Some of our members have access to a lathe, and with a little creative tinkering, it's possible to rig up a pretty efficient way to drive a generator or alternator for testing. Just remove the lantern post tool holder, and fabricate a bracket that can be bolted onto the compound rest in its place. Then mount an old crankshaft damper or any other type of pulley into the chuck, add a belt, and you've got a variable-speed drive for a generator or alternator. Depending on how particular (or anal-retentive) you happen to be, a complete charging system can be simulated once the unit is spinning.
Jerry

"It is better to be silent and be thought a fool than to speak and eliminate all doubt!" - Abraham Lincoln
Cringe and wail in fear, Eloi- - - - -we Morlocks are on the hunt!
There is nothing noble in being superior to your fellow man; true nobility is being superior to your former self. - Ernest Hemingway
Love your enemies and drive 'em nuts!