I get a LOT of junk... for free. I want a project! (Newbie saying hello!)

[chrispsiler]

I'm a 26 year old BMET student in Indiana and I get a LOT of scrap from HVAC systems for free. I process coils and copper for a large HVAC business and in return take whatever parts I want. I usually go through 20-30 systems a week. Currently, I sell usable parts online which does support reuse but I want to have a couple of hobby projects too. I get bored! Test. Clean. Sell. Test.....

Any input is appreciated! Maybe someone on here could use some free switches, liquid caps, etc... for projects!

I hate to see anything useful get wasted!

[chrispsiler]

I have a milk crate of ECM motors (4 of them) which may have bad modules but they are brushless DC motors I believe. I was thinking of trying to make a crude DC air powered generator. I have motors, wires, blades, etc...

I built an AC to DC converter using parts I de-soldered from control boards, so a DC to AC setup is a possibility!

[Frank S]

Probably the best way for you to decide on a project if you don't really have anything special in mind , will be to start reading the older threads. if you think of something type it in the search bar in the upper right corner the amount of previous builds here will fill volumes. Additionally if you read them from start to completion you will probably learn more than you ever could at any University lecture hall, or lab
  Your are about to make the transition from having to be told what to do and how to do everything, to actually having to think for your self.
 Dive right in you will also find many on here who possess far more knowledge through many accumulated years of experience than could possibly be put into a text book.
 

[Bruce S]

Welcome to the addiction !!

The ECM motors are a good way to start, hunt down some full wave bridge rectifiers (better yet 3-phase rectifiers ), this will convert the wild AC to DC.
As Frank S said, do some searches, Ghurd did some wind stuff with ECM motors!

Cheers
Bruce S

[OperaHouse]

A friend of mine has a lot of commercial HVAC scrap at his place of work.  Carrier has this AC current sense board that trips at about 2A, it is a sheet metal loop and the coil is printed on the board, pretty useful.  I wish now I had grabbed more of the 6ga crimp terminal blocks for my current project.

[bart]

   At a reasonable price, the ECM motors can be sold for a turbine. They work well. If you get any of the bigger commercial equipment, a lot of the factory shut off switches are also DC rated to 250v.

[Mary B]

I have some stuff on using the ecm motors and a search here will turn up some pics. Wayback machine has more if you dig deep. The ecm motor I have has each phase brought out separate and I rectify each separately. Lets me play with flipping electronic relays to change coil combinations!

[Harold in CR]

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