Is there any reason why a battery couldn't be charged by a simple hand powered electrostatic generator such as a Whimhurst machine?

A rechargeable battery could be maintained by a variety of human powered generators, but humans can't produce a lot of electricity. This idea works fine with very low power digital radios and flashlights, but otherwise figure out how much energy is required and how long it would take to recharge your battery powered electric tool, or run your stereo. I have better ways to spend my time, but it would make a pretty good exercise program. SM

A rechargeable battery could be maintained by a variety of human powered generators, but humans can't produce a lot of electricity. This idea works fine with very low power digital radios and flashlights, but otherwise figure out how much energy is required and how long it would take to recharge your battery powered electric tool, or run your stereo. I have better ways to spend my time, but it would make a pretty good exercise program. SM

 

 

Do you think a series of capictors or leyden jars would help to recharge the batteries faster ?

Ethereally Luminous, there is no way to beat the theoretical maximum. Capacitors and the magical suppressed automobile carburetor can't surpass what is possible. A human uses about 100 watts just to stay alive and can sustain production of around 0.1 horsepower on an exercycle. You could probably recharge your cell phone as a part of your exercise program, or run a blender for a short sprint, but this is just not a practical proposition unless we bring back slavery. If you want to recharge a battery as a hobby, go for it. There are quite a few folks who do this and I respect their determination. Just don't think that it is going to change anything but one's average level of health. SM

The whimhurst machine was just one example there are better designs. I am interested in ways of storing electricity by manual powered machines, if a Leyden jar can store a lethal charge, could there possibly be an elaborate method of using the electric charge for something more practical?

 

 

I believe there are currently bicycle headlights that are powered by a magnetic dynamo in the wheel hub that requires no physical friction between parts. I have thought about the value of a bike headlight whose batteries charge up by sunlight during daytime riding but a no-friction dynamo really eliminates the need for charging because the amount of extra pedaling effort required to run the light is not noticeable, imo. Now if the system wasn't so expensive . . .

That sounds interesting. So then would a manually operated dynamo be more efficient than an electrostatic generator? What if the crank was connected to some gears to make the rotor of a dynamo or an electrostatic machine spin faster than normal human achievment? I even like the idea of strapping a voltage multiplier to it and connecting the multiplier to an induction coil? Or is that too much...or even plausible?

Edited February 1, 201114 yr by Ethereally Luminous