Modern technology has made cycling a fantastic experience - you can plan and check routes with your smartphone, and bring along tiny digital still and video cameras to catalog your experience. I use the great EveryTrail app on my iPhone to calculate routes and speed, but keeping it connected to GPS is a huge battery drain. Wouldn't it be great if you could not have to worry about killing the batteries of these guys whilst on your ride?
Turns out - you can, and power lies in your own two feet. With a little DIY muscle flexing, you can build a USB generator that's 70% efficient in converting your pedals into the energy needed for powering and charging your devices.
"The USB Bike Generator is a small bike mounted electricity producing device optimized to provide power for two USB ports. There are so many small electronics that can be powered or charged from a USB connection it only makes since that people might want to do this while riding a bike. The basic idea for the USB Bike Generator is to use a suitable stepper motor as a generator and a voltage regulator circuit to maintain the 5 volts needed for the USB ports. "
Totally awesome.
Instructables: USB Bike Generator
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