Bicycle wheel Wimshurst Generator

A bicycle wheel is a variation on a hollow cylinder. There is a fixed axle, bearings in a hub and a means of connecting the rim and tyre with the hub. Traditionally, wire spokes connect the hub to the rim, but solid disks may replace these. The disks could be metal or plastic, or a combination of these materials. Other parts may also be either insulating or conducting and constructed of metals or ceramics. It is also possible to construct a disk or disks fixed to the axle within the wheel which would effectively be surrounded by rotating disks.

The whole wheel could be constructed as a sealed Wimshurst machine with the static electrical poles being the axle and the rim, and charge could be collected and stored in capacitors within the hollow frame of the bicycle. Fluorescent and xenon discharge lamps could present a variety of ways to brightly illuminate the moving bicycle, with a very minimal drag on the moving parts of the generator compared to magnetoelectric devices. It should be possible to effectively weatherproof all high tension connections with silicone and teflon coatings.

Stored charge could also be used as a theft deterrent. it may therefore be necessary to wear an antistatic grounding device when using the bicycle to dissipate charge safely.