Beechat Crank is a human-powered, open-hardware, fully-waterproof, electricity generator. The project was born out of the need to power electronics in all off-grid scenarios. We needed a way to power our devices in all weather conditions, and making a human-powered generator meant that problem could be solved. When we looked for a solution, we didn't find what we were looking for, so we decided to make it, and make it open source!
- High power (3A) USB-C IPX8 output
- 18650 3600 mAh battery (LG M36)
- Charging time of 4 hrs 24 min. to full charge with 10% efficiency loss at 4.5 Watts.
- Overcharge protection
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Beechat Crank is composed of the main device, which we call the Heart. It contains the battery, the generator and all the electronics (the handle is detachable) :
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The Pedal Case is an assembly which the Heart can be attached in. which dramatically speeds up the charging from 2.5 hours to 25-30 minutes. This is achieved with reduction gears to, with the same revolutions per minute, generate more electricity.
We have chosen the 35L048B1B motor with a mass of 88 grams, giving us us 450 mA for each phase of the coil and works at 5V. The wire leads are connected via female Molex connectors to the charging PCB board.
| Part no. | Part name | Quantity | Description | Link | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | Body | 1 | Injection molded ABS/PC | ||
| 02 | Lid | 1 | Injection molded ABS/PC | ||
| 03 | Handle | 1 | Injection molded ABS/PC | ||
| 04 | Light pipe | 1 | Transparent injection molded PC | ||
| 05 | Motor | 1 | Link | $11 | |
| 06 | Bearing | 1 | Link | $0.5 | |
| 07 | PCB | 1 | $6 | ||
| 08 | Battery holder | 1 | Link | $0.09 | |
| 09 | Lid O-Ring | 1 | Link | $0.95 | |
| 10 | Bearing O-ring | 1 | Link | $0.08 | |
| 10 | Adhesive | 1 | $8.36 | ||
| 11 | 10 mm M2 screws | 6 | |||
| 12 | 10 mm M3 screw | 1 | |||
| Total cost (excl. plastic parts and adhesive) | $18.62 |
All parts are under the "3_BOM and CPL" folder
| Part no. | Part name | Quantity | Description | Link | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | Sheet metal stand | 1 | Stainless steel sheet metal bend | ||
| 02 | Plastic cover | 1 | Injection molded ABS plastic cover | ||
| 03 | 20 teeth spur gear | 1 | Hardened steel-with M3 thread (Custom made) | ||
| 04 | 30/12 teeth double spur gear | 1 | Hardened steel (Custom made) | ||
| 05 | 48 teeth spur gear | 1 | Hardened steel (Custom made) | ||
| 06 | Left pedal crank Arm | 1 | Hardened steel with M8 thread (Custom made) | Link | |
| 07 | Right pedal crank Arm | 1 | Standard part | ||
| 08 | UFL003 bearing | 2 | Standard part | Link | |
| 09 | 6mm hollow rod | 1 | with M3 internal thread(Custom made) | ||
| 10 | M6 Washer | 2 | Standard part | ||
| 11 | M3 Washer | 1 | Standard part | ||
| 12 | M7 bolt | 4 | Standard part | ||
| 13 | M3 bolt 15 mm | 3 | Standard part | ||
| 14 | M3 bolt 8 mm | 3 | Standard part | ||
| 15 | M7 nut | 4 | Standard part | ||
| 16 | M3 nut | 3 | Standard part | ||
| 17 | Pedal crank bolt | 2 | Standard part | Link | |
| 18 | Pedal | 2 | Standard part | Link |
Want to contribute? Great!
Make a change in the files and create a pull request!
Open Source Hardware, Non-Commercial