Wind Turbine

thingiverse

This is a 3-phase, 2-winding-per-phase, 4-pole AC generator that utilizes powerful magnets. HANDLE WITH CARE, AS YOU WILL BE LIABLE FOR ANY INJURIES. This project requires careful attention and patience, making it an excellent choice for science fairs or alternative energy experiments. Although I don't have sufficient time to provide detailed results, I can tell you that spinning the generator at a few hundred RPM produced approximately 1 Watt from one of the three phases. To build this generator, you'll need the following parts: * 4 x 1/4-20 bolts (stator/mounting) * 4 x 4-40 screws (rotor) * 12 x ~1/8 diameter bolts (~2 to 3 inches in length) for the stator core * 4 x 1 inch cube N50 or N52 magnets (~10$ each) for the rotor poles * 2 x 1/4 ID inch ball bearings 1/2" OD (Actobotics/Sparkfun) * 6 x 1/4 inch shaft spacers (~6 Actobotics/Sparkfun) * 1 roll of 1/2lb 28 gauge magnet wire * 2 x 1/4 D-shaft 6 to 12" long (Actobotics/Sparkfun) The Rotor: I printed two rotor files, placed the magnets inside, and held them together with a few 4-40 nuts and bolts. The rotor was designed to fit a 1/4 inch Actobotics D-Shaft. I used 1 inch magnets (4 of them) arranged in an alternating N-S pattern. Magnet Link: https://www.amazon.com/Applied-Magnets-Strong-Neodymium-Magnet/dp/B0012DNFP6/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1471988660&sr=8-1&keywords=1+inch+magnet+cube The Stator: The stator is approximately 5.5 inches in diameter, and the bolts holding it together are 1/4-20 x 2.5". For the "Stator core," I used ~1/8" diameter bolts that are 2" long. Screw these bolts into the 12 holes on the side of the stator. To wind the stator, start by wrapping 28 gauge wire around one bolt in a clockwise direction (at 12 o'clock) for approximately 1400 turns. Without cutting the wire, move to the next bolt at a 90-degree angle (3 o'clock) and wrap it in a counter-clockwise direction for another 1400 turns. Repeat this process for the remaining bolts, following the same pattern for each phase. Phase A: 12 o'clock clockwise, 3 o'clock counter-clockwise, 6 o'clock clockwise, and 9 o'clock counter-clockwise Phase B: 11 o'clock counter-clockwise, 2 o'clock clockwise, 5 o'clock counter-clockwise, and 8 o'clock counter-clockwise Phase C: 1 o'clock counter-clockwise, 4 o'clock clockwise, 7 o'clock counter-clockwise, and 10 o'clock clockwise Once you've completed the stator winding, place a shaft collar on the shaft and tighten it down at your desired length. Stack on top of the shaft collar a shaft spacer, a 1/4 bearing, 2 to 3 more shaft spacers, your rotor (which may require pressing or heating), another 2 to 3 shaft spacers, the second bearing, one more spacer, and finally, your hub/shaft collar/sprocket. BOOM...spin and produce electricity! You can wire it in a Delta or Wye configuration. The blades I made for the wind turbine were created using these instructions: http://greenterrafirma.com/making-pvc-wind-turbine-blades.html. Use a hub to mount them, or thread the shaft and use bolts! Although I've only been able to test it briefly, in the back of a pickup truck going 15 mph, it easily produced 20 volts. The output can be increased by creating a complete path for the magnetic flux. I used hobby strips of stainless steel around the outside to create a return path for the flux.