windgen.org vawt discussion

 I got the wedge shaped magnets at that site.

I built my large diamameter alternator  to prove something to myself.   It's been enjoyable and wish I had more time to work on it.    I don't mind  winding the coils  and there is lots of them.   Built a hand turned coil winder  and can make one every 3 or 4 minutes when I get in a groove.    Yes it may have been easier to buy one, but the challenge and the time spent has been enjoyable.   I have tried to keep the cost to a minimum as I designed this monster.   The mags ( 100 of them ) were just 79 cents each, or $79  and the spool of wire was around $70 . the spokes cost approximatly $35 .   That's only $184 dollars...  The steel  was scrap and was laser cut along with other parts ...   The time spent to build it PRICELESS....   

MIKE

electrondady1 wrote:

---

when i first got started with these windmill about six years ago i knew right away i had found something good for myself
.
i love winding coils.
it's my favorite part
i love the colour of the copper wire and the way it glistens in the light.

my coil winder is motorized .
it uses an old 3/8"drill that is controlled by a sewing machine foot switch.
so my hands are free.
the drill powers a gearbox from and electric lawn mower with a 5.5 to one reduction
i welded the square drive of a worn out 3/8" ratchet wrench to the output shaft of the gearbox.
i have a mechanical turn counter that works off a cam
now i build my coil jigs on a hex bolt and can place them in the socket drive when i want to turn some coils.
i have the capacity to turn four conductors at once and can lay down about two turns a second.
even at that speed i have complete control.
i can use one hand to control tension and the other to control placement of the wire within the jig.

---

Sweeeeeeeeeeeeeeet!!

 

when i first got started with these windmill about six years ago i knew right away i had found something good for myself
.
i love winding coils.
it's my favorite part
i love the colour of the copper wire and the way it glistens in the light.

my coil winder is motorized .
it uses an old 3/8"drill that is controlled by a sewing machine foot switch.
so my hands are free.
the drill powers a gearbox from and electric lawn mower with a 5.5 to one reduction
i welded the square drive of a worn out 3/8" ratchet wrench to the output shaft of the gearbox.
i have a mechanical turn counter that works off a cam
now i build my coil jigs on a hex bolt and can place them in the socket drive when i want to turn some coils.
i have the capacity to turn four conductors at once and can lay down about two turns a second.
even at that speed i have complete control.
i can use one hand to control tension and the other to control placement of the wire within the jig.

Like Bernd said, the rpm issue can only be addressed by a design different than is found in an off-the-shelf genset powerhead.

Try turning one of them at 200 rpm and you'll realize the wasted time in power transmission.

Coreless axial flux may be a pain, but it works.   Cheaper magnet source here

http://www.magnet4less.com/

Turtle

I do think it is cheaper material wise to build your own. my Magnets were $125.00 for 24 and the wire i got 10 lbs. of #18 for $65.00( enough wire for 2 alternators), a gallon of fiberglass resin is around $25. matt was around $5. I think. I had the plywood for the forms laying around. Once you build the forms you have  them. coil winder was homemade also, cheap. I think the windblue generator I bought was $279. and I believe their prices have gone up since I bought one.

What most people need is a alternator that works with very low rpm and less cogging and i think, that is hard to find or hard to pay.
Second reason is that an ironless Alternator has many advantages for using into a windturbine.

Bernd

-- Edited by Bernd on Tuesday 2nd of March 2010 06:58:07 PM

I think many would like to go this route, the problem is the high RPM they require.

Jerry

I built my own alternator. As you know this means winding coils and gluing magnets. I doubt I will ever do it again.

We all have the ability to build our own alternators but do we really need to. There is no cost savings in building a "One-Off" part. With the internet and FedEx there is no time savings.

I was going through my Northern Tool catalog looking at a number of portable generators that came with frames and gas engines that really weren't that expensive. That means there has got to be an inexpensive generator head that can be used.

I get the part about not wanting the gas engine...we use wind turbines and I get the part about trying to optimise the design and fun in building the turbine. But, winding coils.

We are not saving time or money. So again why do we do it? I'm not being critical of our efforts, but seeking a good reason to justify the hours it takes to hand wind coils that cannot compare in quality to good quality generator head.