So not sure if anyone else ever saw the show, The Colony, but in the first season they build a generator out of 2 car alternators and an old pressure washer motor. Using wood gasination to run the motor they were able to generate power enough to run power tools and recharge tool batteries.
Since seeing that show I have wondered about hooking up a electric drill motor and using it to spin the alternators. I wonder if I could produce surplus power from alternators while also powering the motor. Now I know the first thing everyone is going to say, Ohm's law means that perpetual motion is not possible, and I understand that. While I know that the small electric motor could not be run continuously, since heat would become an issue, I wonder if I could run it in small stints to help recharge a battery bank when the solar panels are not producing at full strength.
By the numbers it should work, a car alternator puts out 63 amps, meaning two of them would put out a potential of 126 amps. The drill motor is set to run on 5 amps, meaning under ideal conditions with the right gearing I should have 121 amps left over to recharge a battery.
I'll have to add this to my list of projects and see if it works, again not forever on it's own, but in short maybe an hour or two stints to help charge a battery bank.
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