AN IDEA OPPINIONS PLEASE!

[timhippy]

My wife wishes to lose weight and goes on about it all the time...but unfortunatly likes to sit down and watch tv lol
im thinking about making a exercise bike hooked up to a dynamo of some kind that will power a small 12 volt tv stop peddaling no more tv lol
would it work or more to the point to you think it would lead to a divorce in suggesting it lol

[the.fee.fairy]

I've seen something like this before - might have been tomorrow's world or something.

I visited a gym once that had computer games on the exercise bikes, and the faster you pedalled, the easier the game got.

[Annpan]

I have had this on my mind for years... I think it's a great idea. Just wire it up for 1/2 hour every evening though, don't force her to keep cycling so that you can watch "The Lord Of The Rings"

I'd also say that she gets to watch on her own, I wouldn't fancy cycling infront of the family while we were all watching the Simpsons or something.

Ann Pan

[green-girl]

Or get her to pedal to power a battery that runs the tv - that way she can pedal while no-one is around and enjoy watching it later.....

[Wombat]

There is another thread on this from some time ago. My experience of adding a bike generator to an exercise bike was that it was impossible to get meaningful power output short of inducing apolplexy in the operator. I have seen a setup where the front wheel was the dynamo and this may work better, but I dunno. It would have to be an awfully low powered TV!

Nev

[Muddypause]

I suspect that's the same old thread I pointed to yesterday in another post. IIRC, it'd be something like continuously pedalling up a 1 in 7.

Apparently, modern digital TVs use significantly more juice than an analogue TV, so this could be a solution with a limited prospect. I guess that's the price of having the choice of a zillion channels.

Also, Tim, bear in mind that divorces have been filed for less.

[timhippy]

i realise it would have to be low powered for instance a travel tv 4 inch screen etc the idea was that as she pedalled the tv would only stay on if she kept peddaling so that she wouldnt sit on her bum all day watchin it lol
i realise of course that even if i did have the cohonas to mention it to the wife she would most likely be slightly against the idea as most the shows she likes to watch are over an hour long....... and in reality that would probably be very hard work lol and theres no need to punish her really!!

[Wombat]

Good luck mate!

Nev

[quercusrobur]

Heres a picture of Seize The Day playing on the pedal powered stage at the 2004 Permaculture Convergence at Braziers park near Oxford. There were 2 bikes set up to power generators, it seemed to provide ample to power the speakers and amplifiers, although if either rider stopped for too long the sound would go off...

[Wombat]

Hmmm, would be interesting to get hold of the construction details, or even a few photos.....

Nev

[quercusrobur]

Well you can see my good friend Merlyn Peter (with the dreadlocks) pedalling away in the background...

But a web search brought up

http://www.freerepublic.com/forum/a3ab928b76932.htm

http://www.c-realevents.demon.co.uk/his ... craft1.jpg

http://pages.zoom.co.uk/rinky-dink/technical.htm

http://www.baka.co.uk/rinky/

Hope these help!

[Wombat]

Thanks mate! much appreciated!

Nev