Playing with wind power

[suicideneil]

Ever seen those spinning signs they have outside some shops powered by the wind, they have one word on the back (top) and another on the front (bottom); when the sign spins you see both words together.. (like 'fish & chips') etc. Stick a shaft down the middle and mate that to your motor via the belt drive or whatever you plan to use...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V-PiJrD4P4M

They are shaped basically the same as the turbine you want to use, only in a single molded piece.

ametek 12v motor

this is the motor you want to try and find and use. If you really want to do it right, I mean.

[J57ltr]

You are talking about those brushed reel to reel motors they used to use back in the dawn of computers? What makes it better than a brushless motor with more powerful magnets and better winding tech? Those are usually used for larger scale windmills aren't they?

Jeff

Well direct useable 12v power that's not 3 phase like a brushless


very low rpm to achieve 12v.

expect to get between 300-700 watts depending on swept area and wind velocity.

3rd link is a diy thing

http://www.seco.cpa.state.tx.us/re_wind_maps.htm

http://www.wind-sun.com/ForumVB/forumdisplay.php?f=13

http://www.mdpub.com/Wind_Turbine/

[J57ltr]

Creating DC from 3 phase power is easy and I don't have to add anymore diodes (to keep from backfeeding the motor) because a 3 phase bridge rectifier already has them built in. I am only looking for about 100-150W this is just testing an idea. I am only dealing with something that is going to be about 16" tall and 12" in diameter. As I recall those Amteks (they have them at the old school electronics parts store around the street) and they are about 6" in diameter and about 10" long. They have a few other sizes as well.

I am looking to produce about 16V and around 8 amps to which would give me about 115W to start off with, and I shouldn't need a regulator to keep the voltage down.

That Last site I have seen before and read with great interest, low tech is good but No body is dealing with these brushless motors. I may pick up an outrunner once I see what kind of V/rpm I can get out of those.

Jeff

Good luck, keep the thread running.


Can you post the part and data sheet of the bridge rectifier you are using.

[J57ltr]

The bridge rectifier I thought I might use may be overkill for this application but I had 2 of them. One is on the Weldernator and the other is setting in a junk box. Actually at this power level I will just use 6-10 amp diodes or maybe one of the rectifier modules I took out of the Alternators I modified (that’s what they are after all).

If you look at the schem you will see how it's done. Basically you have 6 diodes they are all facing the same direction and are paired so that the anode and cathode are connected together. Then all the anodes (this is your negative terminal) that are left are connected together and all the remaining cathodes (this is your Positive terminal) are connected together. Each winding of the motor goes to the anode/cathode junction. And there you have it presto change-O, DC from 3phase AC. Real easy like.

Just as I am sitting here I remembered we have a sheet metal brake and bender at work I think I can make some nice blades out of 1/16” aluminum. Hmmm.

Jeff

[J57ltr]

Well I scrounged aup a few parts. I had an old motor laying around, it's a NEMA 17 that the control baord went out the gear on the back is actually the incoder gear (it basically has a tape head as the pickup), and a bunch of prototype parts when we originally developed our small conveyor. The SST thing with the pulley was a jackshaft for the first system I have 2 of these and they each have 2 1.4" ID 3/4" Od bearings in them I may use them as the top and bottom of the assembly. The motor will generate about 12.5V at about 600 RPM on 2 of the phases I need to do a little more reasearch on the way it's wound. I had 2 wires that I could get 12.5V and only about 2.3 on another pair. like I said i'll check into it, (its a stepper motor). I am going to remove the 3.. screws and add longer 4-40 screws all the way through so that I have 1/2" long 4-40 screws. (we do a lot of mods to these motors to make them water resistant. The other gears I can get anywhere from 1:1 to 4:1 in a single overdrive. I'll show the guts later when I take more pics.

I also bought 6" diameter stove pipe that I will cut in half it's perfect at 24" tall and I think will work fine, I may need to add some support since it's only .030" thick.

Jeff
Jeff