The Mechanarchy 'Watt-Bot'

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The Mechanarchy Watt-Bot has been designed as a Pedal Assist, an aid in pushing a lot of weight up mild, moderate and steep Hills, over both long and short distances.

In my case, I use it to push a combined Bike / Cargo weight (excluding rider) of approximately 70 Kg's.

It is used locally for Work, over short distances of 20 Km's or less, to carry bike tools, equipment and spares, and I also use it for touring where I regularly cover 80 - 90 Km's in a Day, carrying camping gear, food, clothes and Music Equipment.

Mechanarchy is a Trading Name of The Anarchist Savants ABN 37 950 634 427

A Bicycle on its own is the most energy efficient form of transport ever invented, but when you regularly carry a large load, you rapidly discover not only just how much Energy is needed to push it, but also the potential long term Physical effects of doing so.

Muscle strains, Tendon or Ligament damage all occur very easily when pushing large loads over long distances day after day. The mechanical stress on the bikes components; chain, chain rings, rear freewheel etc can also be considerable. The Watt-Bot helps take the pressure 'off', both body and bike.

The Watt-Bot is no speed machine, it is built with the same gearing as the 4 wheel mobility scooters / chairs, in other words, torque not speed. Once I hit around 20 - 25 Km's / Hour, the need to use the Watt-Bot drops off rapidly.

Delivering a customers newly built Bike Trailer. Combined Bike load 80 Kg's, and delivery distance 65 Km's.
The Watt-Bot re-charges as I ride, and no, there is no need for regenerative braking, the Solar Panel does the work for me. Underneath the Solar Panel sits the Charge Controller, 240 Volt AC to 24 Volt DC Switchmode Battery Charger, 2 x 12 Volt / 22 Amp Hour (Ah) HGML Sealed Lead Acid Batteries, 24 Volt DC (Caravan style) powerpoint, 12 Volt DC Cigarette Lighter style power outlet and of course the Motor, 24 Volt / 300 Watt.
Why do I use Lead Acid instead of Lithium? As you can see here, the Watt-Bot's frequently sit out in the Sun to re-charge, often in temperatures that exceed 45 Deg's / C.

Lithium is inherently unstable when it gets hot, especially when being re-charged. And, apart from cost, which is considerably more, people are now finding that they require very specialized / computer controlled re-charging units in order to get the very best in performance and longevity out of their Lithium batteries.

I do 1,000 Km touring trips with the Watt-Bot, often out in 'the middle of nowhere'. I don't want a fickle battery pack or charging system.

Are Lithium and other derivation batteries improving in their technology? Of course, but at this stage, for anything over 10 Amp Hours in size, the headaches have still not been reliably overcome.

How do you control the Watt-Bot?

I originally built my own Motor Speed Controller which works sensationally and I still have in the workshop. I also carry it as a spare on long tours, mainly because the professionally made controller that you see to your right (which sits on the bike), is fully sealed and not repairable.

I replaced the unit I made with the manufactured one, because it was smaller, lighter and has more features, many of which I now find are simply superfluous.

Why do I put the Motor Controller on the bike?

Whilst I am riding, the unit is always in the shade and, up front it gets far better cooling than being tucked away behind the bike on the trailer. This not only helps performance but also the units life span and, when the Watt-Bot' is re-charging out in the heat of the Sun, the bike and Speed Controller can be kept cool in the shade. There is also the practical and pragmatic, the Watt-Bot is next to useless to anybody (apart from breaking it down for parts) without the bike.

The speed of the Watt-Bot is controlled by a 'motorcycle style hand throttle which can just be seen to the right of this picture. Again, I originally built my own using a Variable Resistor, a unit that I will be going back to.

Why; don't you like the 'motorcycle style' hand throttle?

No I don't. I find it much easier when riding to be able to 'set' the throttle at the speed I want without having to hold it in place, the motorcycle style springs back to zero speed when you let go of it, which I find 'a pain'. With the Variable Resistor type, I can set it and then relax my hands on the handlebars and adjust the speed with my thumb if needed.

What's the thing with the 'White Arrows' sitting on the handlebars?

It's called a 'Cycle Analyst' and you can read much more about this wonderful device, here.......

'Jack-Knifing' is caused when the 'Inertia' of the Trailer overpowers the Towing Vehicle, causing the rear end of the Bicycle to swing sideways and the trailer to swing around to where the rider sits. This can easily happen when the rider applies sudden heavy braking. The inertia of the Trailer has nowhere to go and so pushes the bike out to one side. Without adequate Safety Mechanisms in place, this could easily become a problem, especially when a Trailer has a powered motor that pushes the bike. A combination of heavy braking whilst accelerating with the hand throttle, could quickly result in a 'Jack-Knife'.

To overcome this potential, I employ three Safety Devices. Firstly, whenever the rider 'Brakes', the power to the Motor on the Watt-Bot is cut off. Secondly, if this fails, the Cycle Analyst is wired into the system and automatically shuts down the Motor Power when the Current Draw of the Motor exceeds a pre-set point. (Motor Current Draw increases substantially under 'jack-Knife' conditions). And, in the unlikely event that those two Safety Devices fail, the motor fuse, rated at just over that of the Motor, will 'blow', cutting the Power off.

Why do They Come With Such Little Wheels?

The lower the Centre of Gravity, the far, far less likely a Trailer is to tip over whilst going around corners!

Any Other Points?

Probably heaps, but I can't cover them all here. Suffice to say that with a considerable amount of Long Distance Touring under our belts, we have found the Watt-Bot's to be incredibly reliable, sturdy extremely safe and, most of all, a HUGE HELP!

Is the Watt-Bot for Sale?................. Is it Patented?.................. How much do they cost? ......

Mechanarchy operates in a very unusual way. Much of what I do, I do because I love doing it and because I learn so much through doing it. You can read more about my 'business' philosophy here....

I don't believe in Patents and besides, the Watt-Bot is easy to make and is certainly no 'Great New Revelation'. It simply does, very well, what I designed it to do.

I get many e-mails from people all over the World asking about the Watt-Bot. Firstly, it's weight (22 kg's with Batteries) would make it prohibitive (cost wise) to Freight anywhere, and that includes interstate within Australia. Secondly, from an Environmental perspective, I don't believe in doing that.

Thirdly, I don't want to spend my life, 6 days a week producing Watt-Bot's, there are too many other things to experiment with and learn from. Fourthly, most enquiries I get are from people who are looking for a Watt-Bot 'Recreational Speed Machine', and whilst I could certainly engineer one, I don't believe in that either. 'Recreational Speed Machines' waste energy, and Energy sits at the core of much of the Inequity we see in our World.

If you are still here after reading all of this, and you live within 100 Km's of Clunes in Central Victoria, Australia, and you would like a Watt-Bot designed to do a specific (bicycle based business) Job, then by all means give me a call and we can talk about your needs and your budget.

What About 'Fish-Tailing', 'Jack-Knifing' and 'Safety'?

When people see that the Watt-Bot is connected to the bike via a multi-dimensional hitch that is placed behind the rear wheel, these are often the first questions they ask.

So, let's re-visit some Physics. Trailer design, be it Car, Truck or Bicycle needs to be right. The distance between the Tow Hitch and the Axle on the Trailer needs to be almost twice that of the distance between the Centres of the Trailer Wheels. If it is not, 'Fish-Tailing' can easily occur.

Secondly, how a Trailer is loaded is critical. There should not be anymore than 10% of the Total Trailer weight, resting via the Drawbar, at the Tow Hitch. Over that amount indicates a load positioned too far forward on the Trailer. If this happens, the same problem may occur.

'Fish-Tailing' may also occur if the load is too far back on the Trailer. Load position, therefore becomes critical. The Watt-Bot has been designed and tested with these factors in mind, and the one's I originally made have now done well over 1,000 Km's in various conditions without a problem.

On tour with my partner, The Unconventional Cellist. A combined bike and trailer weight (each) of around 100 Kg's.