| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| agrifabs |
Posted - 12/08/2007 : 21:26:40
good evening everyone,
i have just been looking on ebay foe pm motors and i noticed that 'beewind wind generators' are offering a pm alternator for £160, they state that -
These PMAs (Permanent magnet alternators) have been made from remanufactured GM alternators. They each have a very strong neodymium magnet, specially wound stator, new bearings. These are the PMA's that we use in our Beewind wind generator systems and have such wonderful results from.
just wondering if anyone has one of these. how good they are and is it possible for a mechanicaly minded person to convert a normal alternator into one of these? if so - whats required?
chris |
| 15 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| Roadkill |
Posted - 18/08/2008 : 05:17:54
This guy:
http://www.s4wsbox.com/
has a design for a boost converter that can boost the voltage of an alternator at low RPMs to give you a lower cut-in without using the smaller wire that limits your high-wind amperage. |
| windymiller |
Posted - 11/08/2008 : 08:53:32
Hi rlong...welcome to the forum.
Can you tell us which motor you obtained ie 12v or 24v.version.
Also what condition were your batteries in...IE.charged...fully charged !.If they,re nearly fully charged ,and linked up using a controller,then you'll find the amps going in to your batteries will be very low.
The blade setup.
Ive done a bit of reading on TLG site only recently and i personally think they make a good product,so i dont think its the fault of the blades.....(if matched correctly to the generator).
One thing im trying to overcome with this kind of generator is to try and increase the amperage which is reduced by using thinner gauge copper wire in the stator.
Im not sure how the wiring is configured in your wind blue product or what gauge wire theyve used but im guessing its a relatively thinner gauge wire to try and improve the voltage.
Unfortunately,because the stator slot size with the gm unit,you can only squeeze so many windings into the stator slots before they become full.
To get amps you need thicker gauge wire.
more turns of copper wire per slot increases the voltage
Its all a compromise.
From your posting ,it sounds like your located on a good site with useable winds so i wouldnt do away with the turbine just yet...
Cheers WM |
| rlong |
Posted - 11/08/2008 : 02:52:35
i got the windblue low wind generator in july my tower is only 12 feet high but its in a nice big field boastbuster rotor 3 blades at 4.5 foot diameter but so far im not that impressed , even when rotor was spinning quite fast at least 20 mph winds my amp meter only showed 3.5 amps my amp meter could be wrong too , i just hooked up another amp meter to try local airport said 49 mph wind that day thank the Lord for my solar panels |
| shawn |
Posted - 06/07/2008 : 16:37:26
Oh yes!
Says Magnets when it looks singular like magnet |
| gotwind |
Posted - 06/07/2008 : 14:53:18
They are Neo's Shawn
"Super Strong N40 grade Neodymium rare earth magnets are at its core to replace the inefficient electromagnetic field."
http://www.windbluepower.com/Permanent_Magnet_Alternator_Wind_Blue_Motor_Wind_p/dc-512.htm
Ben. |
| shawn |
Posted - 06/07/2008 : 14:26:19
Been looking at the wind blue rotor and I'm guessing its a ceramic magnet in there as opposed to a neo or else why paint it
Also going off the price its too cheap to have a neo of that size.
Anyone know for certain? |
| shawn |
Posted - 06/07/2008 : 11:58:13
Thanks Fungus!
Got a brand new alternator on its way and I'm going to graft that starter motor gearbox onto it giving a 5.5:1 ratio. Then I'm going to construct that self regulating silent VAWT and stick it on my roof
Well that's the plan for today but it keeps changing.
A central drive shaft down through its bottom bearing.
Alternator will sit underneath out of the weather.
So there will be no load on the bearings.
Bit at a time, got to get the alternator working first |
| fungus |
Posted - 06/07/2008 : 10:45:52
shawn: yes; a single large donut magnet in the middle does work for replacing the power needed for the field coil, however this still doesn't take away the requirement for high speed to the generator. One thing many people havent mentioned yet is that the bearings on car alternators are very small, they're only built to take the stress of the pulley/belt and I'd be wary of mounting a full bladeset straight onto them .. therefore it might be better to gear up using a good pulley anyway .. just a thought. Otherwise a rewind of the stator coils would be needed to lower the speed requirements. |
| BushWhacker |
Posted - 06/07/2008 : 02:26:48
Shawn wrote "These types of alternators don't need furling either do they because they are happy to go to 2000 rpm?"
Not meaning to burst your balloon but the problem is the blades at that point. Will they fail at very high RPM? Pending the location of your turbine and the nearest normally habitated space near it, you may have a potentially lethal combination in high winds. Even if no one is around during the blade destruction it can cause significant damage to the rest of your setup due to balance problems causing vibration and worse.
I have read several accounts of well made blades failing at high speeds due to a lack of, or failure of furling devices.
Just something to think about,
BW
Everything should be made as simple as possible, but not one bit simpler. - Albert Einstein |
| Hefhoover |
Posted - 06/07/2008 : 02:06:49
On many vehicles the alternator is mounted close to the front and takes all kinds of crap flying in through the radiator, you just need to have a look at the state of some of them. |
| gotwind |
Posted - 05/07/2008 : 22:21:40
Interesting Myk,
Water (moisture) ingress with any outdoor turbine is difficult to suppress as I understand - internal/external pressure balancing.
All wind turbines suffer the same fate I suspect.
Just makes the task of generating our own energy that little more difficult - and interesting to overcome..
Ben. |
| optixelectrics |
Posted - 05/07/2008 : 22:05:12
Re the furturenergy option. I have the 48V 1KW version of this. the rear bearing gets water in it, then if left, will rust and seize up. Luckily the bearings are standard off the shelf items. When I rebuilt mine, I sealed it properly, and it hasn't been a problem since.
The 1100W units for sale on ebay are old stock, but still better built than the FE unit. Renewable energy as I understand it aren't putting the 1100W in their turbines anymore, only supplying their turbines with the RC2200W version (which is bulletproof, but very expensive at £400 for the PMA, or £1950 for the whole turbine).
Myk |
| shawn |
Posted - 05/07/2008 : 00:10:17
This looks very simple if its true.
One magnet and your done
http://www.fossilfreedom.com/alternator-conversion.html
EDIT:Been studying this and tell me if I'm wrong but its not the magnet seen through the gaps that is creating the fields but the claws are charged N and S because the flat faces of the magnet are charged N and S. SO you want the biggest magnet you can find in there but its not crucial its a dead tight fit on its diameter.
Have I grasped that?
So if you have a press and alternator and £15 for a magnet this is a cheap easy way to go.
These types of alternators don't need furling either do they because they are happy to go to 2000 rpm? |
| BushWhacker |
Posted - 20/08/2007 : 04:37:01
Victor wrote
"Now that we have these two factors sorted the only thing I can think of that could make a problem on a finihed generator is the tangling of the electricity wire.
I think thats one of the things we would all need to try and work on.....
A 360 degree swivel with no wires ever getting tangled."
I have read some post saying that if you use about 30 feet of (pipe if I recall)mast and hang some pretty heavy gage wire down the center, when the wind stops the HAWT will self unwind. If I recall correctly these folks were talking about either 2 or 4 gage cable hanging down the center of a 30 foot mast with an exit hole at or near the bottom.
Hope this helps,
BW
Think about how stupid the average person is; now realize half of them are dumber than that.
- George Carlin |
| BushWhacker |
Posted - 20/08/2007 : 04:29:18
Stumbled on this quite by chance but perhaps it will help...
http://www.windstuffnow.com/main/gm_alt_mod.htm
Cheers!
BW
Think about how stupid the average person is; now realize half of them are dumber than that.
- George Carlin |
