self-generated power

17 February 2017, 13:01 UTC

Re: DIY "mobile supercharger" I like the idea of the mobile charger. But here's a different question/idea.
I am not an engineer but have been wondering if there is a way to generate our own power (to some degree). As a board, the OW has the unique ability to act as a balance board (or a mini seesaw..), but a riding one at that. How would it be possible to collect/use/store some of that up and down motion/energy and use it to propel the board forward? That may not replace the need for a battery but could it extend the range (as a start)?

17 February 2017, 13:38 UTC

@SaturnOne I think at this point in time technology like that would make the price of the board skyrocket even higher than it is. Would definitely be cool to squeeze a few extra miles out of the board without having to add a larger battery. They really just need to make the batteries swappable.

17 February 2017, 13:42 UTC

I think there is an easy answer that requires no further engineering.

Don't let it fully discharge, find a hill, carry the board up it, and then ride down while braking heavily after coming up to speed.

Lather. Rinse. Repeat.

Plus it's really good for your health. LOL!

17 February 2017, 13:54 UTC

@ahxe45 This, indeed, is not an either-or question!

17 February 2017, 14:31 UTC

@OW-Miami someone else on the forums figured out that you could "kick-start" the OW, you hold it upright and use your foot to spin the wheel and charge the battery.

17 February 2017, 14:37 UTC

Then question is how high to climb ;-)

My answer is: I use 70% to go uphill +92m on gravel / dry mud.
Then going back down I am back at 40% so is my re-generation.
Depends on tire pressure, % of slope, and own weight and style...

So -7>UP +1>Down on the same slope.

As well happy to share how much energy one can produce:
Here a 700W toaster powered by a "LegStrong" cyclist: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S4O5voOCqAQ

Probably the same magnitude of power of the OW's.

Cheers
Arnaud

17 February 2017, 16:44 UTC

Maybe a manually operated (hand-cranked) device to rotate the wheel in place and charge it..

17 February 2017, 18:43 UTC

@eeg

Great idea! How about a stationary bike system?! You could wake up and go for a quick warm up bike ride (probably like 2 hours) in your living room, get off and unhook your OW and presto, full charge!

17 February 2017, 19:53 UTC

@Snurfer said in self-generated power:

@eeg

Great idea! How about a stationary bike system?! You could wake up and go for a quick warm up bike ride (probably like 2 hours) in your living room, get off and unhook your OW and presto, full charge!

sombrero talk!?;)

17 February 2017, 21:49 UTC

@No said in self-generated power:

@OW-Miami someone else on the forums figured out that you could "kick-start" the OW, you hold it upright and use your foot to spin the wheel and charge the battery.

Really? In one of the other threads about this, someone said that there has to be pressure on the sensors and the motor has to be engaged for the regenerative braking to work. If that's the case, none of these suggestions would work. But if someone was actually able to do it the way you say, it sounds like the board just needs to be on.

Let the development of the manual hand-crank charger begin! (and it must be able to fold up to fit into a backpack)

17 February 2017, 21:54 UTC

@Snurfer @eeg

Hey, what about something like this, just rigged so the Onewheel fits underneath it, upside down?
http://thd.co/2ls2MAx

17 February 2017, 23:07 UTC

@thegreck hmmm a hand crank isn't a half-bad idea for those times when you're stranded

17 February 2017, 23:27 UTC

I discovered the "kick-start" method when my board died about a month ago. The hand crank idea is definitely possible. I was able to regenerate power with the board completely off by kicking down on the wheel. Try it and "you'll see the light" ;)

18 February 2017, 01:03 UTC

@Christofire said in self-generated power:

I discovered the "kick-start" method when my board died about a month ago. The hand crank idea is definitely possible. I was able to regenerate power with the board completely off by kicking down on the wheel. Try it and "you'll see the light" ;)

What's the charge rate @ 1 rpm?

I assume the board needs to be turned on, engaged(footpad pressure), and tilted (like in braking position) to have regeneration active.

Maybe I'll try my theory on a treadmill. Maybe not , just curious to know how much power the regeneration makes.

18 February 2017, 02:52 UTC

It's amusing that once again I must reiterate, it is possible to create regeneration while the board is OFF. Not powered up. Dead.

18 February 2017, 02:59 UTC

Or just use your100$ DIY portable charger(spare batery+solarcontroller thingy!!? :)....every OW owner should have one!!
and if you still get in to trouble........there"s no help for you and you should buy a skateboard or a bike haha! ;)

18 February 2017, 03:24 UTC

@Christofire said in self-generated power:

It's amusing that once again I must reiterate, it is possible to create regeneration while the board is OFF. Not powered up. Dead.

Maybe once more.
LOL!

We are not doubting your findings , but there is a difference in resistance when it is powered on.

Some alternators need a little juice to produce more juice. But we save that for later.

12 April 2017, 16:56 UTC

Electrical (but admittedly somewhat inexperienced) engineer here. It's really interesting to hear that this "kickstart" works.

From a safety perspective, I'd imagine that the potential sources of damage you might cause by doing this are if you overcharge the battery without bring notified (since it's off) and if your spun it too violently (like the beginning of a kick) potentially causing spikes that might overstress the electronics. This second one would probably ruled out if you spun the wheel at slowish constant rate but still be careful of the overcharge. Though, it's also possible that spinning the wheel more slowly doesn't create a voltage high enough to charge the batteries at the proper rated levels and you could impact the health of the battery.

Just some thoughts, would love to hear what others think! It's entirely possible that the regeneration circuits Future Motion designed could support charging when on or off and at any speed, so some tests may be needed!

TLDR: This is really cool that the kickstart worked but for the health of your OW you should save it for emergencies at the moment. Charging this way would be super cool but seems to be untested territory.

12 April 2017, 17:21 UTC

What about a solar panel plugged directly into the charging port? Maybe a back pack mounted one or fender mounted?

12 April 2017, 19:27 UTC

@Earthpilot I think if you were able to have a solar panel powered inverter and plugged the ultracharger in to it with the AC plug it could work. It's hard knowing exactly what charging pattern the ultracharger is using to balance and charge the batteries safely. Most solar systems charge lead acid batteries which are more receptive to trickle charging and variable outputs from a solar panel.