Q. Wheel-rub headlight generators - remember them?

[George]

Hi,

What I think would really be cool, is if someone could come up with
(if they haven't already), one of those wheel contact generators that
produces headlight power WITH A jack, to plug in a cell phone,

So that it charges up a small battery to keep your cell going, when
you're out cycling.

Any such contraption that anyone knows about?

George

 

[Sam O'Nella]

> What I think would really be cool, is if someone could come up with
> (if they haven't already), one of those wheel contact generators that
> produces headlight power WITH A jack, to plug in a cell phone,
>
> So that it charges up a small battery to keep your cell going, when
> you're out cycling.


The ONLY purpose of those devices was for kids to see how fast they had to
go in order to blow out the light bulbs. The problem is they consume about
60% of pedaling power. Ok, it might in reality be slightly less, but it
sure seemed that way.

Just put your phone on charge when you get home, FFS.

 

[Bill Sornson]

George wrote:
> Hi,
>
> What I think would really be cool, is if someone could come up with
> (if they haven't already), one of those wheel contact generators that
> produces headlight power WITH A jack, to plug in a cell phone,
>
> So that it charges up a small battery to keep your cell going, when
> you're out cycling.
>
> Any such contraption that anyone knows about?

Sure, lots of 'em. They're called SUVs.

Bill "rides to get AWAY from that ****" S.

 

[Michael Dart]

George wrote:
> Hi,
>
> What I think would really be cool, is if someone could come up with
> (if they haven't already), one of those wheel contact generators that
> produces headlight power WITH A jack, to plug in a cell phone,
>
> So that it charges up a small battery to keep your cell going, when
> you're out cycling.
>

The way I figure it... if you're in a place where you're riding long enough
for your cell phone to go dead, you aren't going to have service for it
anyway.

Mike - Long Live Long Rides. ;^)

 

[Coyoteboy]

> The way I figure it... if you're in a place where you're riding long
enough
> for your cell phone to go dead, you aren't going to have service for it
> anyway.
>
> Mike - Long Live Long Rides. ;^)

Thats a fair point.

 

[bri719]

George wrote:

>Hi,
>
>What I think would really be cool, is if someone could come up with
>(if they haven't already), one of those wheel contact generators that
>produces headlight power WITH A jack, to plug in a cell phone,
>
>So that it charges up a small battery to keep your cell going, when
>you're out cycling.
>
>Any such contraption that anyone knows about?
>
>
Hahahaha....yes I used to have one of those headlights on my bike (Sears
10 speed road cycle) back in 7th-8th grade, it was classic. DINK! and
the 2 candlewatt bulb lights, the faster you go the brighter it gets (to
a limit obviously).

I'd crack up if I saw a guy on his commuter bike charging his cellphone
that way, with the headset on while talking at a stoplight on his ride
to work.

bri

--

* enjoying the karma *
remove LKJSDFJSD from address to email

 

[kimba]

George wrote:

> Hi,
>
> What I think would really be cool, is if someone could come up with
> (if they haven't already), one of those wheel contact generators that
> produces headlight power

Heh- I remember those- I also remember an incident where the generator
mounted to the front fork loosened, and swung into the front wheel while
I was travelling at a very high rate of speed...and approaching the
overpass of a major highway.
I remember looking at my hands, as I sailed through the air and seeing my
fingers were not on the brakes so why was I stopping?
The generator wrapped itself around the fork 3 times... the forks bent
backwards - popped the spokes, I was lofted into the air...and propelled
to the hard concrete sidewalk some distance ahead.
Broke off a piece of bone in my chin that's floating around in there even
today...
and- had I been say 15 or 20 feet farther along- I would've been lofted
right over the overpass onto a 4 lane highway below.

Yep- them front fork mounted generators-
them was eeeeeevil things.....

Kimba
eeeevil I say


>
>

 

[George]

On Fri, 14 Jan 2005 21:53:34 -0500, kimba <[email protected]>
wrote:

>
>
>George wrote:
>
>> Hi,
>>
>> What I think would really be cool, is if someone could come up with
>> (if they haven't already), one of those wheel contact generators that
>> produces headlight power
>
>Heh- I remember those- I also remember an incident where the generator
>mounted to the front fork loosened, and swung into the front wheel while
>I was travelling at a very high rate of speed...and approaching the
>overpass of a major highway.
>I remember looking at my hands, as I sailed through the air and seeing my
>fingers were not on the brakes so why was I stopping?
>The generator wrapped itself around the fork 3 times... the forks bent
>backwards - popped the spokes, I was lofted into the air...and propelled

They say something like this happens, that they happen in slow
motion, and that the song "Flight of the Valkyres" can be heard.

Are those two points true?


>to the hard concrete sidewalk some distance ahead.
>Broke off a piece of bone in my chin that's floating around in there even
>today...
>and- had I been say 15 or 20 feet farther along- I would've been lofted
>right over the overpass onto a 4 lane highway below.
>Yep- them front fork mounted generators-
>them was eeeeeevil things.....
>
>Kimba
>eeeevil I say
>
>
>>
>>
>

 

[George]

On Fri, 14 Jan 2005 16:47:34 +0000 (UTC), "Coyoteboy"
<[email protected]> wrote:

>> The way I figure it... if you're in a place where you're riding long
>enough
>> for your cell phone to go dead, you aren't going to have service for it
>> anyway.
>>
>> Mike - Long Live Long Rides. ;^)
>
>Thats a fair point.
>

What would be a fairer point would be to say that old generators were
old technology, and the original thread in this post was at least an
attempt to gain some insight on improvements on the device.

There are some super hi-tech devices, apparently unknown to the
responders of this thread called capacitors, resistors, diodes, and
other such devices which could be used as - are you ready? - hang
onto your saddles now - "voltage regulators" and "batteries", which
could be used in conjunction with the generator, on which you folks
seem to have only the negative side.

By the way, to the cavemen in this thread, cell phones are not the
only things that have re-chargeable technology.

Fair?

 

[[email protected]]

Try turning off your cell phone sometime like I tell my
Ol'e lady. Maybe your listen.

 

[Goldmember]

--
GM

"Here I go and I don't know why"
"George" <[email protected]> schreef in bericht
news:[email protected]...
> Hi,
>
> What I think would really be cool, is if someone could come up with
> (if they haven't already), one of those wheel contact generators that
> produces headlight power WITH A jack, to plug in a cell phone,
>
> So that it charges up a small battery to keep your cell going, when
> you're out cycling.
>
> Any such contraption that anyone knows about?
>
> George

This will work too:

http://www.thetravelinsider.info/roadwarriorcontent/sidewinder.htm


--
GM

"Here I go and I don't know why"

 

[Michael Dart]

George wrote:
> On Fri, 14 Jan 2005 16:47:34 +0000 (UTC), "Coyoteboy"
> <[email protected]> wrote:
>
>>> The way I figure it... if you're in a place where you're riding
>>> long enough for your cell phone to go dead, you aren't going to
>>> have service for it anyway.
>>>
>>> Mike - Long Live Long Rides. ;^)
>>
>> Thats a fair point.
>>
>
> What would be a fairer point would be to say that old generators were
> old technology, and the original thread in this post was at least an
> attempt to gain some insight on improvements on the device.
>
> There are some super hi-tech devices, apparently unknown to the
> responders of this thread called capacitors, resistors, diodes, and
> other such devices which could be used as - are you ready? - hang
> onto your saddles now - "voltage regulators" and "batteries", which
> could be used in conjunction with the generator, on which you folks
> seem to have only the negative side.
>
> By the way, to the cavemen in this thread, cell phones are not the
> only things that have re-chargeable technology.
>
> Fair?

Me Ug work on 'lectronics for living. Make good bread...ug. Know what
micro farad is...ug. Know what TO-220 voltage regulator is...ug. [;^)

I would suggest this over a generator...

http://windupradio.com/icp/isun.htm

I don't know what brick of a cell phone you have but mine lasts for days on
a single charge. It never occurs to me to recharge it on a ride.

And yes I have a negative side to taking geegaws on rides. The cell phone
only extends my leash which I'm on every other week. The PDA, MP3 players
and other stuff stays home. Heck, I don't even have a bike computer on my
bike. I ride to get away from that stuff I work on everyday.

Mike

 

[kimba]

George wrote:

> On Fri, 14 Jan 2005 21:53:34 -0500, kimba <[email protected]>
> wrote:
>
> >
> >
> >George wrote:
> >
> >> Hi,
> >>
> >> What I think would really be cool, is if someone could come up with
> >> (if they haven't already), one of those wheel contact generators that
> >> produces headlight power
> >
> >Heh- I remember those- I also remember an incident where the generator
> >mounted to the front fork loosened, and swung into the front wheel while
> >I was travelling at a very high rate of speed...and approaching the
> >overpass of a major highway.
> >I remember looking at my hands, as I sailed through the air and seeing my
> >fingers were not on the brakes so why was I stopping?
> >The generator wrapped itself around the fork 3 times... the forks bent
> >backwards - popped the spokes, I was lofted into the air...and propelled
>
> They say something like this happens, that they happen in slow
> motion, and that the song "Flight of the Valkyres" can be heard.
>
> Are those two points true?
>

Well- I remember wishing I was wearing one of those horny- I mean horned-
helmets...
this was pre-helmet years y'know...
but yeah- the slow-motion thing was definitely true- seemed to take an awfully
lonnnnng time to land...

and I'm sure I heard Brunhilde singing loudly as I kissed the pavement...
though - that could have been the sound of me screaming...

can never be sure in an instance like this...
: D

I am!
Kimba
Kill the Wabbit!!!

 

[Curt Bousquet]

>George wrote:
>
>> Hi,
>>
>> What I think would really be cool, is if someone could come up with
>> (if they haven't already), one of those wheel contact generators that
>> produces headlight power

I guess I was a geek long before the age of the personal computer. I can
remember having on my bike:

Old 'cable operated' speedometer
Generator light WITH tailight
Siren

I wish I still had the siren. It was something my dad had when he was a kid
in the late '30s. It was a solid metal unit that mounted on a bracket on
the fork. When you pulled a chain attached to the handlebars, it pulled a
shaft that came out the back of the siren against the tire. It sounded
REALLY cool With just a bit of google searching, I found one online:
http://www.bikeicons.com/Persons Siren.html

I remember having all three of these items on the bike at the same time.
Didn't leave too much power for moving the bike forward, but it was the
coolest bike in the neighborhood.