Did you know that you can make your own generator? Well you can! Do you want to charge your phone or other wall device? You can (if you make this =) Want to save energy and help save the environment from the burning of fossil fuels? You can! Do you have an old 2000 lb. winch that you need to get rid of (preferably from Haulmaster or similar)? Recycle it instead!! Turn it into an eco-friendly, cheap hand-crank generator!

Step 1: Supplies

What you need:
An old 2000-lb. winch (preferably a Haulmaster)
A 3/4-in. closed-end wrench
A hacksaw
A Phillips screwdriver
A pair of scissors

Step 2: Preparation and Assembly

Remove all the screws (using your screwdriver) on the outside of the case and place them in a small sandwich bag (so you don't lose them). Once you can see the inside of the plastic case (with the motor and gears and stuff like that), locate the place that the wires exit the electric motor. Follow these two wires until they branch out into four wires. Use your scissors to cut off the two wires just before they branch into four wires. Strip half an inch of rubber covering off the two wires. Twist the end of each of the two wires individually so that the strands do not come apart. You should see a very long strand of thick metal cable (the thing used for the actual pulling in the winch). Use your hacksaw and cut off the metal cable as close to the thing it is attached to as you can get. If you are using a Haulmaster or similar brand, then you should see a 2 in. circular black piece attached to the outside of the winch and held in place by two 3/4 in. nuts. Remove both of the nuts and take off the black piece. Replace both of the nuts.

Step 3: Testing, Operation, and Chocolate

To test your generator, attach it to a multimeter (the red is positive and the black is negative)and start turning it with your 3/4-in. wrench over your nut (if it doesn't work then try turning on your multimeter =).
If your needle starts to flicker, then it works. If it doesn't, try switching the wires on the tips of the multimeter. Reassemble the body so that it looks like it did before, except now it has a red wire and a black wire protruding from it. When you want to generate electricity, twist the wires through the holes in the ends of a two-pronged wall plug (something that plugs into the wall, not the outlet). Place your 3/4-in. closed end wrench on the nuts and turn rapidly. Now you have successfully generated your own electricity out of something that you recycled yourself! Pat yourself on the back (or get someone else to pat you on the back) and go buy yourself a chocolate. Or MORE Chocolate (view pic). Oh! Wait! On your way out (before getting yourself chocolate), please vote for my Instructable and leave a comment.