Building a Generator

[Ghsbss]

This actually gives people a very easy way of physically feeling how much power it takes to run different types of circuits, I think it would be a cool idea for a science fair or something

[nerddwarf]

"Don't know if I could spin it for an hour and 13 minutes"

Just 3D print a small water-wheel, attach it to the handcrank, and mount the generator by a river.

[renson]

It's amazing how 4 chapters worth of topics of physics electronics have been covered in a single generator building video

[EvGamerBETA]

This feels very satisfying, that you can build something that would convert raw mechanical power into something that could interface with complex electronics. It's like holding a manifestation of the civilization at your desk

[Acamperfull]

Once the supercaps are charged you can use them to start a car with a flat battery. This way you can (hand) crank start a modern car engine!

[simiken]

Its super cool how electrical resistance turns to physical resistance with this thing. Would be a great learning tool for kids!

[zescoot]

Seeing something like this in action really makes understanding electricity way easier than just some formulas

[googooboyy]

Why hasn't anyone created bikes with these generators for home-use? That way people can get cardiovascular exercises and charge batteries up too! Forget Peloton! Welcome, Electron!

[jana]

Absolutely LOVE this project Tim ! Attach a propellor, and you have a windmill, add a battery, and you go offgrid camping with full 12V electricity available. Measure available Kw output and explain calculations for windings, batteries, magnets and such, and there's a scientific story to be told too. This could take you in every direction you'd please 🙂

[_Matyro_]

You should move to active rectifier instead of passive diode one. At these low voltages, you lose most of your power in the diodes at the moment.
For ultra low drop diodes you will lose 0.2V per Diode which is around 10% for your voltages, for classic diodes (which you seem to be using) its 0.7V per diode resulting in quite a bit of wasted energy.

[paulmelois]

I have an old Singer sewing machine stand that I've always wanted to repurpose as a manual charging desk; now I've got all the R&D already done thanks to you! Awesome job, thanks a lot

[ArktinenPeikko]

My daughter was just asking a few days ago about how electricity is made. This should be clear enough way to show and tell. Might even print a project for us to build out of this. Thanks for providing the link to the files.

[BernardSandler]

This was fascinating. When it comes down to it, a generator/motor isn't that complicated. Always good to see that demonstrated.

[sgtbrown]

Yes, I agree, you need a passive diode and definitely hook a super capacitor to it. Charge it for a few minutes and then it will charge your phone. That way you don't have to keep cranking continuously. Awesome project is always.😊

[camelmer]

You have been the only person to ever successfully explain a rectifier to me. Thank you

[JackAllpikeMusic]

I'd love to see a series of iteration upon this just like your planes - where you try and design better and better generators, finding what works best/worst and create the most powerful hand powered generator you can while keeping it reasonably easy to use and maintain.

[jaydeep-p]

Hand cranks get hard after some time but a foot pedal like those on sewing machines is significantly easier to turn for a long time.

[jtruant]

Favorite content creator on YouTube. I’m a total electronics novice and feel like I come away with a much better intuition from your videos than I would from other types of learning. Definitely want to print this one!

[ashurean]

I'm a big fan of the pedal-type generators. Those are something I could see actually being useful in an emergency. They're a bit bigger, but if you lose power, it's easier to charge up a battery bank with your legs.

[khaledadams]

That is so interesting to hear you say how much physical resistance it creates with a load. I want to try printing one of these now.
Thanks for sharing!