Gilligan style preps?
Posted by Sh3rlock_Holmes@reddit | preppers | View on Reddit | 22 comments
Not talking about a coconut radio but what about a bike powered generator or jerried pumping system for a well?
At the gym today, the elliptical said I could have powered a light bulb for 2 hours with my exercise output which got me thinking about Gilligans Island.
RonJohnJr@reddit
jjgonz8band@reddit
Gilligan?....Talk about an outdated reference...I barely remember Gilligan and I'm 46....anyway bicycle generator devices already exist
https://rockthebike.com/shop/bike-generators/roll-up-generator-stand/
It might be easier to simply purchase a solar generator with solar panels, in a true grid down situation you may want to conserve your body's energy since you may be rationing food.
Sh3rlock_Holmes@reddit (OP)
Thanks for the link. They also do a bike powered blender.. in case.. I need to make some smoothies during the apocalypse.
Entire-Match-2671@reddit
I know some might disagree but IMO you definitely want a fancy lady like Ginger.
dittybopper_05H@reddit
No, both Ginger and Maryanne are the wrong answer. It's a trick question, the true answer is Eunice Howell.
Think about it, Thurston is a millionaire. He can have any sort of a trophy wife he wants, and no one would blink an eye about it, not even back then. But he stays with "Lovey".
Why?
She's got some serious skills.
Entire-Match-2671@reddit
She does stun in a flowy pantsuit, I'll give you that.
Additional_Insect_44@reddit
That can work. Alternators connected to tiny motors or yo big fans generate electricity also
dittybopper_05H@reddit
It's possible to do things like power a radio (even a transmitter). Hand cranked or bicycle powered generators for radio use were developed in WWII.
Mostly this meant isolated special forces type teams, like the Jedburgh teams parachuted into France. Places where you couldn't use power from electrical mains because there weren't any, and batteries and a gasoline powered generator would be too bulky, heavy, loud, or gasoline supplies couldn't be assured.
So sure, if you're operating a long range low power radio transceiver behind enemy lines, you can do that.
But battery technology has gotten so much better these days...
CharybdisClan@reddit
All I need to know is if it's possible to fry an egg using a bicycle-powered hair dryer.
OnTheEdgeOfFreedom@reddit
Did it say what kind of light bulb? If I exercised, I could probably power a light bulb for two hours - if it was a red blinking LED Christmas tree bulb. :) Not sure I could power a blue one...
The boring answer is, it's not worth it. In an emergency you'll have better uses for those calories. And forget pumping water or really moving much of anything that way. You have conversion losses going from mechanical to electrical (the bike) and from electrical to mechanical (the pump). They are big losses. You'd be MUCH more efficient cranking a hand pump directly - and trust me that's a serious workout even at a 20' well depth.
Radios with hand cranks for power... I've tried them. They basically suck. Flashlights get you maybe a minute of light for two minutes of cranking, unless they've improved. Give me a solar panel any day.
kaosi_schain@reddit
Any process the human body can enact on the world to generate force can be automated in some way using natural or constructed processes. Just takes ingenuity and materials.
parodytx@reddit
I have an ancient exercise bike with a belt on it connected to a grain grinder. Works great and my arms don't get tired.
CasualJamesIV@reddit
Question for the group: would it be sufficiently more economical to keep bicycle-generated energy as mechanical instead of electrical, to power things like a flywheel or something similar? I understand that it wouldn't work with the TV or lights, but I had wondered about modifying a tool to turn the motor directly instead of going back and forth through electricity. Could something like that be viable?
Trail_Breaker@reddit
Not quite what you were asking about, but this guy made a bicycle powered washing machine.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4IlgVPiDScQ
Traditional-Leader54@reddit
They had to made do with what little they had on the island. We have the benefit of being able to prepare and invest in better technology. Solar and wind (and hydro if you happen to have a river or stream nearby) are better options than manual powered generators. You will need your time and energy for other things like gardening/farming, cooking, hunting, trapping, fishing, gathering fire wood, raising chickens and rabbits, repairing things, etc.
EmberOnTheSea@reddit
The human body absolutely sucks at generating energy and doubly so in emergency situations where you are likely to be underfed, tired, stressed and uncomfortable.
You're way better off just buying a small solar panel set up which will ridiculously out-perform you.
Overall-Tailor8949@reddit
There was a post a few months ago about using a exercise bike to run a 12VDC alternator to help recharge batteries. I don't remember if it was here or in r/SolarDIY but the conclusion of the "hive mind" was it would take about 2 hours of bicycle riding at near Tour De France levels for an hour of TV watching.
Straight-Aardvark439@reddit
Could be worth it. Between several people it could really start to add up.
GGAllinzGhost@reddit
Just get a little solar system setup. For watching a tv (between 30 and 80 watts an hour, depending on the size) it would cost you maybe 200 dollars.
GGAllinzGhost@reddit
For lights just get you a little 50-60 watt solar panel with usb output, and a few of those 1 watt battery powered usb-charged light bulbs. You can keep a light on even with nonstop overcast.
No need to pedal your butt off for lights.
NorthernPrepz@reddit
If you had unlimited food time and energy maybe a useful byproduct of energy. In a survival setting the calorie conversion just wouldn’t make sense.
DwarvenRedshirt@reddit
FYI, a lot of what you saw is unrealistic fantasy.