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marthy Newbie Joined: 20/11/2007 Location: United StatesPosts: 3
Posted: 07:06pm 05 Nov 2008
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I started building a very small turbine a few months back and have been needing to ask a few questions before I finish the project. My main question is a wiring one, I have 3 coils in a Y configuration 50 turns of 21 AWG. The Stator, or turning part, that has the blades, has two magnets pointed in opposite polarities. I am barely getting any voltage across my multimeter when I turn the blades, even at a pretty high rate of speed. Are my magnets configured wrong, or is my wiring wrong, or should I spring for better magnets (I would assume weak ones work not as well, I just need to make sure they are configured correctly)?. Thank you in advance, this is my first turbine, and any insight would be well appreciated.
Pictures here
http://flickr.com/photos/edenspring/3005318713/
http://flickr.com/photos/edenspring/3006154678/
Thanks
KiwiJohn Guru Joined: 01/12/2005 Location: New ZealandPosts: 691
Posted: 11:16pm 05 Nov 2008
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Well..... with your coils spaced like that and only two magnets you would only get short pulses of output as the magnet went past a coil.
What you need is a magnetic field that passes through the coils and rapidly changes and magnet fields are a bit like electrical circuits in that you must close the circuit to get any much useful. In your setup, if I am seeing it correctly, at the instant when a magnet passes over a particular coil there is no circuit to encourage the magnetic flux lines to pass through the coil.
marthy Newbie Joined: 20/11/2007 Location: United StatesPosts: 3
Posted: 11:18pm 05 Nov 2008
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Ok, so if I am understanding this correctly, a) I need more magnets, alternating polarities, and b) all of the ends of the circuit of the Y should be wired into a rectifier to yield anything? Does there need to be magnets on either side of the coil? If so, would they be configured the same or differently than the magnets on the moving section of the turbine?Edited by marthy 2008-11-07
KiwiJohn Guru Joined: 01/12/2005 Location: New ZealandPosts: 691
Posted: 08:28am 06 Nov 2008
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Hmmmm, it is not just a matter of more magnets, what you need is a magnetic circuit, something that will conduct the magnetic lines of flux more easily than air. Iron is the usual choice for this so you want a disc of soft iron really close to the coils on the side opposite to the magnets. Then you need magnets of opposit polarity that pass over the coils..
I like your method of construction but I do feel it will be very difficult to get anything useful out of it without practically rebuilding.