Portable Generator For Sale

Which kind of electric generator should I use?

I am doing a science fair experiment using hamsters to run a hamster wheel to turn a generator and produce electricity to light a lightbulb. What kind of generator should I use? and what size? And just so you know, my hamsters are small, so the generator can't be too big or too hard to turn.

Public Comments

1. use a small dc motor from radio shack, most dc motors will generate current when turned, use a small light bulb or an led for the demo but nothing to big or the load will be to great
2. You could probably use a bicycle generator if you were able to gear it properly to the Hamster's treadmill. That would be another interesting challenge to set a proper gear ratio, thus making it easy for the hamster to turn it.
3. That will be a very, very low power gen. Best bet is to get yourself a very small motor from a battery(3 volts) driven toy car...or a hobby motor(1.5 vdc to 3vds), then drive it via a rubber wheel in contact with the circular cage. A direct current motor, when rotated by a power source will generate a dc current....After you have tried and measured the voltage, then select the appropriate bulb/LED to show it off.
4. You need a permanent magnet motor with a disk shape if possible, that doesn't have detenting due to the magnets holding. In other words it spins freely. Most toy motors are not very suitable for this reason. The torque even from a hamster galloping around may be insufficient to turn them, especially because they also need gearing up to generate much. You can make a simple generator with a coil of wire and a rotating magnet, but it will need a multimeter to display it. It is unlikely it can run a light bulb or even an LED. It generates AC.
5. small ac motor you can buy online fro ma catalog or some store like alltronics or jameco. you need a gear box so that your hamster doesn't need to run very fast to make electricity. you can carve your own gears out of wood or 1/8" aluminum sheet. use a very low wattage/voltage lamp. like an LED so its easy to light (just 1.7 volts) Use a medium series resistor to further reduce the power consumption. use a full wave rectifier and a filter capacitor. AC motors are more efficient at making electricity, but will make an LED flicker. due to the low current and voltage, you need a filter cap to flatter than energy produced so that the LED doesn't flicker at all. Use a second larger capacitor to store some energy, so when the motor stops turning the light doesn't abruptly shut off. likewise, if the hamster moves too slowly, the lamp doesn't shut off immediately.