I'm a new member and I'm looking into cycling to try to get back in shape. I also happen to be an electronics enthusiast. Has anyone looked into or tried one of these stationary stands that's supposed to provide enough power to run a TV or charge a cell phone? I think it would be cool if I could setup my iPad or TV while I'm riding at home.

https://a.co/9z7rYDb

The Pedal-A-Watt Bicycle Generator Stand Buy one or build with detailed plans.

I posted a similar thread in another cycling forum, and I haven't received much feedback. Any input you can provide is welcome.

Yes, these work. Alternatively, if you're into electronics and want to build one, you could just grab an old used car alternator, connect it to some car batteries and run your electronics off the car battery (stepped down of course).

I've thought of building one up for powering lights or charging old car batteries during a zombie apocalypse myself.

why? - there won't be anything on tv to watch while you're pedaling

How many watts does a TV take? My friend's brother used to have a setup in his shop where you could power a small TV with a exercise bike. It was a lot of work. Today's more efficient TV's would be easier to power. I watch TV while riding on my trainer, but the trainer is too busy keeping me at the right power output to do anything with the power.

A modern 50" flat screen will be ~75W. The cable box is another ~50-200W.

how are your soldering skills?

My cable box uses a ~5W power supply. It only provides basic channels.

I heard a story about a guy who set up the family TV to work only when someone was pedaling a stationary bike. I don't think the bike provided power to the TV, just closed the switch to enable the TV. His kids developed an economy among themselves, pedaling for each other's TV programs. I'd call that a success.

[MENTION=451676]jamesmarks452[/MENTION], the problem with this concept is that humans produce a disappointingly small amount of power. That's why we harnessed large animals and then invented machines that consume fuel. We want to do more "work" than a human can do alone. If you're a very fit cyclists, perhaps you could produce 200 watts for an hour. Imagine the charging and conversion system were 100% efficient, which is a terrible assumption. Now you have 200 watt-hours to play with. There isn't much you can do with that, compared with the typical electrical load in your home. You might get some exercise, and you can power one or two appliances without help from the electric company, and that will make you proud, but it's a small dent in your usage.

You could run one of those little USB type fans mounted to your helmet to cool your face while you spin away.