Some of you may have seen my thread,
http://forum.allaboutcircuits.com/showthread.php?t=56756
As I said, I know very little about cars, so I posted this thread to see what people thought of the idea. At first it did not seem to be very well-received, due mainly to the fact that starter motors are only designed to run for a few seconds at a time. However, after several more weeks of research I found that it was not only possible, but that it has been done before. I decided that a starter from a small car would be sufficient, so I attended a Volkswagen show and found a starter motor for $15. It was not in excellent condition, but I was able to turn the shaft easily by hand. I figured that was a good sign, so I bought it:
View attachment 243View attachment 244View attachment 245
I brought it home and hooked it up to my car battery. The shaft moved slightly but did not spin. I removed the solenoid and connected the battery to the terminals of the motor itself, and it worked. I also tested the solenoid separately and it worked as well. I discovered that it was the "armature" that the solenoid pulled to activate the motor that was frozen. I decided I could use the motor alone--the solenoid was unnecessary. I figured I could use it for something else later.
In my next entry I will explain the first modifications to the actual bicycle and describe how I plan to attach the motor to the frame.
http://forum.allaboutcircuits.com/showthread.php?t=56756
As I said, I know very little about cars, so I posted this thread to see what people thought of the idea. At first it did not seem to be very well-received, due mainly to the fact that starter motors are only designed to run for a few seconds at a time. However, after several more weeks of research I found that it was not only possible, but that it has been done before. I decided that a starter from a small car would be sufficient, so I attended a Volkswagen show and found a starter motor for $15. It was not in excellent condition, but I was able to turn the shaft easily by hand. I figured that was a good sign, so I bought it:
View attachment 243View attachment 244View attachment 245
I brought it home and hooked it up to my car battery. The shaft moved slightly but did not spin. I removed the solenoid and connected the battery to the terminals of the motor itself, and it worked. I also tested the solenoid separately and it worked as well. I discovered that it was the "armature" that the solenoid pulled to activate the motor that was frozen. I decided I could use the motor alone--the solenoid was unnecessary. I figured I could use it for something else later.
In my next entry I will explain the first modifications to the actual bicycle and describe how I plan to attach the motor to the frame.
