Hey folks, I have been gifted an electric bike that turned out to be too costly to restore. I initially planned to use the frame structure and 24v dc motor (rated 250W 10A @2650rpm) as the basis for a VA wind turbine. After wails of dismay from my children, who have adopted the bike as a novelty toy (it has tiny wheels and a hysterically bouncy seat), I decided that it might be a fun project to transform it into a charging generator for the remaining 12v 12Ahr battery that came with the bike (the other is shot). It was fairly simple to strip down the unnecessary lighting/ horn etc and reverse and lock the drive freewheel mech to spin the motor under pedal power. It happily produces 10-20v (no load) at reasonable speeds and I doubt the current is exceeding 10A (tho I'm unsure how to measure with my multimeter, electrics have just never been my 'thing'). I have been offered a 12V 10A solar charge regulator for free, does this sound suitable? Any advice on how to wire this thing would be most welcome! The 'concept' is to then take the successfully charged battery and use in a portable power pack that would incorporate an inverter to power low wattage appliances around the house. I'm not expecting big savings on my electricity bills, just a fun way to teach the kids (and myself) about alternative power. Any help would be most gratefully received.
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