Hi misterT,
I have a close, but somewhat mentally limited friend who wanted to build a "perpetuum mobile". Since I had an electronics shop I also had all the necessary parts to make his dream come true.
(For myself, just to get the kick out of the experiment.)
I combined the main elements, battery, motor and generator according to his "supervising" advice.
I also did not forget to add a volt-meter to the battery, indicating battery voltage accurately to 0.01V and an am-meter to indicate battery charging current.
Starting the "system" battery voltage dropped from 12.5 to 12.2V upon starting the motor coupled mechanically directly to the generator, which wasn't a problem since the generator would charge the battery as soon as it had achieved nominal rpm.
Yes, indeed, there was charging current indicating the battery was being charged, but simultaneously battery voltage dropped more and more. (How come? Who stole the valuable energy?
)
After some hours the show was over, indicating a battery voltage of 9V (damn low and deadly for a lead-acid battery) and decreased motor rpm - hence decreased generator rpm.
I honestly wish you all the best inventing your "perpetuum mobile", but I'm afraid this thread will also have it's final path into the trash can.
My final conclusion: Even in space (no gravity) and a motor and generator without mechanical bearings (power loss) you'll not get the desired result. Electric current produces heat in every consuming element and that's the least you can afford building a "pertetuum mobile". Heat subtracts from the driving power gained via the generator, not to talk about electro-chemical losses within the battery.
My final advice: Forget about a "perpetuum mobile" and concentrate on something useful and doable.
Regards
Boncuk