Email: Password: Remember Me | Create Account (Free)

Back to Subject List

Old thread has been locked -- no new posts accepted in this thread
???
03/11/12 12:49
Read: times


 
#186575 - Sounds like you expect an infinite acceleration
Responding to: ???'s previous message
Justin Fontes said:
You cannot stay at the same RPM and same force applied to the pedals unless the power changes.

I'm not sure I follow what you tried to say.

Going on flat road, you have a "medium" gear selected. So your constant RPM * constant torque give you a "medium" speed where lots of the power is consumed to overcome the wind factor and a quite small part of the power overcomes other losses.

Going uphill, you have a "light" gear selected. So your constant RPM * constant torque gives you a "low" speed where the absolute majority of the power is used to accumulate potential energy, with hardly any wind resistance to overcome.

Going downhill, you have a "heavy" gear selected. The wind drag to overcome is tremendous, but you get lots of extra power from the "consumption" of potential energy. This extra power not visibile in the torque*RPM measurement. But not really relevant either, if the goal is to measure the amount of work the rider does. That power was already accounted for during the uphill ride.

So in the end, you don't suffer the problem that a constant power applied gives a constant acceleration and hence a constant increase in RPM. You will quickly reach a balance where drag + potential energy matches the riders efforts.

If anyone would think it interesting to figure out amount of power that was accumulated/consumed when climbing/going downhill, the rider+bike weight can be measured before start and a height sensor can be used. Normally a simple air pressure sensor works quite well since the air pressure isn't changing so fast from shifts in weather. GPS sensors often have significant problems to measure height differences - they are designed for precise position in latitude + longitude - not in height.

Anyone - commercial solutions (lots of them) are very expensive so there are lots of reasons for attempting DIY variants.

I wonder if anyone have cracked the protocol Polar used for their chain sensor solution - it receives the data using two electrodes on the pulse meter. Would be nice if I could feed data to these electrodes and have the software covered :)

Anyway - I do have a program that takes power info from the indoor cycle simulator and modifies the Polar pulse file with power information.


List of 61 messages in thread
TopicAuthorDate
bikey design challenge            01/01/70 00:00      
   Only 400W?            01/01/70 00:00      
      Its a bit different on the road            01/01/70 00:00      
         Brilliant idea in the bath            01/01/70 00:00      
            Might work            01/01/70 00:00      
               well...            01/01/70 00:00      
                  So you are yourself saying 400W is a bit low max scale            01/01/70 00:00      
                     O.K then 500 watts            01/01/70 00:00      
                        Battery            01/01/70 00:00      
            Fun with strain gauges            01/01/70 00:00      
         You sure?            01/01/70 00:00      
   nice ride            01/01/70 00:00      
      fanks            01/01/70 00:00      
   Sigma Rox 9.1...            01/01/70 00:00      
      Sigma fake            01/01/70 00:00      
         What do you expect for that price?            01/01/70 00:00      
            Head or tail wind? Or riding in a group or alone?            01/01/70 00:00      
               Way overcomplicating this            01/01/70 00:00      
                  Sensors            01/01/70 00:00      
                     how indeed            01/01/70 00:00      
                  Wrong - you are totally missing the drag factor            01/01/70 00:00      
                     Not at all.            01/01/70 00:00      
                        Real manufacturers haven't found your idea simple...            01/01/70 00:00      
                           Point made            01/01/70 00:00      
                           Some of your points are just wrong            01/01/70 00:00      
                              Sounds like you expect an infinite acceleration            01/01/70 00:00      
                                 Repeat post Ignore            01/01/70 00:00      
                                 I try for a constant power            01/01/70 00:00      
                                    Crank rpm - not back wheel rpm            01/01/70 00:00      
                                       I got the two confused            01/01/70 00:00      
                                          Bandwidth + return channel            01/01/70 00:00      
                        Oh dear, so many variable constants            01/01/70 00:00      
                  rocket science            01/01/70 00:00      
                     So don't ignore them            01/01/70 00:00      
                        Of course, it is...            01/01/70 00:00      
                           wireless            01/01/70 00:00      
                              Costs...            01/01/70 00:00      
                                 cost            01/01/70 00:00      
                                    Another problem            01/01/70 00:00      
                                       This was addressed earlier            01/01/70 00:00      
                                       Multiple strain gauges            01/01/70 00:00      
                                          Competitive bicycling            01/01/70 00:00      
                                             Pulse            01/01/70 00:00      
                                                If I had the power meter            01/01/70 00:00      
                                                   Normalizing with heart beats cancels some errors            01/01/70 00:00      
                                                      Just to get some data to look at            01/01/70 00:00      
                                                         Jez ?            01/01/70 00:00      
                                                            Oh Noes!!!!!!            01/01/70 00:00      
                                                            The plan is            01/01/70 00:00      
                                                               Brum doesn't HAVE mountains            01/01/70 00:00      
                                                                  Ah yes but no but            01/01/70 00:00      
                                                                  Actualy...            01/01/70 00:00      
                                                   If I had a power meter...            01/01/70 00:00      
                                                      Ive been testing things            01/01/70 00:00      
                                                         Well, no            01/01/70 00:00      
                                                            all very well thank you Steve            01/01/70 00:00      
                                                               Getting nasty            01/01/70 00:00      
                                                                  nasty ?            01/01/70 00:00      
                                 More time than money if access to machinery            01/01/70 00:00      
                                 Strain gauge elastic fixtures            01/01/70 00:00      
                           Sure            01/01/70 00:00      

Back to Subject List