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Forum Index : Windmills : alternator windmill
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feix62k Newbie  Joined: 30/07/2008 Location: AustraliaPosts: 36 |
Hi just started a test windmill made from old suzuku car alternator dont know what power if any to collect, I made a six blade plate out of ally and 6 24 inch blades from some old pvc pipe .also got some scrap steel for the pole early days yet give me another weekend and it should be up ,I held it outside in a lite breeze and it turned nicely no load on it yet.any ifo would be good .has any one tried an alternator if so what sort of power output. how do I add pics dont the days seem lank and long when nothing gos right and everthing gos wrong |
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Loomberah Regular Member  Joined: 11/06/2008 Location: AustraliaPosts: 43 |
Car alternators are designed to run at thousands of rpm, so unless you gear it up at least 3 or 4X I wouldnt expect you to see much output at all except in very strong wind gusts. You could try re-winding the stator with a lot more turns so it has a lower operating speed. That's only about a days's worth of work with a car alternator, I did it with one about 15 years ago and was getting over 10A at well under 1000rpm. To add a pic, just click on one of the add photo icons- either from the web with a URL, or browse your HD. They are the the 2 to the left under Colour in the post reply window. Loomberah weather +solar&UV, astronomy, photography, organic farm |
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| feix62k Newbie Joined: 30/07/2008 Location: AustraliaPosts: 36 |
well its all finnished and upand running no wires conected yet just testing to see how it fairs in the wind ,had a lot of good wind today seems to spin vvery fast and smooth the six blades dont make any noticable noise, you say very little power output would it be enough to back up a car battery if not using power often like only used once a month, I n\know its a silly question its just my first attempt to see what the winds like and experament . dont the days seem lank and long when nothing gos right and everthing gos wrong |
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| Loomberah Regular Member Joined: 11/06/2008 Location: AustraliaPosts: 43 |
Sorry, there is no way of knowing if it's going to be enough for you, with no idea of how much wind you have and how much output you will get in that wind! Get yourself an Ammeter and do some testing ;) Loomberah weather +solar&UV, astronomy, photography, organic farm |
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| Dodgeman Newbie Joined: 19/07/2008 Location: United StatesPosts: 33 |
Hello Feix62k, I dont know for sure in a suzuki, (I know Chrysler alternators won't work unless they are modified to accept magnets on the rotor  but it is my understanding that most vehicle alternators require a field coil voltage to be applied before they will generate anything, this will most likely be 12 volts, you will require around 1200 RPM alternator shaft speed to acheive the 12 volts required by the field coil, unless you power that some other way, you will be lucky to generate enough voltage to energize your field coil.
I do not think that an alternator will generate anything without the field coil energized, it may be possible to gear it up somehow and apply the field voltage from an external source once you reach the required RPM but this method would probably defeat your intended purpose. I would have to suggest finding a permanent magnet-direct current motor or generator for small scale wind power generation experiments, the rule of thumb with PMDC motors is: find the highest voltage rating you can, with the lowest RPM rating, for best results. Above all, dont get discouraged by setbacks, I have had many myself, (I used recycled junk mostly and it falls apart ocassionally) once you produce 1 single volt, you will want to go for 2 and 3 and so on until you can charge a battery with a full 12+ volts. Good luck and keep us posted in your progress. DM |
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| feix62k Newbie Joined: 30/07/2008 Location: AustraliaPosts: 36 |
Hve had some fierce winds if nothing else the 6 6 blade configuration is working well ,each blade is 24 inches long and 5 inches wide no buckeling or warpage, I guess I will just have to find a stepper moter or somthing else to suite. any Ideas of other small magnet type moters I could try, I have a 24 volt dc moter rated speed 2500 rpm output 100 watts rated current 6amps. the hardest part is mounting a blade on such a small shaft 8m ,flat on one side dont the days seem lank and long when nothing gos right and everthing gos wrong |
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| feix62k Newbie Joined: 30/07/2008 Location: AustraliaPosts: 36 |
that should read 6 blades not 66 haha any other small magnet type moters you could recomend would be good thanks felix dont the days seem lank and long when nothing gos right and everthing gos wrong |
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