Friction Generator Dynamo on a golf cart

[BorisM]

Originally Posted by teecro

Hate to say it this way but if it was practical wouldn't somebody already be doing it?

Not necessarily the case. A lot of innovations seem impractical in the beginning. Folks had many good points against it, but I am not entirely convinced that it cannot work.

[BorisM]

I am curious if anyone came up with a dynamo generator incorporated into a wheel hub assembly? This kind of a dynamo would create much less friction than a simplistic unit on the picture I posted.

[yurtle]

Originally Posted by BorisM

Not necessarily the case. A lot of innovations seem impractical in the beginning. Folks had many good points against it, but I am not entirely convinced that it cannot work.

That's what the folks that were paying me $100/hr to help design and build a power generation facility were saying. Even when I created detailed spreadsheets, including all losses due to efficiency proved them wrong.

[BorisM]

Originally Posted by yurtle

That's what the folks that were paying me $100/hr to help design and build a power generation facility were saying. Even when I created detailed spreadsheets, including all losses due to efficiency proved them wrong.

I do not give up that easily.

[yurtle]

Originally Posted by BorisM

I am curious if anyone came up with a dynamo generator incorporated into a wheel hub assembly? This kind of a dynamo would create much less friction than a simplistic unit on the picture I posted.

A quick way to test your theory is to buy a cheap 12 volt 6 watt generator, like the one shown, and a 12 volt 6 watt DC motor and directly couple the two together, both electrically and mechanically. If your theory is correct, you should be able to spin it up, either by hand or with an external power source. It should run forever. HOWEVER, as I said, even if you were to achieve a lossless perpetual motion system, by definition, perpetual motion can never perform any work outside of the system.

Batteries electro-chemically store energy. They are not 100% efficient. That energy feeds a controller, which also has looses. The controller powers a motor, which also has losses. The motor feeds the differential, which also has losses. The differential turns the tires. A generator also has losses, as will any electronic device that charges the batteries, and prevents them from discharging when the buggy isn't in motion.

[BorisM]

Originally Posted by yurtle

A quick way to test your theory is to buy a cheap 12 volt 6 watt generator, like the one shown, and a 12 volt 6 watt DC motor and directly couple the two together, both electrically and mechanically. If your theory is correct, you should be able to spin it up, either by hand or with an external power source. It should run forever. HOWEVER, as I said, even if you were to achieve a lossless perpetual motion system, by definition, perpetual motion can never perform any work outside of the system.

Batteries electro-chemically store energy. They are not 100% efficient. That energy feeds a controller, which also has looses. The controller powers a motor, which also has losses. The motor feeds the differential, which also has losses. The differential turns the tires. A generator also has losses, as will any electronic device that charges the batteries, and prevents them from discharging when the buggy isn't in motion.

I am not trying to invent a perpetual motion system, I am not 6 :-)

[yurtle]

If you can't achieve perpetual motion - which is completely lossless - then you will always be outputting less energy than the energy required to spin your generator.

Much like motors, in order to get more amperage out, you need to apply more torque.

[teecro]

Originally Posted by BorisM

I am not trying to invent a perpetual motion system, I am not 6 :-)

It's not that your on par with a 6 year old it's just that your not going to get any return on the investment in that you will be adding friction to your wheels to turn the dynamo which in turn will cause the cart to burn more energy. Here you are simply fighting with the point of diminishing returns.... You've got to get more out than what your putting in...

[DOOmsman]

Jeeeesh!

[yurtle]

What's wrong?

I think he could make this work if he eliminates the controller, motor, differential, tires, and generator. Just power a charger from the battery pack that charges the battery pack. It would eliminate most of the losses.

Whadda ya think?