always be nay sayers. Don’t listen to them, it’s not worth it.
#3. Let me give you a tip. Think Miniaturization as you are making this model. Just keep on trying to perfect it. You will be amazed at your abilities!
Te gek Mark, ik zag een fiets in een woonkamer en dacht, dit MOET en Nederlander zijn! Very cool! Greet the Netherlands for me!
i’m from Brazil, Good project! and good website!
:)
Excellent hack!
Heel nederlands, ook ;)
i just bought a 40GB ipod. i wound when you made your charger,did you need another control signal or only +5Vdc?
Ik hoorde je op de radio (“CBC Freestyle”, nationaal programma in Canada!!!) en was weer eens trots om Nederlandse te zijn!
very nice work.. and ilove the bike too. I bought one at the flea market in leiden a month ago for 30 euros.. sold for the same when i left holland. could it work for my sony player too?
heel mooie jong
peter
Or you could just buy a charger…fruit.
Always thinking out of the box. Excellent, well done.
put a second or third generator on your bike. one for light one for ipod.
if mac doesn’t hire you to come up with more ideas like this, they’re crazy! If this were mass produced I’d by one for my ipod/bicycle. BTW Any luck on a similar mechanism for Powerbook charging?
how can you b arsed to sit and do all that shit just to have a little tiny strip of power on an iPod! Pointless!
Hey, I think I might make one of these! I recently blew out the lamp on my bike dynamo and replaced it with a standalone LED system, so I have one spare. :-)
I want to be able to charge my Ipod Shuffle in ways other than by plugging it into my computer. Can I just hook 3 AA batteries to it (via a female usb port) in a series to get a total of 4.5 volts charging it? If the Shuffle idealy needs 5 volts to charge it, would 4.5 volts kill my shuffle?
This is fucking retarded. And it looks gay. Together with the gay ass bike, you’re begging to get the shit beaten out of yourself if you’re driving around like this in any major city.
Also, do yourself a favor and get rid of the socks. Someone is bound to stuff them in your mouth at some point.
Oh, so you like it? Thank you!Nice charger, a few years ago I tried something like this and fried a phone, many of these tyre bike chargers are AC so I made a diode bridge rectifier and capacitor to flaten out the sine wave but overvoltage (since I havd no voltage control zener diode) fried the phones internal charger circut. I had to charge from a homemade battery charge cradle til I got a new phone.
Just talk about the mother of inventions! Green energy, the world should know about this invention. Use a press release software like ours to let the world know.
はじめまして、ipodの愛好家なんですね！エコロジーな記事が満載で感心しています。ipodの充電記事参考になりました。充電なんですが、USBのところに単に5V電圧をかけただけでは、ipodが充電モードにならないんですが、どういう結線にすれば充電モードになるのでしょうか？教えていただけますか？
; hi..
very nice idea…
,,)
Came here looking for a pic and got sucked in and read it all nice one mate
sooooo cool! i’ll be building my first bike pretty soon; i’ll be sure to make one of these babies to fit on it. since i’m moving to london from the states, this’ll be wayyy better than buying another charger. plus, green energy!!
i love you
Ah wicked charger awsome idea hope to see more of these that provide a higher charge rate….i mean hell im not gonna ride for 20! mins haha awsome charger
lol nice 1 m8, look at mi web site, its cool it has cool stuff in it XD… i did this and know i have an i-pod charger, but think that they can easili break it or steal it, hahahahha bastard…..
a muni ni bickel fal
idiot
Nicely done. I wish I could have one of those but a little complicated for a 14 year old wouldnt you say? Good luck for upgrading your latest gaggets for your ipod. If you can open your ipod up for me please send me a image of it and how you did it im trying to change the default lcd lights to blue. Thanks Kind regards happytodd (Todd)
We are making the exact thing and going to patent it and become rich and you will cry yourself to sleep every night when you think to yourself how much of an idiot you are for not patenting your project. Dumb. Ass.
Lenny
@lenny
LOL! suuuure… well, I take it as a compliment actually… and say hello to all the people in line at the patent-office. The saddest examples being those who think they can make a buck on someone else’s idea… that’s some energy well spent… but good luck any way…
Haha, yeh I was just kidding. Sounded a bit harsh, but I actually really like this concept. Great work! (A+)
herro my name isa mr shyu i very much likie yuo invention to much poeple say all time , idea is likie makie love or likie hava rich soul, yuo soul isa verry rich.
Very impressive! The comments just keep coming even for an 8 month old post.
I’m glad you’re doing your part to help the environment and home-brew stuff always feel more personal since it was built by your own two hands. Some people take mass produced products for granted too often and do not appreciate the sense of pride others gain when they build something themselves.
Keep at it, Mark!
How about using a dynamo to charge 2-4 AA or AAA batteries? It would be cool to have such a device to go on a long cross-country or multi-day bike / camping trip.
If you can charge AAs and AAAs you can run just about any device (including your iPod)...
Someone made a AA ipod charger out of an Altoids tin…
http://www.instructables.com/id/EKXUADQ93MEP2870BP/
Ey mensen,
oh yeah right, english: hellow folks.
Does anyone know if you can buy stuff like this?
I tried to make one myself, but the only thing i gained was a lot of stress en an ipod flying true the room:P (was little mad..)
So is it possible to order these things?
Of mark, wil ej er 1 voor me maken en dan krijg je er een mooi prijsje voor (A).
Grtz
Sander
That’s a great project—how reliable is that bicycle dynamo being for ya? I’ve always had a lot of trouble with those when I’ve tried to use them in the past.
Well done lad!
Thank you for sharing!
I stumbled across your project’(s) from a mis-tyed google search.
While I have no use for your project’(s), they were a great read. I am glad to see the homebrew club is still alive and well.
Once again, thank you for sharing.
if you really want to finalize your little project. Bring a portable bike stand of sorts to raise the bike from the ground and yet be able to keep pedalling so you can continuously charge from a stationary position (all your little gadgets) so when you really do travel outdoors, and you get stuck on a rut, that’s when you can really use the bike. And not just while travelling. Good eve :)
Hello.my name’’s Delger.i want ask some questen.i bay ipod mp[3 bat how i charger i dont anderstand.if i charger dear is coming do not disconnect.kan you help me please.
#53 is retarted, that is an awesome invention
Haha , groninger;)
Gaaf stukje werk :)
In order to charge faster than the hand crank, something has to be putting out more power. Any idea how much more power the bike dynamo puts out than the flashlight dynamo?
yes! you can draw more power using less speed. How? you need a momentum capacitor. This isn’t an electrical capacitor but mechanical. Its a lead wheel that’s heavy and goes in between two gears so that when you spin it, it keeps spinning even though you stop putting energy into the axle – It stores energy. Also, a higher gear ratio addition between the axle and the alternator will help. With the momentum capacitor and a flywheel, you could stop at a stop sign or a stop light for a few seconds and it will keep turning the alternator and charging the battery. it also averages out the rpms of the alternator so if your speed fluctuates a little, the rpms of the axle stay the same.
Can you contact me I have another project I need assistance with.
Olympia Design.
Mob; 07891-749527
wasup!
You are my new god.
Very cool design. Apologize for my narrow-minded Americans – they just don’t understand other cultures. And, these bikes are super comfortable to ride. This is a cool iPod hack. I’d want to probe for over/under voltage since the dynamo is AC. Great invention.
that was really cool can you get it done for me im only 10
Cool idea! Cool bike! Those Dutch utility bikes are indestructible! But not so fun if your commute is uphill 1:20 for 1 km and 1:10 for 1,5 more… How bout if you got yourselves one of these wheel hub dynamos instead, and wired that to your charger?
And, LOVE that tablecloth! Sooo 70’s!
:o)
Nice job my friend!
I am always impressed by persistant people. I designed a pcb for the same type of charging purpose. It will fit in your handlebar and works with a shimano hub dyno generator, rectifier, and 3 voltage regulators. It would not have room for the ultra cool mouse but usb could attached. I will send you one if you like at no charge. You would just need a few part.
Ex bike mechanic, ipod fan, and electrical engineer
Tyson
Nice, especially the retro mouse housing ;)
You could mount a wheel with a hub dynamo so you can use your lights while charging your iPod. Or mount a second ordinary dynamo, but that wouldn’t just look weird but would also make biking quite tiresome :)
I made a 1W Luxeon LED driver circuit that fits inside an old bicycle light, but it could be used to charge an iPod as well. Maybe I’ll put the schematics on the web some day.
P.S.: don’t mind the comments from people who think it’s “gay” or “retarded”, they are probably in denial and are projecting their own frustrations.
Cool, please e-mail me of news not on the page.
You could make loads and sell them on e-bay!
P.S freewebs.com is a FREE web host!
Great idea on the ipod charger. I need to buy a charge for a mini DV camera that works on the same bicycle concept. I assume the mechanics are the same but I need more voltage. If you know someone or company that makes something similar please let me know. The purpose is for this device is for villagers in Africa who’re taking video for me but have no electricity. We’re trying to make a documentary about life in the villages.
is this particular project/design patron?
I’d be careful with the older iPods. My 4G faked me out by appearing to charge off my printer (plugged it into the pictbridge port), and I turned it on the next morning to find it had drained completely. Nice surprise, there.
BTW, that mini is sexy.
Great ! This is the Fun Page of the month at www.myoldmac.net´s Finder – See all at
http://myoldmac.net/MacFinder/index.php?cat=14
hey can you please take apart a mp3 and make a totally basic one based on what you find out with cheep items please thanks bbye
Hi,
Is it possible to make something that would charge while allowing me to insert the remote control transmitter?
i want TO KNOW HOW THE DYANMO is working and what are all the parts to create a DYANMO. how it is convert as a energy
Supercool !!
Super awsome. I was just wondering if you could possibly blow your iPod by doing this.
Great project! I am working on something similar myself…
I’m thinking of using a dc-dc converter with a 5 volt output (instead of a z-diode). They’re small, cheap enough ($30), and some are better than 90% efficient. There will have to be a bridge rectifier in there somewhere too which will cost a bit of energy too, but it will be more efficient (and more expensive) than this example.
Alexis:
The zener diode will protect your iPod from over-voltage. Take care to get the polarity right, though. Getting it wrong would almost certainly destroy the charging circuitry of an iPod. Some electronics have circuitry built-in to protect against reverse polarity, but I would bet against it in the case of something as small and low-power (and specialized and manufacturer-bound) as an iPod.
I suggest doing it with a USB iPod charger since USB is an open spec (not super-secret Apple intellectual property like an AC charger ;) so you can find out how to connect power to it correctly (keeping iPod safe).
Very Nice,
I desperately want one of these for a 6+ month bike trip i will be doing across the US and back. I’m going to be using the iphone to keep in touch as well as added maps and entertainment. Also since I’m camping along the way with limited chances to recharge.
I am going try to do this myself, but would love to know how i can get a finished one.
Thanks,
Mike Rucci
mark, this is an awesome hack. going to set to work making my own tomorrow morning.
@97 Mike Rucci – might be quite hard to get enough juice to keep an iphone powered… i dont know enough about them, but its a safe bet they use waaaaay more power than an old mini. like i say, i dunno that its impossible, but probably not easy (and you might have to pedal quite hard)... but then, if youre riding all the way across the US AND BACK, i spose youre a pretty serious rider!
Wow, that was really cool. I don’t think I have the patience for it!
I got my similar setup working yesterday. I intend to do a lot more testing, but after reading some of the comments here I thought I’d offer my 2 cents:
I am happy with my Schmidt dynamo hub. I cannot feel the drag at all, with or without a load attached. I cannot tell the difference between the generator wheel and a normal wheel.
It charges my iPod shuffle in a most hoopie way: about 5 minutes of cycling seems to give me an hour of listening.
I hooked my Sharp Zaurus c3000 up and spun the wheel by hand. This immediately caused the battery level indicator to rise. I haven’t gone on a long ride with a dead battery in the Z yet, but I think it will work.
Mike Rucci: I don’t think charging your iPhone is out of the question. You can get a lot more power out of a good generator than the “rating” would indicate.
http://www.m-gineering.nl/son12vg.htm#bild1
According to those graphs, this thing will produce 18v/9w at 30mph. I have yet to test that, but if accurate, it should not be a problem to charge an iPhone as you would have more than 1 amp available at 5v going 20mph.
I do not know exactly how much current an iPhone wants from a USB port, but I would guess that it isn’t far off from the 800ma my Zaurus wants. I will post here again with the results of my charging test.
To anyone thinking of trying this, I say go for it! It is both easier and more practical than it sounds. I’m about to use mine to keep my Zaurus, my iPod, and my GPS charged on a long tour of Europe during which I will do a lot of camping. I am looking forward to having a fully charged iPod as soon as I arrive at a campsite, so I can enjoy some tunes while I set up my tent.
bish + Blake: thanks for the encouragement.
Although this seems to be a little over my head, I guess the first step is for me to get my hands on a crank flash light with some kind of dc output, as well as a bike dynamo.
Then start messing around.
Pardon my lack of knowledge but are you guys saying that although I use the same usb wall charger for any ipod even my shuffle, as I do for my iphone that this project will not be ideal for any ipod?
the dynamo can be replaced by a ‘less friction’ charge using ‘passing magnets’ – see http://www.freelights.co.uk/kit.html for more info
l want a ipod how much will it cost
i have new invention of dynamo for bike
I had thought of charging Garmin Zumo GPS with 12V dynamo http://www.bumm.de/index-e.html puts out 6Watts and just hooking to 12V wires supplied through a fuse?? The Zumo uses max 15W so might have to have on lowest screen setting. Have asked Garmin but no reply at this stage. Would trickle charge and also plays MP3 and bluetooth
I like the Schmidt dynamo hub. What Voltage and watts??
RIP Mark
Nice work mark. the planet need moree people like you.
Hi, I would like to contact you by email or phone if possible.
My email is gonenriquez@yahoo.com.ar
Ik woon in Den Haag
more work to my bike
Impressive work here! You are a great person and wish there were more people like you where I live.
BTW, I’m so jealous you live in Amsterdam. :D
Good idea.
However, be aware that on a downhill stretch at 50 kph a cycle generator can easily generate over 50 volts. You really need to use a simple zener diode regulator at least to prevent over-voltage damage to any electronics. Also, a USB charger port would be easy to make also using a 5v regulator.
Hey, I was wondering. I’m thinking about making an ipod charger with, say, a solar panel built right onto the back(of a shuffle). The thing is, I don’t know how much energy it would take to charge it…? Also, I’m not sure if a solar panel that small could provide enough energy. If not, perhaps a small capacitor bank charging in bursts every time it’s filled? Idk. Anyway just some ideas, but if you know how much energy it would take, please let me know… cool project, btw. Thanks
ha! the most sophisticated way would be with hubdynamo and everything being built-in your bike’s frame.
We are experimenting with mobile 1w mini-amp combos attached to the bike for others entertainment during a long trip powered by 100% pedalling source
83b19
5 December 2005, 00:08 by mark hoekstra
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photo credits: nijne
Well, the idea was very simple… take my hand crank charger I made earlier…
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...connect it to a bike-dynamo and tada! we should be there… That’s how I thought about this last weekend and that’s what I did… :-)
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...so… wiring up the dynamo…
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...connect it to the internals of my hand-crank-flashlight… (oh, and put everything in a static bag :-))
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..and start biking! wow, this is looking good, a charge light!
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...and I’ll be damned! this all seems to work, woohoo!
So then, this is the How-to? Well, if you will… the rest of it is more of a personal journal of how I ended up with my bike-charger, things I ran into etcetera… I’m pretty sure there’s useful information in there if you’re into making such a charger yourself, but a lot of the things I did from this point on is, well, how I liked it best, not necessarily how I thought anyone else would like it, that’s all :-) Let’s get on with it!
Of course I thought of an altoids-tin to put this project into… but, I never come across them somehow…
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I did come across this old project of mine, iNO and somehow, when I thought about it for a while, I decided this would be it… I’m gonna mod this charger into an old ADB-mouse!
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So, I got pretty much the same parts as I did for making the cable which connected my hand-crank charger to my ipod… (that’s a USB-extension-cable, a 100 ohm resistor, a 5.1V zenerdiode and a normal diode)
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Righty, first tests of fitting this inside the mouse…
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..and Dremel-ing a space for the USB-connector…
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...covering up the hole (cause we don’t want any electronics to drop out, now do we?) :-)
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...and I drilled a small hole for the charge-light, cause that’s such a neat feature, I want to keep that!
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...my kitchen-table somewhere in this process…
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...and then… it seemed the overall idea still was possible but I ran into all small problems… like a capacitor which was too high…
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...or a PCB which got in the way of one of the little holes to close the mouse again…
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...yet another test to see how we’re doing…
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...and the DIY-part of these electronics… the logic which should take care of making sure the ipod doesn’t get anything above 5 volts… (and a normal diode for making sure the ipod isn’t charging the charger instead of vice versa…)
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...so… now it looks like this! (I always use papertape, a lot… for making sure things don’t shortcut etc… you may criticize this, but this is how I work, for years already :-))
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...and the backside… (yeah, I know, I’m a sucker for details… the ‘rechargeable’ comes from an old ibook-battery which I had laying around)
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Time to get my bicycle into my livingroom!
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I was eager to try this out, so I wired it up quickly, got out of the house and took it all for a spin…
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Well, look at that, we have a charge icon… (only it seemed later on, the voltage was like, 3.5 volts, so it probably doesn’t charge one bit…)
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Time to get my bike inside again and start doing some wiring there!
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...that’s braided UTP-cable I used… (I did that before once)
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We do want some lights on our bike, but the normal bulbs in there (6 volts, 2.4 watts) would drain our charger in no time… so I decided to simply solder white leds in there (the voltage on the lighting dropped from 6 to about 3 volts because we connect it to the charger… The light of the hand-crank flashlight gets 3 volts and it’s the same wires I use)
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Tada! we have light with the click of a mouse button!
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...that includes a backlight :D
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...time to tidy it all up (and get this bike out of my livingroom!)
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I actually used a female s-video-connector on the bike-side, you can perfectly put an ADB-mouse-connector in there… (it’s exactly the same connector…)
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But then… I had it all together (I thought…) but then on a middle-of-the-night testrun, it seemed I wasn’t getting the voltage I needed… hmmmz… (this is a pic from my phone, but that building really is curved)... back to the drawing board kitchen table…
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First thing I did was, putting a lighter normal diode in there… Diodes can dissolve some volts… (excuse my language, I’m not an electrician or such)
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Then it became really silly… on the pic you can see a black and a yellow wire… originally there was an orange and a green wire in between and when I measured my old cable, I thought I had to connect the USB-plug to these two wires, but then I got no voltage… So I took the easy way, took my multi-meter and measured which wires did have some voltage… It seemed it was the one next to the yellow wire, only about 3.5 volts. I thought that was down because the whole thing was hardly charged, so in my first attempt I made this charger connected to there… But the voltage didn’t get higher than that 3.5 volts (that’s what you see on the phone pic)... Then I measured my cable again and it really should be this yellow and black wire… Luckily I do have another hand-crank-charger/flashlight… So I measured that one… and then it seemed, when you connect a plug to the charger, the two wires in between the yellow and the black one are short-cutted, but only then! And when they are, you have around 6.2 volts in between yellow and black…
So… because the PCB was getting in a bad shape on some points (because of all the soldering/desoldering) I took two points on the PCB, corresponding with the two points in between the yellow and black wire and short-cutted them with a piece of wire (that’s what you see on the pic). But then… I had no light! (but I did have a charger which gave me 4.9 volts… So, in the end, after some thinking… I decided to connect the two points, I pointed out with arrows… the left arrow is the downside of the switch of turning the light on/off and luckily it’s a switch with an extra (unused) connection, which is switched when the lighting is switched off… So, now I shortcut the two points in between the yellow and black wire when the lighting is turned off… and then we have a 4.9/5.0 volt USB-charger… :D …and when you turn on the light… you don’t have a charger… (voltage on the USB drops to zero)... So, to be honest, that’s the only downpoint I came across and I have to see if I can find a solution for it… But for now, this baby is good to go! (I just have to watch for cops really carefully when charging my ipod at night…) :-)
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So, this is it! my ipod and my charger!
euh, wait a minute… what about those socks?
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...well, I do like my skull-embroidered ipod sock and I do wanna use this charger for real… So… I made a hole in my sock (and in an orange one also, for the charger)
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So… tada! my ipod and my charger… :-)
all dressed up and no place to go we do have a place to go, cause we’re gonna do some rigid testing!
Right, well, I drained my ipod overnight (all artists -> all numbers > repeat :) )... This way I want to see if I can get enough current from it to boot it, charge it and hopefully it charges enough to get some usable tunes out of it… (with my hand crank setup I had to crank for about 30 minutes to get two stripes on the battery)...
So, how does it perform?
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photo credits: nijne
...so I took this baby for a spin…
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photo credits: nijne
...did I already mention bicycles are a popular means of transportation overhere?
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photo credits: nijne
...checking it out… yep, the lights work… :-)
Well, I had some issues with the mouse-switch on my testrun, so the lighting worked, but not the charging… hmmmmz
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It seemed very simple, the switch didn’t get properly switched (I put some tape underneath the mouse-button, but probably too much… So I removed it, switched the button and tada! charging… (although not booted yet)
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So I took this baby for yet another spin and yes we’re in business, this thing is charging for real now :D
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...and we have a stripe on the battery! :D it works! (it’s hard to say how much human energy went into this, cause I’ve been on my bike almost all afternoon, but with my lights on instead of charging and now it charged, probably from some full batteries inside the charger as well as biking for about twenty minutes :-) )
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Well, it’s a little too early for that, I have to do much more real-world testing. In a real world my ipod never gets drained to the bottom, so I have to see how this thing is gonna charge on a daily basis and I will be testing that the coming days/weeks. I travel to my work on my bike, in the morning I can charge my ipod, in the evening I have to use my lights… :D
added some overview pictures (I got actually asked for this by journalists :D )
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Anyways, I’m open for suggestions, if you have something to say, please do…
DIY trackback
MAKE:blog
The Unofficial Apple Weblog
arstechnica
Engadget(!)
treehugger.com smile
uk.gizmodo.com
digg.com (also here on digg, but this one seems more popular somehow… :D)
Lifehacker
Dutch:
bright.nl
telegraaf.nl
in print:
MAKE: issue 11
permalink
kevin @ 5 December 2005, 07:06 :
this was very cool. :-)
kevin @ 5 December 2005, 08:37 :
this is also on my blog now
ryan @ 5 December 2005, 10:12 :
Very nice!! I’ll about this into my blog
brob @ 5 December 2005, 16:33 :
Excellent article markie. The blog is excellent as always.
John @ 6 December 2005, 01:08 :
Nice project. Wonderful pictures. If you have enough extra voltage add a diode on top of the white ones since they limit max V on the generator. (You were searching for high efficiency diodes for the indicator light. 1ma is quite doable.) LM7805 and protection is all that is necessary for the IPOD mini. 12V necessary til end of 4th gen IPOD.
vito @ 6 December 2005, 14:13 :
Nice job, congrats.
Gus @ 6 December 2005, 14:28 :
I must say that is intresting how mutch time people can put into one thing.. But man It is a great news for Ipod bikers. God job!!!
Kacee @ 6 December 2005, 14:31 :
Very cool, Groningen C.S. can be seen at www.engadget.com ;-)
gott @ 6 December 2005, 18:05 :
Ipot ist für idioten!
ipot is häslich teuer und scheiße klinkter och!
also fickt euch alle ihr Ipot wixer
vince @ 6 December 2005, 19:10 :
wir brauchen kein blöder wurstfresser hier.
very cool mod, gonna try this out for my X5 :)
Calvinist @ 6 December 2005, 19:49 :
Kraut zu Hause!
todd @ 6 December 2005, 20:19 :
i bow to you, sir; you can void my warranty any time.
Teet @ 6 December 2005, 20:57 :
You obviously enjoy life! Very nicely done with the image report and all. Have fun and do more of those projects. (real ones like this one)
trickn0l0gy @ 6 December 2005, 23:53 :
can u become even more geek than this?! I believe not.
Christian @ 7 December 2005, 05:07 :
Hi! This is great! I think you are a source of inspiration. Isnt this what Apple is all about? “THINK DIFFERENT”. You done it mate!
mk2000 @ 7 December 2005, 08:23 :
Wow, That`s cool !! Ever thought of sending it to some invention contest ? you`d probably win !
Molotov Cocktail @ 7 December 2005, 09:42 :
Maybe next time you can show us how it looks on a man’s bike! LOL!
zubi @ 7 December 2005, 09:51 :
hehe, you’re a real geek! :)
keffrin @ 7 December 2005, 11:16 :
thanks for the digg support!
SEM Pro @ 7 December 2005, 11:58 :
This is ingenius; I really admire people like you who think outside the box! I wish you every success.
kevin @ 7 December 2005, 22:51 :
Maybe the guys at Griffen technology would be intrested in something like this.
PMonkey @ 7 December 2005, 22:57 :
I just said this on the Gizmodo site:
Isn’t this an iPod charger for a bike? And not, say, a bike charger for an iPod?
Both sound awesome, though, don’t get me wrong.
mark @ 7 December 2005, 23:10 :
yes, I guess you’re right :-) Somehow I called it a bike charger… I mean, it can charge probably anything which can be charged using USB, not only an iPod… When MAKE blogged it, I thought ‘hmmmz, iPod charger for a bicycle, maybe that’s how I should’ve put it…’ But well… most people seem to get what it does :D
jess @ 7 December 2005, 23:11 :
Nice mod :)
ps. That is a man’s bike.
Idiotic american.
T @ 8 December 2005, 01:20 :
In the states thats a womans bike. Idiotic foreigner.
TinyTim @ 8 December 2005, 01:50 :
Awsome job man!
I apologize for the other “rude” idiot from germany. Some people over here just dont get it :-(
Keep on modding, that is seriously cool!
eCkTt @ 8 December 2005, 06:15 :
Wow. That’s cool. Talk about saving the environment! hahaha. I guess every little bit helps.
Mr iPod @ 8 December 2005, 06:46 :
Love your bike,,,
Where can i purchase one?
keffrin @ 8 December 2005, 09:33 :
sorry about the mix-ups.
big apologies. :-)
Cam @ 8 December 2005, 10:49 :
Those bikes can be purchased from any drug user in Amsterdam.
kitkat @ 8 December 2005, 11:10 :
It is lovely to see such creative and talented people hobbying around.
Thumbs up for this dutchie. I recognise the dutch landscape.
This is time well spent…bet it feels good…
who needs tv or computer!use your imagination and make your own creation :-)
Mark Chu @ 8 December 2005, 14:55 :
Wow you are a modern day MacGyver!!! i even made an entry of this in my blog, if that’s ok.
John M @ 9 December 2005, 00:12 :
That is one dorky assed bike. You ever get beat up because of that thing?
Bouke @ 13 December 2005, 05:20 :
Wat een prachtig idee, zou dit ook kunnen voor gewone gsm”s. Ik zou erg graag rechtstreeks met jou in kontakt komen over het opladen van een laptopcomputer op zeilboten die langer op zee zijn.
Groeten Bouke
Terror @ 13 December 2005, 21:51 :
ey bauke, ik heb eventueel idee voor je:
Soort van energie opwekker met schoepen naast of achter de boot hangen…dat zou toch moeten helpen.. Btw prachtig idee dit.
ecommerce solution @ 13 December 2005, 23:11 :
#1. Well Done!!
#2. There will always be nay sayers. Don’t listen to them, it’s not worth it.
#3. Let me give you a tip. Think Miniaturization as you are making this model. Just keep on trying to perfect it. You will be amazed at your abilities!
ElDiablo @ 15 December 2005, 21:40 :
Te gek Mark, ik zag een fiets in een woonkamer en dacht, dit MOET en Nederlander zijn! Very cool! Greet the Netherlands for me!
Lorn @ 21 December 2005, 14:22 :
i’m from Brazil, Good project! and good website!
:)
Michiel @ 21 December 2005, 21:22 :
Excellent hack!
Heel nederlands, ook ;)
Joseph @ 29 December 2005, 01:11 :
i just bought a 40GB ipod. i wound when you made your charger,did you need another control signal or only +5Vdc?
DutchieHfx @ 30 December 2005, 06:04 :
Ik hoorde je op de radio (“CBC Freestyle”, nationaal programma in Canada!!!) en was weer eens trots om Nederlandse te zijn!
Peter Vogelaar @ 30 December 2005, 07:18 :
very nice work.. and ilove the bike too. I bought one at the flea market in leiden a month ago for 30 euros.. sold for the same when i left holland. could it work for my sony player too?
heel mooie jong
peter
Laugn @ 3 January 2006, 04:20 :
Or you could just buy a charger…fruit.
Skyline @ 6 January 2006, 12:51 :
Always thinking out of the box. Excellent, well done.
paul @ 6 January 2006, 19:07 :
put a second or third generator on your bike. one for light one for ipod.
Mandy dalton @ 9 January 2006, 23:05 :
if mac doesn’t hire you to come up with more ideas like this, they’re crazy! If this were mass produced I’d by one for my ipod/bicycle. BTW Any luck on a similar mechanism for Powerbook charging?
mike @ 22 January 2006, 14:26 :
how can you b arsed to sit and do all that shit just to have a little tiny strip of power on an iPod! Pointless!
curious @ 23 February 2006, 14:50 :
Hey, I think I might make one of these! I recently blew out the lamp on my bike dynamo and replaced it with a standalone LED system, so I have one spare. :-)
Shojak @ 13 March 2006, 22:22 :
I want to be able to charge my Ipod Shuffle in ways other than by plugging it into my computer. Can I just hook 3 AA batteries to it (via a female usb port) in a series to get a total of 4.5 volts charging it? If the Shuffle idealy needs 5 volts to charge it, would 4.5 volts kill my shuffle?
Dirk Penus @ 8 April 2006, 15:46 :
This is fucking retarded. And it looks gay. Together with the gay ass bike, you’re begging to get the shit beaten out of yourself if you’re driving around like this in any major city.
Also, do yourself a favor and get rid of the socks. Someone is bound to stuff them in your mouth at some point.
Oh, so you like it? Thank you!
David in Israel @ 10 April 2006, 19:45 :
Nice charger, a few years ago I tried something like this and fried a phone, many of these tyre bike chargers are AC so I made a diode bridge rectifier and capacitor to flaten out the sine wave but overvoltage (since I havd no voltage control zener diode) fried the phones internal charger circut. I had to charge from a homemade battery charge cradle til I got a new phone.
Press Release Writing @ 14 April 2006, 22:47 :
Just talk about the mother of inventions! Green energy, the world should know about this invention. Use a press release software like ours to let the world know.
杉山久男 @ 18 April 2006, 06:14 :
はじめまして、ipodの愛好家なんですね！エコロジーな記事が満載で感心しています。ipodの充電記事参考になりました。充電なんですが、USBのところに単に5V電圧をかけただけでは、ipodが充電モードにならないんですが、どういう結線にすれば充電モードになるのでしょうか？教えていただけますか？
RIKZ @ 22 April 2006, 12:24 :
; hi..
very nice idea…
,,)
Nic @ 29 April 2006, 22:32 :
Came here looking for a pic and got sucked in and read it all nice one mate
julie @ 7 May 2006, 00:14 :
sooooo cool! i’ll be building my first bike pretty soon; i’ll be sure to make one of these babies to fit on it. since i’m moving to london from the states, this’ll be wayyy better than buying another charger. plus, green energy!!
trong @ 10 May 2006, 17:10 :
i love you
Mystik @ 22 May 2006, 15:48 :
Ah wicked charger awsome idea hope to see more of these that provide a higher charge rate….i mean hell im not gonna ride for 20! mins haha awsome charger
modercuker @ 31 May 2006, 19:14 :
lol nice 1 m8, look at mi web site, its cool it has cool stuff in it XD… i did this and know i have an i-pod charger, but think that they can easili break it or steal it, hahahahha bastard…..
drilon @ 1 June 2006, 20:30 :
a muni ni bickel fal
nah @ 17 June 2006, 22:56 :
idiot
happytodd @ 26 June 2006, 14:26 :
Nicely done. I wish I could have one of those but a little complicated for a 14 year old wouldnt you say? Good luck for upgrading your latest gaggets for your ipod. If you can open your ipod up for me please send me a image of it and how you did it im trying to change the default lcd lights to blue. Thanks Kind regards happytodd (Todd)
LennyDaPoser @ 13 July 2006, 02:13 :
We are making the exact thing and going to patent it and become rich and you will cry yourself to sleep every night when you think to yourself how much of an idiot you are for not patenting your project. Dumb. Ass.
Lenny
mark @ 13 July 2006, 02:20 :
@lenny
LOL! suuuure… well, I take it as a compliment actually… and say hello to all the people in line at the patent-office. The saddest examples being those who think they can make a buck on someone else’s idea… that’s some energy well spent… but good luck any way…
LennyDaPoser @ 14 July 2006, 01:25 :
Haha, yeh I was just kidding. Sounded a bit harsh, but I actually really like this concept. Great work! (A+)
mr shyu @ 24 July 2006, 13:26 :
herro my name isa mr shyu i very much likie yuo invention to much poeple say all time , idea is likie makie love or likie hava rich soul, yuo soul isa verry rich.
Rick @ 4 August 2006, 22:10 :
Very impressive! The comments just keep coming even for an 8 month old post.
I’m glad you’re doing your part to help the environment and home-brew stuff always feel more personal since it was built by your own two hands. Some people take mass produced products for granted too often and do not appreciate the sense of pride others gain when they build something themselves.
Keep at it, Mark!
Adam Bies @ 3 September 2006, 05:08 :
How about using a dynamo to charge 2-4 AA or AAA batteries? It would be cool to have such a device to go on a long cross-country or multi-day bike / camping trip.
If you can charge AAs and AAAs you can run just about any device (including your iPod)...
Someone made a AA ipod charger out of an Altoids tin…
http://www.instructables.com/id/EKXUADQ93MEP2870BP/
Sander @ 28 September 2006, 16:17 :
Ey mensen,
oh yeah right, english: hellow folks.
Does anyone know if you can buy stuff like this?
I tried to make one myself, but the only thing i gained was a lot of stress en an ipod flying true the room:P (was little mad..)
So is it possible to order these things?
Of mark, wil ej er 1 voor me maken en dan krijg je er een mooi prijsje voor (A).
Grtz
Sander
lostlogic @ 12 October 2006, 17:33 :
That’s a great project—how reliable is that bicycle dynamo being for ya? I’ve always had a lot of trouble with those when I’ve tried to use them in the past.
corralesroad @ 21 October 2006, 07:04 :
Well done lad!
Thank you for sharing!
I stumbled across your project’(s) from a mis-tyed google search.
While I have no use for your project’(s), they were a great read. I am glad to see the homebrew club is still alive and well.
Once again, thank you for sharing.
jason @ 1 November 2006, 22:13 :
if you really want to finalize your little project. Bring a portable bike stand of sorts to raise the bike from the ground and yet be able to keep pedalling so you can continuously charge from a stationary position (all your little gadgets) so when you really do travel outdoors, and you get stuck on a rut, that’s when you can really use the bike. And not just while travelling. Good eve :)
delger @ 2 November 2006, 11:46 :
Hello.my name’’s Delger.i want ask some questen.i bay ipod mp[3 bat how i charger i dont anderstand.if i charger dear is coming do not disconnect.kan you help me please.
bob dole @ 4 November 2006, 22:39 :
#53 is retarted, that is an awesome invention
ibanez @ 10 November 2006, 11:15 :
Haha , groninger;)
Gaaf stukje werk :)
TJ @ 17 November 2006, 19:55 :
In order to charge faster than the hand crank, something has to be putting out more power. Any idea how much more power the bike dynamo puts out than the flashlight dynamo?
john @ 20 November 2006, 00:16 :
yes! you can draw more power using less speed. How? you need a momentum capacitor. This isn’t an electrical capacitor but mechanical. Its a lead wheel that’s heavy and goes in between two gears so that when you spin it, it keeps spinning even though you stop putting energy into the axle – It stores energy. Also, a higher gear ratio addition between the axle and the alternator will help. With the momentum capacitor and a flywheel, you could stop at a stop sign or a stop light for a few seconds and it will keep turning the alternator and charging the battery. it also averages out the rpms of the alternator so if your speed fluctuates a little, the rpms of the axle stay the same.
GABRIEL @ 1 December 2006, 14:53 :
Can you contact me I have another project I need assistance with.
Olympia Design.
Mob; 07891-749527
Bob @ 1 December 2006, 22:40 :
wasup!
outlandishjosh @ 9 December 2006, 22:51 :
You are my new god.
Mike @ 11 December 2006, 07:25 :
Very cool design. Apologize for my narrow-minded Americans – they just don’t understand other cultures. And, these bikes are super comfortable to ride. This is a cool iPod hack. I’d want to probe for over/under voltage since the dynamo is AC. Great invention.
carlos noda @ 12 December 2006, 03:27 :
that was really cool can you get it done for me im only 10
PeterU @ 23 December 2006, 11:40 :
Cool idea! Cool bike! Those Dutch utility bikes are indestructible! But not so fun if your commute is uphill 1:20 for 1 km and 1:10 for 1,5 more… How bout if you got yourselves one of these wheel hub dynamos instead, and wired that to your charger?
And, LOVE that tablecloth! Sooo 70’s!
:o)
Tyson @ 26 December 2006, 04:17 :
Nice job my friend!
I am always impressed by persistant people. I designed a pcb for the same type of charging purpose. It will fit in your handlebar and works with a shimano hub dyno generator, rectifier, and 3 voltage regulators. It would not have room for the ultra cool mouse but usb could attached. I will send you one if you like at no charge. You would just need a few part.
Ex bike mechanic, ipod fan, and electrical engineer
Tyson
Lex @ 11 January 2007, 14:58 :
Nice, especially the retro mouse housing ;)
You could mount a wheel with a hub dynamo so you can use your lights while charging your iPod. Or mount a second ordinary dynamo, but that wouldn’t just look weird but would also make biking quite tiresome :)
I made a 1W Luxeon LED driver circuit that fits inside an old bicycle light, but it could be used to charge an iPod as well. Maybe I’ll put the schematics on the web some day.
P.S.: don’t mind the comments from people who think it’s “gay” or “retarded”, they are probably in denial and are projecting their own frustrations.
Calum @ 11 February 2007, 19:18 :
Cool, please e-mail me of news not on the page.
You could make loads and sell them on e-bay!
P.S freewebs.com is a FREE web host!
charlie Johnson @ 20 February 2007, 17:57 :
Great idea on the ipod charger. I need to buy a charge for a mini DV camera that works on the same bicycle concept. I assume the mechanics are the same but I need more voltage. If you know someone or company that makes something similar please let me know. The purpose is for this device is for villagers in Africa who’re taking video for me but have no electricity. We’re trying to make a documentary about life in the villages.
yu ting @ 14 May 2007, 08:21 :
is this particular project/design patron?
Chris @ 2 June 2007, 00:01 :
I’d be careful with the older iPods. My 4G faked me out by appearing to charge off my printer (plugged it into the pictbridge port), and I turned it on the next morning to find it had drained completely. Nice surprise, there.
BTW, that mini is sexy.
Oliver at www.myoldmac.net @ 9 June 2007, 02:01 :
Great ! This is the Fun Page of the month at www.myoldmac.net´s Finder – See all at
http://myoldmac.net/MacFinder/index.php?cat=14
jesse @ 8 July 2007, 17:36 :
hey can you please take apart a mp3 and make a totally basic one based on what you find out with cheep items please thanks bbye
bwarper @ 30 July 2007, 21:03 :
Hi,
Is it possible to make something that would charge while allowing me to insert the remote control transmitter?
mohanakrishnan @ 28 October 2007, 17:36 :
i want TO KNOW HOW THE DYANMO is working and what are all the parts to create a DYANMO. how it is convert as a energy
Samir Kagadkar @ 20 November 2007, 20:26 :
Supercool !!
Alexis @ 26 November 2007, 19:05 :
Super awsome. I was just wondering if you could possibly blow your iPod by doing this.
Blake @ 21 January 2008, 03:34 :
Great project! I am working on something similar myself…
I’m thinking of using a dc-dc converter with a 5 volt output (instead of a z-diode). They’re small, cheap enough ($30), and some are better than 90% efficient. There will have to be a bridge rectifier in there somewhere too which will cost a bit of energy too, but it will be more efficient (and more expensive) than this example.
Alexis:
The zener diode will protect your iPod from over-voltage. Take care to get the polarity right, though. Getting it wrong would almost certainly destroy the charging circuitry of an iPod. Some electronics have circuitry built-in to protect against reverse polarity, but I would bet against it in the case of something as small and low-power (and specialized and manufacturer-bound) as an iPod.
I suggest doing it with a USB iPod charger since USB is an open spec (not super-secret Apple intellectual property like an AC charger ;) so you can find out how to connect power to it correctly (keeping iPod safe).
Mike Rucci @ 28 January 2008, 07:46 :
Very Nice,
I desperately want one of these for a 6+ month bike trip i will be doing across the US and back. I’m going to be using the iphone to keep in touch as well as added maps and entertainment. Also since I’m camping along the way with limited chances to recharge.
I am going try to do this myself, but would love to know how i can get a finished one.
Thanks,
Mike Rucci
bish @ 30 January 2008, 06:13 :
mark, this is an awesome hack. going to set to work making my own tomorrow morning.
@97 Mike Rucci – might be quite hard to get enough juice to keep an iphone powered… i dont know enough about them, but its a safe bet they use waaaaay more power than an old mini. like i say, i dunno that its impossible, but probably not easy (and you might have to pedal quite hard)... but then, if youre riding all the way across the US AND BACK, i spose youre a pretty serious rider!
Fallan Griffith @ 13 February 2008, 08:00 :
Wow, that was really cool. I don’t think I have the patience for it!
Blake @ 13 February 2008, 13:07 :
I got my similar setup working yesterday. I intend to do a lot more testing, but after reading some of the comments here I thought I’d offer my 2 cents:
I am happy with my Schmidt dynamo hub. I cannot feel the drag at all, with or without a load attached. I cannot tell the difference between the generator wheel and a normal wheel.
It charges my iPod shuffle in a most hoopie way: about 5 minutes of cycling seems to give me an hour of listening.
I hooked my Sharp Zaurus c3000 up and spun the wheel by hand. This immediately caused the battery level indicator to rise. I haven’t gone on a long ride with a dead battery in the Z yet, but I think it will work.
Mike Rucci: I don’t think charging your iPhone is out of the question. You can get a lot more power out of a good generator than the “rating” would indicate.
http://www.m-gineering.nl/son12vg.htm#bild1
According to those graphs, this thing will produce 18v/9w at 30mph. I have yet to test that, but if accurate, it should not be a problem to charge an iPhone as you would have more than 1 amp available at 5v going 20mph.
I do not know exactly how much current an iPhone wants from a USB port, but I would guess that it isn’t far off from the 800ma my Zaurus wants. I will post here again with the results of my charging test.
To anyone thinking of trying this, I say go for it! It is both easier and more practical than it sounds. I’m about to use mine to keep my Zaurus, my iPod, and my GPS charged on a long tour of Europe during which I will do a lot of camping. I am looking forward to having a fully charged iPod as soon as I arrive at a campsite, so I can enjoy some tunes while I set up my tent.
Mike Rucci @ 14 February 2008, 00:48 :
bish + Blake: thanks for the encouragement.
Although this seems to be a little over my head, I guess the first step is for me to get my hands on a crank flash light with some kind of dc output, as well as a bike dynamo.
Then start messing around.
Pardon my lack of knowledge but are you guys saying that although I use the same usb wall charger for any ipod even my shuffle, as I do for my iphone that this project will not be ideal for any ipod?
garryLadd @ 15 February 2008, 12:47 :
the dynamo can be replaced by a ‘less friction’ charge using ‘passing magnets’ – see http://www.freelights.co.uk/kit.html for more info
jaleia @ 15 March 2008, 05:28 :
l want a ipod how much will it cost
mehdi @ 22 March 2008, 22:04 :
i have new invention of dynamo for bike
MAXBRO @ 20 September 2008, 16:16 :
I had thought of charging Garmin Zumo GPS with 12V dynamo http://www.bumm.de/index-e.html puts out 6Watts and just hooking to 12V wires supplied through a fuse?? The Zumo uses max 15W so might have to have on lowest screen setting. Have asked Garmin but no reply at this stage. Would trickle charge and also plays MP3 and bluetooth
MAXBRO @ 20 September 2008, 16:34 :
I like the Schmidt dynamo hub. What Voltage and watts??
Eelco @ 21 September 2008, 21:00 :
RIP Mark
aris @ 28 March 2009, 07:22 :
Nice work mark. the planet need moree people like you.
Gonzalo @ 26 October 2009, 15:11 :
Hi, I would like to contact you by email or phone if possible.
My email is gonenriquez@yahoo.com.ar
Ik woon in Den Haag
valenciax @ 6 November 2009, 13:21 :
more work to my bike
User1 @ 21 January 2010, 19:35 :
Impressive work here! You are a great person and wish there were more people like you where I live.
BTW, I’m so jealous you live in Amsterdam. :D
TB @ 28 January 2010, 09:51 :
Good idea.
However, be aware that on a downhill stretch at 50 kph a cycle generator can easily generate over 50 volts. You really need to use a simple zener diode regulator at least to prevent over-voltage damage to any electronics. Also, a USB charger port would be easy to make also using a 5v regulator.
Jack @ 17 April 2010, 23:00 :
Hey, I was wondering. I’m thinking about making an ipod charger with, say, a solar panel built right onto the back(of a shuffle). The thing is, I don’t know how much energy it would take to charge it…? Also, I’m not sure if a solar panel that small could provide enough energy. If not, perhaps a small capacitor bank charging in bursts every time it’s filled? Idk. Anyway just some ideas, but if you know how much energy it would take, please let me know… cool project, btw. Thanks
ambi @ 12 May 2010, 08:46 :
ha! the most sophisticated way would be with hubdynamo and everything being built-in your bike’s frame.
We are experimenting with mobile 1w mini-amp combos attached to the bike for others entertainment during a long trip powered by 100% pedalling source
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0
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5 December 2005, 00:08 by mark hoekstra
click to enlarge
photo credits: nijne
Well, the idea was very simple… take my hand crank charger I made earlier…
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...connect it to a bike-dynamo and tada! we should be there… That’s how I thought about this last weekend and that’s what I did… :-)
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...so… wiring up the dynamo…
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...connect it to the internals of my hand-crank-flashlight… (oh, and put everything in a static bag :-))
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..and start biking! wow, this is looking good, a charge light!
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...and I’ll be damned! this all seems to work, woohoo!
So then, this is the How-to? Well, if you will… the rest of it is more of a personal journal of how I ended up with my bike-charger, things I ran into etcetera… I’m pretty sure there’s useful information in there if you’re into making such a charger yourself, but a lot of the things I did from this point on is, well, how I liked it best, not necessarily how I thought anyone else would like it, that’s all :-) Let’s get on with it!
Of course I thought of an altoids-tin to put this project into… but, I never come across them somehow…
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I did come across this old project of mine, iNO and somehow, when I thought about it for a while, I decided this would be it… I’m gonna mod this charger into an old ADB-mouse!
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So, I got pretty much the same parts as I did for making the cable which connected my hand-crank charger to my ipod… (that’s a USB-extension-cable, a 100 ohm resistor, a 5.1V zenerdiode and a normal diode)
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Righty, first tests of fitting this inside the mouse…
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..and Dremel-ing a space for the USB-connector…
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...covering up the hole (cause we don’t want any electronics to drop out, now do we?) :-)
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...and I drilled a small hole for the charge-light, cause that’s such a neat feature, I want to keep that!
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...my kitchen-table somewhere in this process…
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...and then… it seemed the overall idea still was possible but I ran into all small problems… like a capacitor which was too high…
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...or a PCB which got in the way of one of the little holes to close the mouse again…
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...yet another test to see how we’re doing…
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...and the DIY-part of these electronics… the logic which should take care of making sure the ipod doesn’t get anything above 5 volts… (and a normal diode for making sure the ipod isn’t charging the charger instead of vice versa…)
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...so… now it looks like this! (I always use papertape, a lot… for making sure things don’t shortcut etc… you may criticize this, but this is how I work, for years already :-))
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...and the backside… (yeah, I know, I’m a sucker for details… the ‘rechargeable’ comes from an old ibook-battery which I had laying around)
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Time to get my bicycle into my livingroom!
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I was eager to try this out, so I wired it up quickly, got out of the house and took it all for a spin…
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Well, look at that, we have a charge icon… (only it seemed later on, the voltage was like, 3.5 volts, so it probably doesn’t charge one bit…)
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Time to get my bike inside again and start doing some wiring there!
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...that’s braided UTP-cable I used… (I did that before once)
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We do want some lights on our bike, but the normal bulbs in there (6 volts, 2.4 watts) would drain our charger in no time… so I decided to simply solder white leds in there (the voltage on the lighting dropped from 6 to about 3 volts because we connect it to the charger… The light of the hand-crank flashlight gets 3 volts and it’s the same wires I use)
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Tada! we have light with the click of a mouse button!
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...that includes a backlight :D
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...time to tidy it all up (and get this bike out of my livingroom!)
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I actually used a female s-video-connector on the bike-side, you can perfectly put an ADB-mouse-connector in there… (it’s exactly the same connector…)
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But then… I had it all together (I thought…) but then on a middle-of-the-night testrun, it seemed I wasn’t getting the voltage I needed… hmmmz… (this is a pic from my phone, but that building really is curved)... back to the drawing board kitchen table…
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First thing I did was, putting a lighter normal diode in there… Diodes can dissolve some volts… (excuse my language, I’m not an electrician or such)
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Then it became really silly… on the pic you can see a black and a yellow wire… originally there was an orange and a green wire in between and when I measured my old cable, I thought I had to connect the USB-plug to these two wires, but then I got no voltage… So I took the easy way, took my multi-meter and measured which wires did have some voltage… It seemed it was the one next to the yellow wire, only about 3.5 volts. I thought that was down because the whole thing was hardly charged, so in my first attempt I made this charger connected to there… But the voltage didn’t get higher than that 3.5 volts (that’s what you see on the phone pic)... Then I measured my cable again and it really should be this yellow and black wire… Luckily I do have another hand-crank-charger/flashlight… So I measured that one… and then it seemed, when you connect a plug to the charger, the two wires in between the yellow and the black one are short-cutted, but only then! And when they are, you have around 6.2 volts in between yellow and black…
So… because the PCB was getting in a bad shape on some points (because of all the soldering/desoldering) I took two points on the PCB, corresponding with the two points in between the yellow and black wire and short-cutted them with a piece of wire (that’s what you see on the pic). But then… I had no light! (but I did have a charger which gave me 4.9 volts… So, in the end, after some thinking… I decided to connect the two points, I pointed out with arrows… the left arrow is the downside of the switch of turning the light on/off and luckily it’s a switch with an extra (unused) connection, which is switched when the lighting is switched off… So, now I shortcut the two points in between the yellow and black wire when the lighting is turned off… and then we have a 4.9/5.0 volt USB-charger… :D …and when you turn on the light… you don’t have a charger… (voltage on the USB drops to zero)... So, to be honest, that’s the only downpoint I came across and I have to see if I can find a solution for it… But for now, this baby is good to go! (I just have to watch for cops really carefully when charging my ipod at night…) :-)
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So, this is it! my ipod and my charger!
euh, wait a minute… what about those socks?
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...well, I do like my skull-embroidered ipod sock and I do wanna use this charger for real… So… I made a hole in my sock (and in an orange one also, for the charger)
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So… tada! my ipod and my charger… :-)
all dressed up and no place to go we do have a place to go, cause we’re gonna do some rigid testing!
Right, well, I drained my ipod overnight (all artists -> all numbers > repeat :) )... This way I want to see if I can get enough current from it to boot it, charge it and hopefully it charges enough to get some usable tunes out of it… (with my hand crank setup I had to crank for about 30 minutes to get two stripes on the battery)...
So, how does it perform?
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photo credits: nijne
...so I took this baby for a spin…
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photo credits: nijne
...did I already mention bicycles are a popular means of transportation overhere?
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photo credits: nijne
...checking it out… yep, the lights work… :-)
Well, I had some issues with the mouse-switch on my testrun, so the lighting worked, but not the charging… hmmmmz
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It seemed very simple, the switch didn’t get properly switched (I put some tape underneath the mouse-button, but probably too much… So I removed it, switched the button and tada! charging… (although not booted yet)
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So I took this baby for yet another spin and yes we’re in business, this thing is charging for real now :D
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...and we have a stripe on the battery! :D it works! (it’s hard to say how much human energy went into this, cause I’ve been on my bike almost all afternoon, but with my lights on instead of charging and now it charged, probably from some full batteries inside the charger as well as biking for about twenty minutes :-) )
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Well, it’s a little too early for that, I have to do much more real-world testing. In a real world my ipod never gets drained to the bottom, so I have to see how this thing is gonna charge on a daily basis and I will be testing that the coming days/weeks. I travel to my work on my bike, in the morning I can charge my ipod, in the evening I have to use my lights… :D
added some overview pictures (I got actually asked for this by journalists :D )
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Anyways, I’m open for suggestions, if you have something to say, please do…
DIY trackback
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Engadget(!)
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kevin @ 5 December 2005, 07:06 :
this was very cool. :-)
kevin @ 5 December 2005, 08:37 :
this is also on my blog now
ryan @ 5 December 2005, 10:12 :
Very nice!! I’ll about this into my blog
brob @ 5 December 2005, 16:33 :
Excellent article markie. The blog is excellent as always.
John @ 6 December 2005, 01:08 :
Nice project. Wonderful pictures. If you have enough extra voltage add a diode on top of the white ones since they limit max V on the generator. (You were searching for high efficiency diodes for the indicator light. 1ma is quite doable.) LM7805 and protection is all that is necessary for the IPOD mini. 12V necessary til end of 4th gen IPOD.
vito @ 6 December 2005, 14:13 :
Nice job, congrats.
Gus @ 6 December 2005, 14:28 :
I must say that is intresting how mutch time people can put into one thing.. But man It is a great news for Ipod bikers. God job!!!
Kacee @ 6 December 2005, 14:31 :
Very cool, Groningen C.S. can be seen at www.engadget.com ;-)
gott @ 6 December 2005, 18:05 :
Ipot ist für idioten!
ipot is häslich teuer und scheiße klinkter och!
also fickt euch alle ihr Ipot wixer
vince @ 6 December 2005, 19:10 :
wir brauchen kein blöder wurstfresser hier.
very cool mod, gonna try this out for my X5 :)
Calvinist @ 6 December 2005, 19:49 :
Kraut zu Hause!
todd @ 6 December 2005, 20:19 :
i bow to you, sir; you can void my warranty any time.
Teet @ 6 December 2005, 20:57 :
You obviously enjoy life! Very nicely done with the image report and all. Have fun and do more of those projects. (real ones like this one)
trickn0l0gy @ 6 December 2005, 23:53 :
can u become even more geek than this?! I believe not.
Christian @ 7 December 2005, 05:07 :
Hi! This is great! I think you are a source of inspiration. Isnt this what Apple is all about? “THINK DIFFERENT”. You done it mate!
mk2000 @ 7 December 2005, 08:23 :
Wow, That`s cool !! Ever thought of sending it to some invention contest ? you`d probably win !
Molotov Cocktail @ 7 December 2005, 09:42 :
Maybe next time you can show us how it looks on a man’s bike! LOL!
zubi @ 7 December 2005, 09:51 :
hehe, you’re a real geek! :)
keffrin @ 7 December 2005, 11:16 :
thanks for the digg support!
SEM Pro @ 7 December 2005, 11:58 :
This is ingenius; I really admire people like you who think outside the box! I wish you every success.
kevin @ 7 December 2005, 22:51 :
Maybe the guys at Griffen technology would be intrested in something like this.
PMonkey @ 7 December 2005, 22:57 :
I just said this on the Gizmodo site:
Isn’t this an iPod charger for a bike? And not, say, a bike charger for an iPod?
Both sound awesome, though, don’t get me wrong.
mark @ 7 December 2005, 23:10 :
yes, I guess you’re right :-) Somehow I called it a bike charger… I mean, it can charge probably anything which can be charged using USB, not only an iPod… When MAKE blogged it, I thought ‘hmmmz, iPod charger for a bicycle, maybe that’s how I should’ve put it…’ But well… most people seem to get what it does :D
jess @ 7 December 2005, 23:11 :
Nice mod :)
ps. That is a man’s bike.
Idiotic american.
T @ 8 December 2005, 01:20 :
In the states thats a womans bike. Idiotic foreigner.
TinyTim @ 8 December 2005, 01:50 :
Awsome job man!
I apologize for the other “rude” idiot from germany. Some people over here just dont get it :-(
Keep on modding, that is seriously cool!
eCkTt @ 8 December 2005, 06:15 :
Wow. That’s cool. Talk about saving the environment! hahaha. I guess every little bit helps.
Mr iPod @ 8 December 2005, 06:46 :
Love your bike,,,
Where can i purchase one?
keffrin @ 8 December 2005, 09:33 :
sorry about the mix-ups.
big apologies. :-)
Cam @ 8 December 2005, 10:49 :
Those bikes can be purchased from any drug user in Amsterdam.
kitkat @ 8 December 2005, 11:10 :
It is lovely to see such creative and talented people hobbying around.
Thumbs up for this dutchie. I recognise the dutch landscape.
This is time well spent…bet it feels good…
who needs tv or computer!use your imagination and make your own creation :-)
Mark Chu @ 8 December 2005, 14:55 :
Wow you are a modern day MacGyver!!! i even made an entry of this in my blog, if that’s ok.
John M @ 9 December 2005, 00:12 :
That is one dorky assed bike. You ever get beat up because of that thing?
Bouke @ 13 December 2005, 05:20 :
Wat een prachtig idee, zou dit ook kunnen voor gewone gsm”s. Ik zou erg graag rechtstreeks met jou in kontakt komen over het opladen van een laptopcomputer op zeilboten die langer op zee zijn.
Groeten Bouke
Terror @ 13 December 2005, 21:51 :
ey bauke, ik heb eventueel idee voor je:
Soort van energie opwekker met schoepen naast of achter de boot hangen…dat zou toch moeten helpen.. Btw prachtig idee dit.
ecommerce solution @ 13 December 2005, 23:11 :
#1. Well Done!!
#2. There will always be nay sayers. Don’t listen to them, it’s not worth it.
#3. Let me give you a tip. Think Miniaturization as you are making this model. Just keep on trying to perfect it. You will be amazed at your abilities!
ElDiablo @ 15 December 2005, 21:40 :
Te gek Mark, ik zag een fiets in een woonkamer en dacht, dit MOET en Nederlander zijn! Very cool! Greet the Netherlands for me!
Lorn @ 21 December 2005, 14:22 :
i’m from Brazil, Good project! and good website!
:)
Michiel @ 21 December 2005, 21:22 :
Excellent hack!
Heel nederlands, ook ;)
Joseph @ 29 December 2005, 01:11 :
i just bought a 40GB ipod. i wound when you made your charger,did you need another control signal or only +5Vdc?
DutchieHfx @ 30 December 2005, 06:04 :
Ik hoorde je op de radio (“CBC Freestyle”, nationaal programma in Canada!!!) en was weer eens trots om Nederlandse te zijn!
Peter Vogelaar @ 30 December 2005, 07:18 :
very nice work.. and ilove the bike too. I bought one at the flea market in leiden a month ago for 30 euros.. sold for the same when i left holland. could it work for my sony player too?
heel mooie jong
peter
Laugn @ 3 January 2006, 04:20 :
Or you could just buy a charger…fruit.
Skyline @ 6 January 2006, 12:51 :
Always thinking out of the box. Excellent, well done.
paul @ 6 January 2006, 19:07 :
put a second or third generator on your bike. one for light one for ipod.
Mandy dalton @ 9 January 2006, 23:05 :
if mac doesn’t hire you to come up with more ideas like this, they’re crazy! If this were mass produced I’d by one for my ipod/bicycle. BTW Any luck on a similar mechanism for Powerbook charging?
mike @ 22 January 2006, 14:26 :
how can you b arsed to sit and do all that shit just to have a little tiny strip of power on an iPod! Pointless!
curious @ 23 February 2006, 14:50 :
Hey, I think I might make one of these! I recently blew out the lamp on my bike dynamo and replaced it with a standalone LED system, so I have one spare. :-)
Shojak @ 13 March 2006, 22:22 :
I want to be able to charge my Ipod Shuffle in ways other than by plugging it into my computer. Can I just hook 3 AA batteries to it (via a female usb port) in a series to get a total of 4.5 volts charging it? If the Shuffle idealy needs 5 volts to charge it, would 4.5 volts kill my shuffle?
Dirk Penus @ 8 April 2006, 15:46 :
This is fucking retarded. And it looks gay. Together with the gay ass bike, you’re begging to get the shit beaten out of yourself if you’re driving around like this in any major city.
Also, do yourself a favor and get rid of the socks. Someone is bound to stuff them in your mouth at some point.
Oh, so you like it? Thank you!
David in Israel @ 10 April 2006, 19:45 :
Nice charger, a few years ago I tried something like this and fried a phone, many of these tyre bike chargers are AC so I made a diode bridge rectifier and capacitor to flaten out the sine wave but overvoltage (since I havd no voltage control zener diode) fried the phones internal charger circut. I had to charge from a homemade battery charge cradle til I got a new phone.
Press Release Writing @ 14 April 2006, 22:47 :
Just talk about the mother of inventions! Green energy, the world should know about this invention. Use a press release software like ours to let the world know.
杉山久男 @ 18 April 2006, 06:14 :
はじめまして、ipodの愛好家なんですね！エコロジーな記事が満載で感心しています。ipodの充電記事参考になりました。充電なんですが、USBのところに単に5V電圧をかけただけでは、ipodが充電モードにならないんですが、どういう結線にすれば充電モードになるのでしょうか？教えていただけますか？
RIKZ @ 22 April 2006, 12:24 :
; hi..
very nice idea…
,,)
Nic @ 29 April 2006, 22:32 :
Came here looking for a pic and got sucked in and read it all nice one mate
julie @ 7 May 2006, 00:14 :
sooooo cool! i’ll be building my first bike pretty soon; i’ll be sure to make one of these babies to fit on it. since i’m moving to london from the states, this’ll be wayyy better than buying another charger. plus, green energy!!
trong @ 10 May 2006, 17:10 :
i love you
Mystik @ 22 May 2006, 15:48 :
Ah wicked charger awsome idea hope to see more of these that provide a higher charge rate….i mean hell im not gonna ride for 20! mins haha awsome charger
modercuker @ 31 May 2006, 19:14 :
lol nice 1 m8, look at mi web site, its cool it has cool stuff in it XD… i did this and know i have an i-pod charger, but think that they can easili break it or steal it, hahahahha bastard…..
drilon @ 1 June 2006, 20:30 :
a muni ni bickel fal
nah @ 17 June 2006, 22:56 :
idiot
happytodd @ 26 June 2006, 14:26 :
Nicely done. I wish I could have one of those but a little complicated for a 14 year old wouldnt you say? Good luck for upgrading your latest gaggets for your ipod. If you can open your ipod up for me please send me a image of it and how you did it im trying to change the default lcd lights to blue. Thanks Kind regards happytodd (Todd)
LennyDaPoser @ 13 July 2006, 02:13 :
We are making the exact thing and going to patent it and become rich and you will cry yourself to sleep every night when you think to yourself how much of an idiot you are for not patenting your project. Dumb. Ass.
Lenny
mark @ 13 July 2006, 02:20 :
@lenny
LOL! suuuure… well, I take it as a compliment actually… and say hello to all the people in line at the patent-office. The saddest examples being those who think they can make a buck on someone else’s idea… that’s some energy well spent… but good luck any way…
LennyDaPoser @ 14 July 2006, 01:25 :
Haha, yeh I was just kidding. Sounded a bit harsh, but I actually really like this concept. Great work! (A+)
mr shyu @ 24 July 2006, 13:26 :
herro my name isa mr shyu i very much likie yuo invention to much poeple say all time , idea is likie makie love or likie hava rich soul, yuo soul isa verry rich.
Rick @ 4 August 2006, 22:10 :
Very impressive! The comments just keep coming even for an 8 month old post.
I’m glad you’re doing your part to help the environment and home-brew stuff always feel more personal since it was built by your own two hands. Some people take mass produced products for granted too often and do not appreciate the sense of pride others gain when they build something themselves.
Keep at it, Mark!
Adam Bies @ 3 September 2006, 05:08 :
How about using a dynamo to charge 2-4 AA or AAA batteries? It would be cool to have such a device to go on a long cross-country or multi-day bike / camping trip.
If you can charge AAs and AAAs you can run just about any device (including your iPod)...
Someone made a AA ipod charger out of an Altoids tin…
http://www.instructables.com/id/EKXUADQ93MEP2870BP/
Sander @ 28 September 2006, 16:17 :
Ey mensen,
oh yeah right, english: hellow folks.
Does anyone know if you can buy stuff like this?
I tried to make one myself, but the only thing i gained was a lot of stress en an ipod flying true the room:P (was little mad..)
So is it possible to order these things?
Of mark, wil ej er 1 voor me maken en dan krijg je er een mooi prijsje voor (A).
Grtz
Sander
lostlogic @ 12 October 2006, 17:33 :
That’s a great project—how reliable is that bicycle dynamo being for ya? I’ve always had a lot of trouble with those when I’ve tried to use them in the past.
corralesroad @ 21 October 2006, 07:04 :
Well done lad!
Thank you for sharing!
I stumbled across your project’(s) from a mis-tyed google search.
While I have no use for your project’(s), they were a great read. I am glad to see the homebrew club is still alive and well.
Once again, thank you for sharing.
jason @ 1 November 2006, 22:13 :
if you really want to finalize your little project. Bring a portable bike stand of sorts to raise the bike from the ground and yet be able to keep pedalling so you can continuously charge from a stationary position (all your little gadgets) so when you really do travel outdoors, and you get stuck on a rut, that’s when you can really use the bike. And not just while travelling. Good eve :)
delger @ 2 November 2006, 11:46 :
Hello.my name’’s Delger.i want ask some questen.i bay ipod mp[3 bat how i charger i dont anderstand.if i charger dear is coming do not disconnect.kan you help me please.
bob dole @ 4 November 2006, 22:39 :
#53 is retarted, that is an awesome invention
ibanez @ 10 November 2006, 11:15 :
Haha , groninger;)
Gaaf stukje werk :)
TJ @ 17 November 2006, 19:55 :
In order to charge faster than the hand crank, something has to be putting out more power. Any idea how much more power the bike dynamo puts out than the flashlight dynamo?
john @ 20 November 2006, 00:16 :
yes! you can draw more power using less speed. How? you need a momentum capacitor. This isn’t an electrical capacitor but mechanical. Its a lead wheel that’s heavy and goes in between two gears so that when you spin it, it keeps spinning even though you stop putting energy into the axle – It stores energy. Also, a higher gear ratio addition between the axle and the alternator will help. With the momentum capacitor and a flywheel, you could stop at a stop sign or a stop light for a few seconds and it will keep turning the alternator and charging the battery. it also averages out the rpms of the alternator so if your speed fluctuates a little, the rpms of the axle stay the same.
GABRIEL @ 1 December 2006, 14:53 :
Can you contact me I have another project I need assistance with.
Olympia Design.
Mob; 07891-749527
Bob @ 1 December 2006, 22:40 :
wasup!
outlandishjosh @ 9 December 2006, 22:51 :
You are my new god.
Mike @ 11 December 2006, 07:25 :
Very cool design. Apologize for my narrow-minded Americans – they just don’t understand other cultures. And, these bikes are super comfortable to ride. This is a cool iPod hack. I’d want to probe for over/under voltage since the dynamo is AC. Great invention.
carlos noda @ 12 December 2006, 03:27 :
that was really cool can you get it done for me im only 10
PeterU @ 23 December 2006, 11:40 :
Cool idea! Cool bike! Those Dutch utility bikes are indestructible! But not so fun if your commute is uphill 1:20 for 1 km and 1:10 for 1,5 more… How bout if you got yourselves one of these wheel hub dynamos instead, and wired that to your charger?
And, LOVE that tablecloth! Sooo 70’s!
:o)
Tyson @ 26 December 2006, 04:17 :
Nice job my friend!
I am always impressed by persistant people. I designed a pcb for the same type of charging purpose. It will fit in your handlebar and works with a shimano hub dyno generator, rectifier, and 3 voltage regulators. It would not have room for the ultra cool mouse but usb could attached. I will send you one if you like at no charge. You would just need a few part.
Ex bike mechanic, ipod fan, and electrical engineer
Tyson
Lex @ 11 January 2007, 14:58 :
Nice, especially the retro mouse housing ;)
You could mount a wheel with a hub dynamo so you can use your lights while charging your iPod. Or mount a second ordinary dynamo, but that wouldn’t just look weird but would also make biking quite tiresome :)
I made a 1W Luxeon LED driver circuit that fits inside an old bicycle light, but it could be used to charge an iPod as well. Maybe I’ll put the schematics on the web some day.
P.S.: don’t mind the comments from people who think it’s “gay” or “retarded”, they are probably in denial and are projecting their own frustrations.
Calum @ 11 February 2007, 19:18 :
Cool, please e-mail me of news not on the page.
You could make loads and sell them on e-bay!
P.S freewebs.com is a FREE web host!
charlie Johnson @ 20 February 2007, 17:57 :
Great idea on the ipod charger. I need to buy a charge for a mini DV camera that works on the same bicycle concept. I assume the mechanics are the same but I need more voltage. If you know someone or company that makes something similar please let me know. The purpose is for this device is for villagers in Africa who’re taking video for me but have no electricity. We’re trying to make a documentary about life in the villages.
yu ting @ 14 May 2007, 08:21 :
is this particular project/design patron?
Chris @ 2 June 2007, 00:01 :
I’d be careful with the older iPods. My 4G faked me out by appearing to charge off my printer (plugged it into the pictbridge port), and I turned it on the next morning to find it had drained completely. Nice surprise, there.
BTW, that mini is sexy.
Oliver at www.myoldmac.net @ 9 June 2007, 02:01 :
Great ! This is the Fun Page of the month at www.myoldmac.net´s Finder – See all at
http://myoldmac.net/MacFinder/index.php?cat=14
jesse @ 8 July 2007, 17:36 :
hey can you please take apart a mp3 and make a totally basic one based on what you find out with cheep items please thanks bbye
bwarper @ 30 July 2007, 21:03 :
Hi,
Is it possible to make something that would charge while allowing me to insert the remote control transmitter?
mohanakrishnan @ 28 October 2007, 17:36 :
i want TO KNOW HOW THE DYANMO is working and what are all the parts to create a DYANMO. how it is convert as a energy
Samir Kagadkar @ 20 November 2007, 20:26 :
Supercool !!
Alexis @ 26 November 2007, 19:05 :
Super awsome. I was just wondering if you could possibly blow your iPod by doing this.
Blake @ 21 January 2008, 03:34 :
Great project! I am working on something similar myself…
I’m thinking of using a dc-dc converter with a 5 volt output (instead of a z-diode). They’re small, cheap enough ($30), and some are better than 90% efficient. There will have to be a bridge rectifier in there somewhere too which will cost a bit of energy too, but it will be more efficient (and more expensive) than this example.
Alexis:
The zener diode will protect your iPod from over-voltage. Take care to get the polarity right, though. Getting it wrong would almost certainly destroy the charging circuitry of an iPod. Some electronics have circuitry built-in to protect against reverse polarity, but I would bet against it in the case of something as small and low-power (and specialized and manufacturer-bound) as an iPod.
I suggest doing it with a USB iPod charger since USB is an open spec (not super-secret Apple intellectual property like an AC charger ;) so you can find out how to connect power to it correctly (keeping iPod safe).
Mike Rucci @ 28 January 2008, 07:46 :
Very Nice,
I desperately want one of these for a 6+ month bike trip i will be doing across the US and back. I’m going to be using the iphone to keep in touch as well as added maps and entertainment. Also since I’m camping along the way with limited chances to recharge.
I am going try to do this myself, but would love to know how i can get a finished one.
Thanks,
Mike Rucci
bish @ 30 January 2008, 06:13 :
mark, this is an awesome hack. going to set to work making my own tomorrow morning.
@97 Mike Rucci – might be quite hard to get enough juice to keep an iphone powered… i dont know enough about them, but its a safe bet they use waaaaay more power than an old mini. like i say, i dunno that its impossible, but probably not easy (and you might have to pedal quite hard)... but then, if youre riding all the way across the US AND BACK, i spose youre a pretty serious rider!
Fallan Griffith @ 13 February 2008, 08:00 :
Wow, that was really cool. I don’t think I have the patience for it!
Blake @ 13 February 2008, 13:07 :
I got my similar setup working yesterday. I intend to do a lot more testing, but after reading some of the comments here I thought I’d offer my 2 cents:
I am happy with my Schmidt dynamo hub. I cannot feel the drag at all, with or without a load attached. I cannot tell the difference between the generator wheel and a normal wheel.
It charges my iPod shuffle in a most hoopie way: about 5 minutes of cycling seems to give me an hour of listening.
I hooked my Sharp Zaurus c3000 up and spun the wheel by hand. This immediately caused the battery level indicator to rise. I haven’t gone on a long ride with a dead battery in the Z yet, but I think it will work.
Mike Rucci: I don’t think charging your iPhone is out of the question. You can get a lot more power out of a good generator than the “rating” would indicate.
http://www.m-gineering.nl/son12vg.htm#bild1
According to those graphs, this thing will produce 18v/9w at 30mph. I have yet to test that, but if accurate, it should not be a problem to charge an iPhone as you would have more than 1 amp available at 5v going 20mph.
I do not know exactly how much current an iPhone wants from a USB port, but I would guess that it isn’t far off from the 800ma my Zaurus wants. I will post here again with the results of my charging test.
To anyone thinking of trying this, I say go for it! It is both easier and more practical than it sounds. I’m about to use mine to keep my Zaurus, my iPod, and my GPS charged on a long tour of Europe during which I will do a lot of camping. I am looking forward to having a fully charged iPod as soon as I arrive at a campsite, so I can enjoy some tunes while I set up my tent.
Mike Rucci @ 14 February 2008, 00:48 :
bish + Blake: thanks for the encouragement.
Although this seems to be a little over my head, I guess the first step is for me to get my hands on a crank flash light with some kind of dc output, as well as a bike dynamo.
Then start messing around.
Pardon my lack of knowledge but are you guys saying that although I use the same usb wall charger for any ipod even my shuffle, as I do for my iphone that this project will not be ideal for any ipod?
garryLadd @ 15 February 2008, 12:47 :
the dynamo can be replaced by a ‘less friction’ charge using ‘passing magnets’ – see http://www.freelights.co.uk/kit.html for more info
jaleia @ 15 March 2008, 05:28 :
l want a ipod how much will it cost
mehdi @ 22 March 2008, 22:04 :
i have new invention of dynamo for bike
MAXBRO @ 20 September 2008, 16:16 :
I had thought of charging Garmin Zumo GPS with 12V dynamo http://www.bumm.de/index-e.html puts out 6Watts and just hooking to 12V wires supplied through a fuse?? The Zumo uses max 15W so might have to have on lowest screen setting. Have asked Garmin but no reply at this stage. Would trickle charge and also plays MP3 and bluetooth
MAXBRO @ 20 September 2008, 16:34 :
I like the Schmidt dynamo hub. What Voltage and watts??
Eelco @ 21 September 2008, 21:00 :
RIP Mark
aris @ 28 March 2009, 07:22 :
Nice work mark. the planet need moree people like you.
Gonzalo @ 26 October 2009, 15:11 :
Hi, I would like to contact you by email or phone if possible.
My email is gonenriquez@yahoo.com.ar
Ik woon in Den Haag
valenciax @ 6 November 2009, 13:21 :
more work to my bike
User1 @ 21 January 2010, 19:35 :
Impressive work here! You are a great person and wish there were more people like you where I live.
BTW, I’m so jealous you live in Amsterdam. :D
TB @ 28 January 2010, 09:51 :
Good idea.
However, be aware that on a downhill stretch at 50 kph a cycle generator can easily generate over 50 volts. You really need to use a simple zener diode regulator at least to prevent over-voltage damage to any electronics. Also, a USB charger port would be easy to make also using a 5v regulator.
Jack @ 17 April 2010, 23:00 :
Hey, I was wondering. I’m thinking about making an ipod charger with, say, a solar panel built right onto the back(of a shuffle). The thing is, I don’t know how much energy it would take to charge it…? Also, I’m not sure if a solar panel that small could provide enough energy. If not, perhaps a small capacitor bank charging in bursts every time it’s filled? Idk. Anyway just some ideas, but if you know how much energy it would take, please let me know… cool project, btw. Thanks
ambi @ 12 May 2010, 08:46 :
ha! the most sophisticated way would be with hubdynamo and everything being built-in your bike’s frame.
We are experimenting with mobile 1w mini-amp combos attached to the bike for others entertainment during a long trip powered by 100% pedalling source
83b19 5 December 2005, 00:08 by mark hoekstra click to enlarge photo credits: nijne Well, the idea was very simple… take my hand crank charger I made earlier… click to enlarge …connect it to a bike-dynamo and tada! we should be there… That @ 13 May 2010, 14:35 :
83b19
5 December 2005, 00:08 by mark hoekstra
click to enlarge
photo credits: nijne
Well, the idea was very simple… take my hand crank charger I made earlier…
click to enlarge
...connect it to a bike-dynamo and tada! we should be there… That’s how I thought about this last weekend and that’s what I did… :-)
click to enlarge
...so… wiring up the dynamo…
click to enlarge
...connect it to the internals of my hand-crank-flashlight… (oh, and put everything in a static bag :-))
click to enlarge
..and start biking! wow, this is looking good, a charge light!
click to enlarge
...and I’ll be damned! this all seems to work, woohoo!
So then, this is the How-to? Well, if you will… the rest of it is more of a personal journal of how I ended up with my bike-charger, things I ran into etcetera… I’m pretty sure there’s useful information in there if you’re into making such a charger yourself, but a lot of the things I did from this point on is, well, how I liked it best, not necessarily how I thought anyone else would like it, that’s all :-) Let’s get on with it!
Of course I thought of an altoids-tin to put this project into… but, I never come across them somehow…
click to enlarge
I did come across this old project of mine, iNO and somehow, when I thought about it for a while, I decided this would be it… I’m gonna mod this charger into an old ADB-mouse!
click to enlarge
So, I got pretty much the same parts as I did for making the cable which connected my hand-crank charger to my ipod… (that’s a USB-extension-cable, a 100 ohm resistor, a 5.1V zenerdiode and a normal diode)
click to enlarge
Righty, first tests of fitting this inside the mouse…
click to enlarge
..and Dremel-ing a space for the USB-connector…
click to enlarge
...covering up the hole (cause we don’t want any electronics to drop out, now do we?) :-)
click to enlarge
...and I drilled a small hole for the charge-light, cause that’s such a neat feature, I want to keep that!
click to enlarge
...my kitchen-table somewhere in this process…
click to enlarge
...and then… it seemed the overall idea still was possible but I ran into all small problems… like a capacitor which was too high…
click to enlarge
...or a PCB which got in the way of one of the little holes to close the mouse again…
click to enlarge
...yet another test to see how we’re doing…
click to enlarge
...and the DIY-part of these electronics… the logic which should take care of making sure the ipod doesn’t get anything above 5 volts… (and a normal diode for making sure the ipod isn’t charging the charger instead of vice versa…)
click to enlarge
...so… now it looks like this! (I always use papertape, a lot… for making sure things don’t shortcut etc… you may criticize this, but this is how I work, for years already :-))
click to enlarge
...and the backside… (yeah, I know, I’m a sucker for details… the ‘rechargeable’ comes from an old ibook-battery which I had laying around)
click to enlarge
Time to get my bicycle into my livingroom!
click to enlarge
I was eager to try this out, so I wired it up quickly, got out of the house and took it all for a spin…
click to enlarge
Well, look at that, we have a charge icon… (only it seemed later on, the voltage was like, 3.5 volts, so it probably doesn’t charge one bit…)
click to enlarge
Time to get my bike inside again and start doing some wiring there!
click to enlarge
...that’s braided UTP-cable I used… (I did that before once)
click to enlarge
We do want some lights on our bike, but the normal bulbs in there (6 volts, 2.4 watts) would drain our charger in no time… so I decided to simply solder white leds in there (the voltage on the lighting dropped from 6 to about 3 volts because we connect it to the charger… The light of the hand-crank flashlight gets 3 volts and it’s the same wires I use)
click to enlarge
Tada! we have light with the click of a mouse button!
click to enlarge
...that includes a backlight :D
click to enlarge
...time to tidy it all up (and get this bike out of my livingroom!)
click to enlarge
I actually used a female s-video-connector on the bike-side, you can perfectly put an ADB-mouse-connector in there… (it’s exactly the same connector…)
click to enlarge
But then… I had it all together (I thought…) but then on a middle-of-the-night testrun, it seemed I wasn’t getting the voltage I needed… hmmmz… (this is a pic from my phone, but that building really is curved)... back to the drawing board kitchen table…
click to enlarge
First thing I did was, putting a lighter normal diode in there… Diodes can dissolve some volts… (excuse my language, I’m not an electrician or such)
click to enlarge
Then it became really silly… on the pic you can see a black and a yellow wire… originally there was an orange and a green wire in between and when I measured my old cable, I thought I had to connect the USB-plug to these two wires, but then I got no voltage… So I took the easy way, took my multi-meter and measured which wires did have some voltage… It seemed it was the one next to the yellow wire, only about 3.5 volts. I thought that was down because the whole thing was hardly charged, so in my first attempt I made this charger connected to there… But the voltage didn’t get higher than that 3.5 volts (that’s what you see on the phone pic)... Then I measured my cable again and it really should be this yellow and black wire… Luckily I do have another hand-crank-charger/flashlight… So I measured that one… and then it seemed, when you connect a plug to the charger, the two wires in between the yellow and the black one are short-cutted, but only then! And when they are, you have around 6.2 volts in between yellow and black…
So… because the PCB was getting in a bad shape on some points (because of all the soldering/desoldering) I took two points on the PCB, corresponding with the two points in between the yellow and black wire and short-cutted them with a piece of wire (that’s what you see on the pic). But then… I had no light! (but I did have a charger which gave me 4.9 volts… So, in the end, after some thinking… I decided to connect the two points, I pointed out with arrows… the left arrow is the downside of the switch of turning the light on/off and luckily it’s a switch with an extra (unused) connection, which is switched when the lighting is switched off… So, now I shortcut the two points in between the yellow and black wire when the lighting is turned off… and then we have a 4.9/5.0 volt USB-charger… :D …and when you turn on the light… you don’t have a charger… (voltage on the USB drops to zero)... So, to be honest, that’s the only downpoint I came across and I have to see if I can find a solution for it… But for now, this baby is good to go! (I just have to watch for cops really carefully when charging my ipod at night…) :-)
click to enlarge
So, this is it! my ipod and my charger!
euh, wait a minute… what about those socks?
click to enlarge
...well, I do like my skull-embroidered ipod sock and I do wanna use this charger for real… So… I made a hole in my sock (and in an orange one also, for the charger)
click to enlarge
So… tada! my ipod and my charger… :-)
all dressed up and no place to go we do have a place to go, cause we’re gonna do some rigid testing!
Right, well, I drained my ipod overnight (all artists -> all numbers > repeat :) )... This way I want to see if I can get enough current from it to boot it, charge it and hopefully it charges enough to get some usable tunes out of it… (with my hand crank setup I had to crank for about 30 minutes to get two stripes on the battery)...
So, how does it perform?
click to enlarge
photo credits: nijne
...so I took this baby for a spin…
click to enlarge
photo credits: nijne
...did I already mention bicycles are a popular means of transportation overhere?
click to enlarge
photo credits: nijne
...checking it out… yep, the lights work… :-)
Well, I had some issues with the mouse-switch on my testrun, so the lighting worked, but not the charging… hmmmmz
click to enlarge
It seemed very simple, the switch didn’t get properly switched (I put some tape underneath the mouse-button, but probably too much… So I removed it, switched the button and tada! charging… (although not booted yet)
click to enlarge
So I took this baby for yet another spin and yes we’re in business, this thing is charging for real now :D
click to enlarge
...and we have a stripe on the battery! :D it works! (it’s hard to say how much human energy went into this, cause I’ve been on my bike almost all afternoon, but with my lights on instead of charging and now it charged, probably from some full batteries inside the charger as well as biking for about twenty minutes :-) )
click to enlarge
click to enlarge
Well, it’s a little too early for that, I have to do much more real-world testing. In a real world my ipod never gets drained to the bottom, so I have to see how this thing is gonna charge on a daily basis and I will be testing that the coming days/weeks. I travel to my work on my bike, in the morning I can charge my ipod, in the evening I have to use my lights… :D
added some overview pictures (I got actually asked for this by journalists :D )
click to enlarge
click to enlarge
Anyways, I’m open for suggestions, if you have something to say, please do…
DIY trackback
MAKE:blog
The Unofficial Apple Weblog
arstechnica
Engadget(!)
treehugger.com smile
uk.gizmodo.com
digg.com (also here on digg, but this one seems more popular somehow… :D)
Lifehacker
Dutch:
bright.nl
telegraaf.nl
in print:
MAKE: issue 11
permalink
kevin @ 5 December 2005, 07:06 :
this was very cool. :-)
kevin @ 5 December 2005, 08:37 :
this is also on my blog now
ryan @ 5 December 2005, 10:12 :
Very nice!! I’ll about this into my blog
brob @ 5 December 2005, 16:33 :
Excellent article markie. The blog is excellent as always.
John @ 6 December 2005, 01:08 :
Nice project. Wonderful pictures. If you have enough extra voltage add a diode on top of the white ones since they limit max V on the generator. (You were searching for high efficiency diodes for the indicator light. 1ma is quite doable.) LM7805 and protection is all that is necessary for the IPOD mini. 12V necessary til end of 4th gen IPOD.
vito @ 6 December 2005, 14:13 :
Nice job, congrats.
Gus @ 6 December 2005, 14:28 :
I must say that is intresting how mutch time people can put into one thing.. But man It is a great news for Ipod bikers. God job!!!
Kacee @ 6 December 2005, 14:31 :
Very cool, Groningen C.S. can be seen at www.engadget.com ;-)
gott @ 6 December 2005, 18:05 :
Ipot ist für idioten!
ipot is häslich teuer und scheiße klinkter och!
also fickt euch alle ihr Ipot wixer
vince @ 6 December 2005, 19:10 :
wir brauchen kein blöder wurstfresser hier.
very cool mod, gonna try this out for my X5 :)
Calvinist @ 6 December 2005, 19:49 :
Kraut zu Hause!
todd @ 6 December 2005, 20:19 :
i bow to you, sir; you can void my warranty any time.
Teet @ 6 December 2005, 20:57 :
You obviously enjoy life! Very nicely done with the image report and all. Have fun and do more of those projects. (real ones like this one)
trickn0l0gy @ 6 December 2005, 23:53 :
can u become even more geek than this?! I believe not.
Christian @ 7 December 2005, 05:07 :
Hi! This is great! I think you are a source of inspiration. Isnt this what Apple is all about? “THINK DIFFERENT”. You done it mate!
mk2000 @ 7 December 2005, 08:23 :
Wow, That`s cool !! Ever thought of sending it to some invention contest ? you`d probably win !
Molotov Cocktail @ 7 December 2005, 09:42 :
Maybe next time you can show us how it looks on a man’s bike! LOL!
zubi @ 7 December 2005, 09:51 :
hehe, you’re a real geek! :)
keffrin @ 7 December 2005, 11:16 :
thanks for the digg support!
SEM Pro @ 7 December 2005, 11:58 :
This is ingenius; I really admire people like you who think outside the box! I wish you every success.
kevin @ 7 December 2005, 22:51 :
Maybe the guys at Griffen technology would be intrested in something like this.
PMonkey @ 7 December 2005, 22:57 :
I just said this on the Gizmodo site:
Isn’t this an iPod charger for a bike? And not, say, a bike charger for an iPod?
Both sound awesome, though, don’t get me wrong.
mark @ 7 December 2005, 23:10 :
yes, I guess you’re right :-) Somehow I called it a bike charger… I mean, it can charge probably anything which can be charged using USB, not only an iPod… When MAKE blogged it, I thought ‘hmmmz, iPod charger for a bicycle, maybe that’s how I should’ve put it…’ But well… most people seem to get what it does :D
jess @ 7 December 2005, 23:11 :
Nice mod :)
ps. That is a man’s bike.
Idiotic american.
T @ 8 December 2005, 01:20 :
In the states thats a womans bike. Idiotic foreigner.
TinyTim @ 8 December 2005, 01:50 :
Awsome job man!
I apologize for the other “rude” idiot from germany. Some people over here just dont get it :-(
Keep on modding, that is seriously cool!
eCkTt @ 8 December 2005, 06:15 :
Wow. That’s cool. Talk about saving the environment! hahaha. I guess every little bit helps.
Mr iPod @ 8 December 2005, 06:46 :
Love your bike,,,
Where can i purchase one?
keffrin @ 8 December 2005, 09:33 :
sorry about the mix-ups.
big apologies. :-)
Cam @ 8 December 2005, 10:49 :
Those bikes can be purchased from any drug user in Amsterdam.
kitkat @ 8 December 2005, 11:10 :
It is lovely to see such creative and talented people hobbying around.
Thumbs up for this dutchie. I recognise the dutch landscape.
This is time well spent…bet it feels good…
who needs tv or computer!use your imagination and make your own creation :-)
Mark Chu @ 8 December 2005, 14:55 :
Wow you are a modern day MacGyver!!! i even made an entry of this in my blog, if that’s ok.
John M @ 9 December 2005, 00:12 :
That is one dorky assed bike. You ever get beat up because of that thing?
Bouke @ 13 December 2005, 05:20 :
Wat een prachtig idee, zou dit ook kunnen voor gewone gsm”s. Ik zou erg graag rechtstreeks met jou in kontakt komen over het opladen van een laptopcomputer op zeilboten die langer op zee zijn.
Groeten Bouke
Terror @ 13 December 2005, 21:51 :
ey bauke, ik heb eventueel idee voor je:
Soort van energie opwekker met schoepen naast of achter de boot hangen…dat zou toch moeten helpen.. Btw prachtig idee dit.
ecommerce solution @ 13 December 2005, 23:11 :
#1. Well Done!!
#2. There will always be nay sayers. Don’t listen to them, it’s not worth it.
#3. Let me give you a tip. Think Miniaturization as you are making this model. Just keep on trying to perfect it. You will be amazed at your abilities!
ElDiablo @ 15 December 2005, 21:40 :
Te gek Mark, ik zag een fiets in een woonkamer en dacht, dit MOET en Nederlander zijn! Very cool! Greet the Netherlands for me!
Lorn @ 21 December 2005, 14:22 :
i’m from Brazil, Good project! and good website!
:)
Michiel @ 21 December 2005, 21:22 :
Excellent hack!
Heel nederlands, ook ;)
Joseph @ 29 December 2005, 01:11 :
i just bought a 40GB ipod. i wound when you made your charger,did you need another control signal or only +5Vdc?
DutchieHfx @ 30 December 2005, 06:04 :
Ik hoorde je op de radio (“CBC Freestyle”, nationaal programma in Canada!!!) en was weer eens trots om Nederlandse te zijn!
Peter Vogelaar @ 30 December 2005, 07:18 :
very nice work.. and ilove the bike too. I bought one at the flea market in leiden a month ago for 30 euros.. sold for the same when i left holland. could it work for my sony player too?
heel mooie jong
peter
Laugn @ 3 January 2006, 04:20 :
Or you could just buy a charger…fruit.
Skyline @ 6 January 2006, 12:51 :
Always thinking out of the box. Excellent, well done.
paul @ 6 January 2006, 19:07 :
put a second or third generator on your bike. one for light one for ipod.
Mandy dalton @ 9 January 2006, 23:05 :
if mac doesn’t hire you to come up with more ideas like this, they’re crazy! If this were mass produced I’d by one for my ipod/bicycle. BTW Any luck on a similar mechanism for Powerbook charging?
mike @ 22 January 2006, 14:26 :
how can you b arsed to sit and do all that shit just to have a little tiny strip of power on an iPod! Pointless!
curious @ 23 February 2006, 14:50 :
Hey, I think I might make one of these! I recently blew out the lamp on my bike dynamo and replaced it with a standalone LED system, so I have one spare. :-)
Shojak @ 13 March 2006, 22:22 :
I want to be able to charge my Ipod Shuffle in ways other than by plugging it into my computer. Can I just hook 3 AA batteries to it (via a female usb port) in a series to get a total of 4.5 volts charging it? If the Shuffle idealy needs 5 volts to charge it, would 4.5 volts kill my shuffle?
Dirk Penus @ 8 April 2006, 15:46 :
This is fucking retarded. And it looks gay. Together with the gay ass bike, you’re begging to get the shit beaten out of yourself if you’re driving around like this in any major city.
Also, do yourself a favor and get rid of the socks. Someone is bound to stuff them in your mouth at some point.
Oh, so you like it? Thank you!
David in Israel @ 10 April 2006, 19:45 :
Nice charger, a few years ago I tried something like this and fried a phone, many of these tyre bike chargers are AC so I made a diode bridge rectifier and capacitor to flaten out the sine wave but overvoltage (since I havd no voltage control zener diode) fried the phones internal charger circut. I had to charge from a homemade battery charge cradle til I got a new phone.
Press Release Writing @ 14 April 2006, 22:47 :
Just talk about the mother of inventions! Green energy, the world should know about this invention. Use a press release software like ours to let the world know.
杉山久男 @ 18 April 2006, 06:14 :
はじめまして、ipodの愛好家なんですね！エコロジーな記事が満載で感心しています。ipodの充電記事参考になりました。充電なんですが、USBのところに単に5V電圧をかけただけでは、ipodが充電モードにならないんですが、どういう結線にすれば充電モードになるのでしょうか？教えていただけますか？
RIKZ @ 22 April 2006, 12:24 :
; hi..
very nice idea…
,,)
Nic @ 29 April 2006, 22:32 :
Came here looking for a pic and got sucked in and read it all nice one mate
julie @ 7 May 2006, 00:14 :
sooooo cool! i’ll be building my first bike pretty soon; i’ll be sure to make one of these babies to fit on it. since i’m moving to london from the states, this’ll be wayyy better than buying another charger. plus, green energy!!
trong @ 10 May 2006, 17:10 :
i love you
Mystik @ 22 May 2006, 15:48 :
Ah wicked charger awsome idea hope to see more of these that provide a higher charge rate….i mean hell im not gonna ride for 20! mins haha awsome charger
modercuker @ 31 May 2006, 19:14 :
lol nice 1 m8, look at mi web site, its cool it has cool stuff in it XD… i did this and know i have an i-pod charger, but think that they can easili break it or steal it, hahahahha bastard…..
drilon @ 1 June 2006, 20:30 :
a muni ni bickel fal
nah @ 17 June 2006, 22:56 :
idiot
happytodd @ 26 June 2006, 14:26 :
Nicely done. I wish I could have one of those but a little complicated for a 14 year old wouldnt you say? Good luck for upgrading your latest gaggets for your ipod. If you can open your ipod up for me please send me a image of it and how you did it im trying to change the default lcd lights to blue. Thanks Kind regards happytodd (Todd)
LennyDaPoser @ 13 July 2006, 02:13 :
We are making the exact thing and going to patent it and become rich and you will cry yourself to sleep every night when you think to yourself how much of an idiot you are for not patenting your project. Dumb. Ass.
Lenny
mark @ 13 July 2006, 02:20 :
@lenny
LOL! suuuure… well, I take it as a compliment actually… and say hello to all the people in line at the patent-office. The saddest examples being those who think they can make a buck on someone else’s idea… that’s some energy well spent… but good luck any way…
LennyDaPoser @ 14 July 2006, 01:25 :
Haha, yeh I was just kidding. Sounded a bit harsh, but I actually really like this concept. Great work! (A+)
mr shyu @ 24 July 2006, 13:26 :
herro my name isa mr shyu i very much likie yuo invention to much poeple say all time , idea is likie makie love or likie hava rich soul, yuo soul isa verry rich.
Rick @ 4 August 2006, 22:10 :
Very impressive! The comments just keep coming even for an 8 month old post.
I’m glad you’re doing your part to help the environment and home-brew stuff always feel more personal since it was built by your own two hands. Some people take mass produced products for granted too often and do not appreciate the sense of pride others gain when they build something themselves.
Keep at it, Mark!
Adam Bies @ 3 September 2006, 05:08 :
How about using a dynamo to charge 2-4 AA or AAA batteries? It would be cool to have such a device to go on a long cross-country or multi-day bike / camping trip.
If you can charge AAs and AAAs you can run just about any device (including your iPod)...
Someone made a AA ipod charger out of an Altoids tin…
http://www.instructables.com/id/EKXUADQ93MEP2870BP/
Sander @ 28 September 2006, 16:17 :
Ey mensen,
oh yeah right, english: hellow folks.
Does anyone know if you can buy stuff like this?
I tried to make one myself, but the only thing i gained was a lot of stress en an ipod flying true the room:P (was little mad..)
So is it possible to order these things?
Of mark, wil ej er 1 voor me maken en dan krijg je er een mooi prijsje voor (A).
Grtz
Sander
lostlogic @ 12 October 2006, 17:33 :
That’s a great project—how reliable is that bicycle dynamo being for ya? I’ve always had a lot of trouble with those when I’ve tried to use them in the past.
corralesroad @ 21 October 2006, 07:04 :
Well done lad!
Thank you for sharing!
I stumbled across your project’(s) from a mis-tyed google search.
While I have no use for your project’(s), they were a great read. I am glad to see the homebrew club is still alive and well.
Once again, thank you for sharing.
jason @ 1 November 2006, 22:13 :
if you really want to finalize your little project. Bring a portable bike stand of sorts to raise the bike from the ground and yet be able to keep pedalling so you can continuously charge from a stationary position (all your little gadgets) so when you really do travel outdoors, and you get stuck on a rut, that’s when you can really use the bike. And not just while tra
I can said that is a wonderful project
I’ve been Dreaming for this stuff since long time a go! I Will buy this Charger for sure if it’s available on the market!
hey can you make a mobile phone charger, that charges the mobile phone just by walking, using the motion of our leg to generate electricity?
Please let me know
Well great I love this idea there are guys in africa jimmy rigging these a lot too. You would think a dynamo phone charger would be a no brainer for one o those Taiwan companies to knock out.
But hey what if I just wanted to keep a battery pack charged up so my Dyno Lights work even when I slow down to stop ??
Also, a higher gear ratio addition between the axle and the alternator will help. With the momentum capacitor and a flywheel, you could stop at a stop sign or a stop light for a few seconds and it will keep turning the alternator and charging the battery. it also averages out the rpms of the alternator so if your speed fluctuates a little, the rpms of the axle stay the same.
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Merci. Il s’agit d’un post vraiment super. Tenez-vous au bon travail.