On sort of a whim (kind of naively, since I'm not too knowledgeable about things electric), I bought a Shimano Nexus generator hub (3N71). I needed a new wheel, so for a few extra bucks, I thought I would check it out 'for scientific purposes'. I do not yet have a decent light to run with it, though I have made a simple bridge rectifier.
What I do have is a 'typical' rechargeable 6V battery and matching halogens (2 x 3W). With the battery, these provide very good lighting on dark roads (for 1.5 hours or so), but the generator hub cannot adequately power them. After reading several threads, including this one:
http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread...or+hub+shimano
I'm thinking of just adding the battery into the circuit as shown therein and running like that. The hub won't generate enough power, but it should (?) contribute to the run-time of the battery, right? And then I can charge during the day, if I want. I think Sheldon Brown ran something like this (see
http://www.sheldonbrown.com/dynohubs.html).
My questions are the following:
1) Is this correct? Can I charge in the day and extend the charge during the night with the hub?
2) Is this a reasonable idea? Will I run the risk of damaging the battery?
3) Can/should I remove the capacitor from my rectifier?
If anyone wants more specifics, let me know.