BicycleCinema.org
Commissioned diagram of ufaFabrik's load-balancing pedal cinema: ten bicycles on dynamos with no battery, where the remaining bikes take more load during swaps
ufaFabrik — Pedal Power Cinema — 10 bikes on dynamos → DC-to-AC transformer → beamer; resistance rises on the other nine bikes when a rider steps off (no battery)1 Image: BicycleCinema.org, drawn from the research corpus

ufaFabrik — Pedal Power Cinema

Germany, Berlin · Nonprofit association

Uncertain last verified 2026-09 Annual themed screenings are documented for 2012 through 2015; no dated event has been found since.
Load-balancing (no storage)
10 bikes on dynamo trainersDocumented
  • Single source, medium confidence

Websitehttps://www.ufafabrik.de/en/15468/pedal-power-cinema.html

ufaFabrik ran a Pedal Power Cinema on ten dynamo-trainer bicycles with no battery or ultracapacitor, documented 2012–2015. Continuity at the Berlin cultural centre comes from load-balancing — the pedalling resistance on the remaining bikes rises when a rider dismounts — the one cinema documented in this corpus that works this way.

Key facts

  • Fleet

    10 bikes on dynamo trainers1

    Documented

  • Mechanism

    Automatic resistance increase on remaining bikes during rider swaps1

    Documented

  • Buffer

    None — no battery, no ultracapacitor1

    Documented

  • Documented period

    2012–2015 (annual themed screenings)1

    Documented

The direct current from ten bicycles on dynamo trainers passes through a voltage transformer to alternating current and drives the projector directly. When one rider steps off mid-screening, the system automatically increases the pedalling resistance on the nine bikes still turning, so total electrical output holds steady through the swap without any stored energy. Annual themed screenings, each paired with an expert panel, are documented from 2012 through 2015, including "Waste Land", about a landfill community, and "Canned Dreams", about global manufacturing supply chains. No dated event has been located since 2015; the centre itself continues to operate, and everything documented here traces to ufaFabrik's own project page.

Specifications

What do these labels mean?

FieldValueConfidenceSources
Fleet10 bikes on dynamo trainersDocumented1
Buffernone (load-balancing, no storage)The only documented cinema installation in this research using real-time load-balancing as its continuity mechanism.Documented1
Power conversionDC-to-AC voltage transformerDrives the beamer directly from the transformed dynamo output.Documented1
Generator rating and voltagenot disclosedNo dynamo rating, DC voltage, or beamer wattage is published.Not disclosed1
Documented period2012–2015 annual themed screeningsPaired with expert panels, e.g. on "Waste Land" and "Canned Dreams"; no dated event located since 2015.Documented1
Comparison diagram placing real-time load-balancing alongside the two buffered topologies
Load-balancing as the third answer beside ultracapacitor and battery buffering1 Image: BicycleCinema.org, drawn from the research corpus
Timeline strip of the documented 2012 to 2015 screenings with an uncertain-status badge
Annual themed screenings 2012–2015 (Waste Land; Canned Dreams); recent activity uncertain1 Image: BicycleCinema.org, drawn from the research corpus

Sources

  1. [1]ufaFabrik Berlin — Pedal Power Cinemawww.ufafabrik.de

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