Mark Hoekstra at Geek Technique has put together a visual tutorial on how to create an iPod charger that makes efficient use of the energy you expend while biking. Mark converted a hand cranked charger to work with a bicycle dynamo, but encountered a number of problems along the way:
Well, it’s a little too early for that [conclusions], I have to do much more real-world testing. In a real world my ipod never gets drained to the bottom, so I have to see how this thing is gonna charge on a daily basis and I will be testing that the coming days/weeks. I travel to my work on my bike, in the morning I can charge my ipod, in the evening I have to use my lights
The circuitry internals are housed in an old Macintosh ADB mouse and he even kept the circuitry that powered his bicycle headlight in addition to the iPod charging bits. If you're a college student or just someone who likes a bike a lot, you might want to look into this innovative way to charge your iPod on your way to your destination.
