I'm trying to get the power out of an elliptical, but have run into a few problems.
I plan on passing a variable DC voltage through either a DC/DC converter or off-grid charger to a 12 volt battery and then to a DC/AC inverter to finally get AC power I can use to run a tv.
First off, is it better to use a DC/DC converter or an off gird inverter? Or are they both the same thing? Also, how should I size that piece of equipment. An electrician I know said that the DC/DC converter is an active load, so with the DC/DC converter, the battery and the tv on this one circuit, it would be hard to find out what the resistance would be of the whole circuit.
How do I know what the resistance of an active load is so that I can buy the right one?

If anyone could help me out with this problem or at least give some advice, I would really appreciate. I'll take any help I can get.

 

Definitions of elliptical on the Web:

* egg-shaped: rounded like an egg
* elliptic: characterized by extreme economy of expression or omission of superfluous elements; "the dialogue is elliptic and full of dark hints"; "the explanation was concise, even elliptical to the verge of obscurity"- H.O.Taylor
wordnetweb.princeton.edu/perl/webwn

* In geometry, an ellipse (from Greek ἔλλειψις elleipsis, a "falling short") is a plane curve that results from the intersection of a cone by a plane in a way that produces a closed curve. Circles are special cases of ellipses, obtained when the cutting plane is perpendicular to the axis. ...
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elliptical

* An elliptical galaxy; An elliptical trainer; In a shape reminding of an ellipse; oval; Of, or showing ellipsis; having a word or words omitted; Concise, condensed; Alternative form of elliptic
en.wiktionary.org/wiki/elliptical

* Ellipticism - Elliptical Poetry or ellipticism is a literary-critical term introduced by critic Stephen Burt in a 1998 essay in Boston Review on Susan Wheeler, and expanded upon in an eponymous essay in American Letters & Commentary. ...
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ellipticism

* an oblique circle
library.thinkquest.org/5579/glossary/glossary.html

* Refers to a class of canopies with a tapered or approximately elliptical planform.
www.uspa.org/Default.aspx

* A stone shape whose perimeter is an ellipse. Top of Page
www.usfacetersguild.org/dictionary.shtml

* type of perforation; aka. syncopated.
www.adminware.ca/machin/m_terms.htm

* A door or window having a top rail with an egg-shaped radius, ending in a rounded point at its apex.
www.architecturaltraditions.com/glossary.shtml

* Having the outline of an ellipse, broadest at middle and narrower at each end.
ag.udel.edu/udbg/info/glossary.html

* Oval shaped.
www.neonaturalist.com/nature/nature_glossary.html

* from 3 to 4 times as long as wide, tapering equally from the center toward both ends.
www.yosemite.ca.us/library/ferns_of_the_sierra/glossary.html

* elongate-oval; differs from oval by having the lines nearly parallel in the middle.
www.biology.lsu.edu/heydrjay/ThomasSay/terms.html

* A geometric shape, the finite or bounded case of a conic section, or a machine used to improve cardiovascular fitness.
uptofitness.com/index.php

 

I'm trying to get the power out of an elliptical, but have run into a few problems.

As the above post hints, it would be really useful to have a definition of "an elliptical".

 

Very likely a training machine, I would think. This idea seems to be doing the rounds: http://www.ntdaily.com/?p=9094

Edit: A rough calculation, assuming 150W output and £0.13 per kWh suggests a return of £0.02 per hour, ignoring the initial and maintenance costs of the generator.

 

...to finally get AC power I can use to run a tv.

You need to specify how much power, and in what form (voltage, AC vs. DC, wattage, etc.) your TV requires. For one thing, if the TV needs more than about 50W, forget it. Most folks can't generate more than about 100W for very long, and there will be losses.

Depending how ambitious you are, you might be able to tell if the TV internally converts the AC supply to DC. Bypassing the transformer and rectifier to deliver the TV what it really uses could increase your end-to-end efficiency.

 

There is a demonstration at the hands-on museum of a hand-cranked AC generator with 3 20W bulbs wired in parallel with individual toggle switches. With no load it is easy to turn the hand crank given the gearing. Flip the first switch and it becomes apparent that the mechanical equivalent of 20 Watts is significant. Flip the second switch and it takes some real effort to continue. Flip the third switch for 60 Watts and most people make about another turn and a half.

 

The Lance Armstrongs of the world can generate 300W or so for bursts. That's almost 1/2HP. But those guys can go faster UP a hill than I can go DOWN the hill.

 

It would be a gimmick, electricity from a wall socket will always have more power than human muscle. I could see some of the attraction though.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elliptical_trainer

 

Sounds like an April Fools joke to me.

 

Like someone said, there's lots of energy on this world but how do you harvest it?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cRHcV-ANeu4

 

Well <golly gee>.......if you are pedalling your elliptic, watching a teevee, and some starlet begins to strip, you would be amazed how hard one can pedal to keep from losing the picture !!!

Sorry..you just can't feed straight lines to a wannabe comedian !! you'll get zinged every time

[ subject to deletion ]

 

Given -

Sounds like an April Fools joke to me.

- and the absence of the OP, this thread is not going anywhere.