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Click here to see a video of the Pedal-A-Watt in action producing visible power on a voltmeter

How does the Pedal-A-Watt compare to the competition's product?

1) Once you receive their product you have to build it!  Their product has a 13 step assembly process that requires tools!  The Pedal-A-Watt works right out of the box - just drop your bicycle into the stand!

2) They offer only a 30 day warranty.  The Pedal-A-Watt comes with a Lifetime Guarantee.  If you aren't happy with the Pedal-A-Watt for any reason, simply return it for a full, no questions asked refund.  In 8 years of being in business not one has been returned to us.

3) The Pedal-A-Watt costs $399 vs. $595 for their product.  That is a savings of almost $300!  We don't have fancy offices and we use off the shelf components to reduce pollution and waste.  All of this saves you money.

4) Quality.  The Pedal-A-Watt is of far greater quality than their product.  This is not our opinion, we have had many, many customers tell us this because they owned both products for a period of time.

5) Made in the USA.  We employ Americans and pay good wages.  None of our finished products is assembled overseas.

How does the Pedal-A-Watt work?

The Pedal-A-Watt concept is a simple one: you pedal, turning the bike's rear wheel, which in turn spins the generator.

What is a generator anyway? It is simply a spinning magnet within a coil of wire. As the magnet spins within this coil, electricity flows through the coil. This electricity can then be used immediately or stored in a battery.

 

This seems very technical.  I am an average person and want to power something?  Can I do it easily?

Yes!  We now offer the Easy Pedal-A-Watt Package.  Simply open up your order, plug it in and you are ready to go!  Click here to learn more.

How much power can I create?

The typical adult will create 100 to over 320 watts of power depending on the rider's strength.  The average person can create between 125 to 215 watts.  Those in better shape that are stronger can create between 225 and 320 watts or more.

What if I need the voltage regulated to 12 volts?

When ordering the Pedal-A-Watt you may select "Yes" under the 12 vdc voltage regulation option at checkout.  This regulator provides a level 14.2 volt DC output.  The regulator also converts any "excess" voltage from the Pedal-A-Watt into useable output amperage.  For example, let's say that you are pedaling the Pedal-A-Watt very fast and it is producing 30 volts.  The regulator will give a level output of 14.2 volts DC and will convert the excess voltage of 15.8 volts (30 vdc - 14.2 vdc = 15.8 volts) into another 1.11 amps at the regulator's output.  This regulator ensures that no power is wasted and all converted into useable amperage at 14.2 volts DC.
 

What is a Watt?

A Watt is an instantaneous measure of power. For example, while pedaling we measure the power output from the generator and see that 200 watts are being created. So what? Well, that means you can power a 200 watt TV but not a 400 watt TV. However, if you store the power from the generator in a battery, you have much greater flexibility. Let's explain:


The Difference Between Watts and Watt-Hours:

If I am pedaling and creating 200 watts of power and I keep pedaling for 2 hours, I create 400 Watt-Hours, or:

200 Watts x 2 Hours = 400 Watt-Hours

Now, with 400 Watt-Hours stored in the battery, I can power:

A 400 watt TV for 1 hour (400 Watts x 1 hour = 400 Watt-Hours)
A 200 Watt TV for 2 hours (200 Watts x 2 hours = 400 Watt-Hours)
A 20 Watt laptop PC for 20 hours (20 Watt x 20 hours = 400 Watt-Hours)
A 15 Watt fluorescent bulb for almost 27 hours (15 Watts x 26 hours = 400 Watt-Hours)



Power Consumption of Typical Appliances:

Small TV 100 watts
Large TV 200 watts
Laptop PC 10 watts
Desktop PC 75 watts
Stereo 20 watts
Charging a cellphone 5 watts
Hi Efficiency Desk lamp 15 watts
Refrigerator 700 watts
Dishwasher 350 watts
Dryer 400 watts


As you can see, some household appliances make good candidates for powering via the Pedal-A-Watt, such as TVs and stereos and some, like a dishwasher, require far more power than the Pedal-A-Watt can provide.
 

What is the difference between a volt, an ampere and a watt?

We will skip the textbook example and go to a good example, the garden hose.

Voltage is the strength coming out of the end of the hose.  Higher voltage, say 20 volts, is like having water come out of the garden hose faster and lower voltage, say 2 volts, is like water coming out much more slowly.

Amperes, or amps, is the amount of water at any point in the hose.  Think of it this way: a straw is like low amperes, say 1 ampere, because no matter how much force the water has behind it, voltage, there is only so much water that can go through a straw.  Then, think of a big pipe used to supply water to a city.  This is like high amperes, say 100 amperes, because the pipe contains a lot of water.

Watts is what most people care about.  Watts = volts x amperes.

An Explanation of Watts vs. Watt-Hours

Watts is an instantaneous measure of power at any moment in time. Watt-hours is a measure of power over time.

For example, the Pedal-A-Watt, creates 200 watts of power. If you pedal for 2 hours, then you have created 400 watt-hours (200 watts x 2 hours) of power.

This 400 watt-hours would power a 100 watt light bulb for 4 hours, a 200 watt large screen TV for 2 hours and so on.

How can I power my laptop, my small TV, my stereo and other household appliances with the Pedal-A-Watt?

Visit our Accessories and Other Products page to see the PowerPak accessory.  Plug the Pedal-A-Watt into the PowerPak and it will store energy created by the Pedal-A-Watt and allows you to plug in any typical household (AC) appliance (up to 300 watts) such as a TV, PC, laptop, stereo, small pump, video game, etc.

What if I want to demonstrate how much electricity the Pedal-A-Watt creates?

We sell several products that are helpful in "showing" the electricity created such as a power meter and a lighting demonstration.  Please visit our Accessories and Other Products page.     

If you have further questions, feel free to email us at Support@econvergence.net