Pedal powered cinema

A team of engineering students has produced a bicycle powered generator which could power a fifty five watt projector for the time required to observe a movie.

These days, pedal strength has visible a rise in reputation as it's miles visible as an alternative supply of easy energy and a positive step to try and address climate exchange.

Now, as a part of their degree, fourth 12 months electrical Engineering (MEng) students on the college of Leicester have designed and built a compact bicycle powered generator that permits the consumer to quite simply pedal and bring enough electricity to energy a cinematic projector.

The scholars related a single pace racer bicycle to a 250 Watt motor via a belt and to provide enough present day to fee the battery, the person might need to pedal at a price of 60 RPM (60 revolutions in line with minute).

The battery would then deliver strength to a rectangular wave inverter circuit -- which converts the DC voltage produced from the cyclist to AC voltage which powers the projector over a long time frame -- sufficient to watch your favored movie.

At the stop of the project, the students watched the movie task impossible together the use of the projector, taking turns to pedal the bicycle with a view to generate power.

Muhammad Arslaan Ashfak, a fourth year student inside the college of Leicester's branch of Engineering, stated: "operating in a undertaking like this has been a useful experience. to be able to see some thing which started off as a layout be delivered to fact is truely a outstanding success. no longer best did we've got the possibility to apply some of our information that we've learnt in our lectures, we additionally advanced new capabilities over the direction of this yr."

Hanqing Lyu, project crew chief and also a fourth 12 months student inside the university's branch of Engineering, delivered: "The original short for the bicycle became to electricity a cinema projector but it could also be used as a phone charging application station in places like the college college students' Union in which college students can come to plug their charger in and pedal the bicycle so that they have got a physical concept of the energy they use whilst charging their telephones."

Dr Alan Stocker, venture examiner and Senior Lecturer within the college's branch of Engineering, said: "The fourth yr task module affords an opportunity for some of our maximum in a position college students to layout and construct a full-size engineering project. considering that it's far a complicated group challenge, concerning generally 4-6 students, it additionally lets in them to use the task management skills consisting of time and financial management that they've been taught. As part of the undertaking, they're also able to decorate their crew running, hassle fixing, and presentation abilities in addition to their technical expertise."

He introduced: "The pupil group who've constructed the pedal powered cinema have done an excellent process and produced a without a doubt profitable tool."

Dr Fernando Schlindwein, project manager and Reader in Biomedical Engineering in the university's branch of Engineering, stated: "This group of students carried out numerous concepts of both electrical and Mechanical Engineering to finish this challenge, which suggests that our approach of a standard Engineering department produces very capable Engineers."