We will be giving two workshops during the 2010 01SJ Biennal in San Jose, California with the Eyebeam Roadshow in September. Check our news section to sign up!
We are working on v3.0 of the personal powerPlant - this time we will be able to charge any USB device! It will also work with rechargeable AA NiMH batteries, which are easy to find. Below are some photos of the process: trying to get the circuit to work properly using new batteries, testing out different motors to get one that can output enough power…
Testing different motors...
Trying to test a "full wave" layout for the diodes
Up close with 6 wire motor and full wave configuration
Getting the batteries to charge an iTouch using a voltage regulator and resistors
Fluxxlab with Mouna Andraos taught a workshop on Alternative Energy at Eyebeam on 04.05.08 in conjunction with the FEEDBACK exhibition, where participants were shown how to make a new and improved version of the personal powerPlant. Eyebeam will have the first edition of the kits for sale in the bookshop after 04.19.08 - more venues are soon to come.
Preparing for the workshop.
Our demo version of the personal powerPlant for reference. The new design incorporates a cardboard box and masonite gears instead of acrylic.
Setting up the kits before the workshop.
The kits contain similar parts to the original PPP, but we have switched out the 7.2 V NiMH battery for a standard 9V. We will post updated instructions on Instructables and electroniccrafts.org once we have the kits finalized.
Paricipants of the Alternative Energy Workshop in coordination with the FEEDBACK Exhibition.
Soldering the circuitboard.
Testing out the visual multimeter with the stepper motor. It works!
Video: Testing out the visual multimeter
We have just posted the complete instructions for the personal powerPlant on instructables. You can check it out here:
personal powerPlant
Have Fun!
Thanks everyone for coming! We had a successful and informative day, and worked out many ticks. By the end, everyone had a fully functional personal powerPlant.
The personal powerPlant is a portable device that harnesses electricity through a solar cell and hand crank generator, into a NiMH battery. The device also includes a volt meter that monitors the amount of energy stored. The personal powerPlant can be used to power applications up to 8V.
Schematic circuit for the personal powerPlant.
Printed Board Diagram that can be placed on perf board to place and solder components.
Materials
Electronics
For the power plant circuit
1 - Stepper motor (Japan Servo KP4M4-029 12VDC)
1 - Solar panel (8V)
1 - NiMH battery (7.2V, 70 mA)
9 - 1N4001 Diodes
3 - Terminals
1 - 5 pin male header
18 or 20 gauge solid wire (red, black, blue, green)
For the visual multimeter
1 - Red LED, 1.5V
1 - Yellow LED, 1.5 V
1 - Green LED, 1.5 V
1 - 100 Ohm resistor
1 - 150 Ohm resistor
1 1N4730 zener diode
1 1N4733 zener diode
1 1N4737 zener diode
1 momentary switch
Hardware
PCB prototyping board
Printed Board Diagram (above)
Equipment
Soldering iron
Solder
Multimeter
Wire Stripper
The last night of preperation for the workshop… putting all of the kits together.
Here are some more images of research and experimentation for the workshop we are doing at Eyebeam on 06.23.07.
Using a wooden hand crank to pump the motor, attached to rectifiers and battery for testing.
Motor board with battery and switch. We are powering the arduino off of the battery.
Testing the batttery to see how much energy has been stored.
Circuitry for the system with motor, rectifiers, battery, and voltage meter.
On June 23, we are doing a workshop with Mouna Andraos, a R&D fellow at Eyebeam, on Alternative Energy. We have come up with a DIY kit called the “Alternative Power Plant”. This device can harness energy from solar, wind, and human sources. In conjunction with the Scrapyard Challenge put on my Jonah Bruckner-Cohen, participants will use the energy from their Power Plant to power a MIDI device created from found objects.
Putting together a circuit for a “visual volt meter” to visually display how much electricity is being harnessed.
Attaching a solar panel and (super) capacitor to test the visual volt meter.
Using a multimeter to double check if the volt meter is accurately displaying the electricity being sent to the capacitor. It works!!!
