Ugrinsky wind turbine

thingiverse

This was initially just a challenge to learn FreeCAD design using formulas and parameters to design objects, but it turned out to be more than that. The basic shape and proportions of the Ugrinsky rotor are based on this image. Since I had already designed the blades based on this, why not actually test it in the real world? So here it is - it uses a NEMA 11 stepper motor as a generator. Two 6000Z bearings and an aluminum tube with 10mm diameter are used. The timing belt I used is a T2.5-177.5 width of 6mm, like this. I tested it and it runs pretty well without a load on the generator; however, I still have to test it with a charger connected. Scaling it up to twice the size would work really well with the NEMA 11 stepper generator, but I would have to print the blades in parts and then assemble them. You can watch the system running on YouTube.