Way back when, if you wanted lights on your bike, you’d head off to the local bicycle store and purchase yourself a bottle dynamo. This would consist of a magneto that was attached to a bracket on the back of the bike and would rotate by rubbing against the rear tire, generating power for the lights. These fell out of favor over the years as batteries got better and cheaper and people grew tired of the increased drag and maintenance required. Despite this, the idea of generating power onboard a bicycle has never really gone away, and [Javier] has decided to have a crack with his imPulse project.
The formerly popular bottle dynamo had one advantage over contemporary models located in bicycle hubs – they were geared down to allow the generating device to make multiple turns for each revolution of the bicycle wheel. This is useful to allow the generating device to operate in its ideal range of rotational speed. Going for a more modern take, however, [Javier] has decided to leverage a stepper motor as his generating device of choice. Further taking advantage of modern technology, the imPulse system is designed to fit on to the caliper mounts of modern bicycles with disc brakes, allowing easy fitment while also leaving room for a geared-down drive.
[Javier] hasn’t just stopped at power generation, however – there are also plans for lighting systems and power distribution to enable the generated power to be used for a variety of purposes. It even has turn signals – though that’s not the first time we’ve seen them on a bike! Video after the break.
Source:: Hackaday