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When our old washing machine died, I couldn't bear to throw out the motor. So I did some digging and it turns out that they make ideal power generators. This instructable documents how I made an excersize bike that can power any household electrical appliance (depending of course on how hard you can pedal). It can hold up my old 21" CRT TV and a 50W pedestal fan without too much effort.
I either had all of the parts or was able to scrounge them for free, so the whole project cost me nothing. It requires basic soldering and welding skills, but no fancy circuitry knowledge is needed.
Materials:
I either had all of the parts or was able to scrounge them for free, so the whole project cost me nothing. It requires basic soldering and welding skills, but no fancy circuitry knowledge is needed.
Materials:
- old washing machine motor
- old bicycle
- bridge rectifier
- old UPS and battery
- 20ga wire
- angle iron
- cheap multimeter
- soldering setup
- welding setup
- angle grinder with cutoff wheels
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The washer I already had, but can be easily found for cheap or free if they're broken. The motors are quite robust, so it is usually another part of the machine that breaks first. The brands that may have the right kind of SmartDrive motors in them are: Fisher & Paykel, LG, and Whirlpool. The most common (in NZ) are the F & P and they say "SmartDrive" right on the button panel.
a helpful resource for identifying types of washers
how to tell what kind of motor you have
how to get the motor out of the washing machine. Note: I didn't remove the shaft or seals/bearings from the drum, I just cut out the section of the drum that housed the shaft assembly. See 1st photo.
The bike frame I picked up for free at the Green Bike Trust.
The UPS and batteries I got for free from my local computer repair shop. It is often cheaper for companies to buy a whole new UPS rather than replace dead batteries, so old ones can usually be found in abundance. This is how to rejuvenate old UPS batteries.
The bridge rectifier I pulled out of an old car alternator I had lying around.
a helpful resource for identifying types of washers
how to tell what kind of motor you have
how to get the motor out of the washing machine. Note: I didn't remove the shaft or seals/bearings from the drum, I just cut out the section of the drum that housed the shaft assembly. See 1st photo.
The bike frame I picked up for free at the Green Bike Trust.
The UPS and batteries I got for free from my local computer repair shop. It is often cheaper for companies to buy a whole new UPS rather than replace dead batteries, so old ones can usually be found in abundance. This is how to rejuvenate old UPS batteries.
The bridge rectifier I pulled out of an old car alternator I had lying around.
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here in the Philippines, we do not have that kind of motor, all washing machine and likewise dryers are using capacitor type induction motors..how ever i found out that food mixers or juice mixers like the ostirizer/B&D brand uses a brushed dc motors like that of portable 220v electric drills. i assume it also can do output a voltage powerful enough to charge a car battery. will try out soon.
also portable battery powered electric drills or screwdrivers can be used..
Your idea doesn't sound too dissimilar from mine, although I wouldn't recommend using an auto alternator unless you can spin it at the thousands of RPM it's designed for. The beauty of the smart drive is that it can be easily re-wired for different applications. Try this link : http://www.thebackshed.com/windmill/articles/gettingstarted.asp
about halfway down the page they discuss different types of motors.