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auto alt conversion--pma.
By hiker, Section Homebrewed Electricity Posted on Sun Apr 4th, 2004 at 11:53:27 PM MST
this works for me--auto alt to pma.--low speed high output

first try at this:
had an old alt laying around with burned out diodes--tore it apart and hacksaw 1/4"
off of the top of each leg on rotor--12 legs on rotor--glued on 12 harddrive mags.
stator had six wires coming out of it--wired to of those togeather'it doubles the voltage output this way--last four wires i hooked up two to fully briged rectifiers.
then hooked those up in sieries--first try it blew out a 3volt bulb turning by hand..
it even blew out a 12 volt headlight when hooked to a electric hand drill--not sure of the amps it puts out but it can power 4 headlights no problem--and still no drag on alt..must be the way i wired the stator by hooking those to wires togeather--hooked the stator coils in sieries ?? last 4 wires used for power output--
so if u have an old alt. laying around --give it a try!! wild@adnmail.com

auto alt conversion--pma. | 18 comments (18 topical, 0 editorial)

Re: auto alt conversion--pma. (none / 0) (#1)
by Simon (simon@guyo-inc.com) on Mon Apr 5th, 2004 at 12:37:35 AM MST
(User Info) http://www.guyo-inc.com/engineering.htm

Hallo Wild,

This is good man!

How did you arrange the magnets on the rotor NSNS? How much voltage do you get by turning with the hand at top speed?

Simon

Re: auto alt conversion--pma. (none / 0) (#2)
by hiker (hiker.wild[at]yahoo[dot]com) on Mon Apr 5th, 2004 at 12:57:02 AM MST
(User Info)

nsns--simon--
plus the amps jumped way up using the harddrive mags-
way past 12volts when spun by hand --no load--
blows away my little pancake mill--
just have to make a blade 4 it now--and see what the wind can do :}
WILD IN ALASKA
[ Parent ]

Re: auto alt conversion--pma. (none / 0) (#3)
by RayW on Mon Apr 5th, 2004 at 05:13:32 AM MST
(User Info)

Hi Hiker;
Did you re-wind the stator??? I have a Delco 100 amp alternator that I am converting and the stator is connected in delta and I am going to reconnect it in star for higher voltage out at low rpm's.
RayW

Re: auto alt conversion--pma. (none / 0) (#4)
by hiker (hiker.wild[at]yahoo[dot]com) on Mon Apr 5th, 2004 at 06:06:31 AM MST
(User Info)

I JUMPED THE TWO HALFS OF THE STATOR --U JUST HALF TO PLAY AROUND WITH YOUR WIRES USING A VOLT METER TO FIND OUT WITCH ONES TO USE-MY SET UP DOUBLED THE VOLTS OUT.
MOST LIKLEY LOST SOME AMPS-- BUT IT PUTS OUT MORE VOLTS AT A SLOWER SPEED--
THOSE HEAD LIGHTS I HAD HOOKED TO IT WERE ONLY 6-8 VOLTS--CAME FROM MY OLD PANEL TRUCK--STILL JUST USING THE STOCK COILS IT DOSENT DO BAD AT ALL--IT WORKS FOR THIS ALT--IT WAS A 75AMP. INTERNAL REG.--DONT KNOW IF THIS SET UP WILL WORK ON OTHER TYPES-JUST TRY IT,,,,,
WILD IN ALASKA
[ Parent ]

Re: auto alt conversion--pma. (none / 0) (#5)
by Budgreen on Mon Apr 5th, 2004 at 06:50:38 AM MST
(User Info)

great! this is exactly what I have planned, right now on hold till i get the machining done. my plan was to use the thinner HDD mags and put them on the rotor the same polarity as it. using the generated power to run the field winding. maybe a usefull experiment for you to try, if you can power the field it might give a little boost in high winds.

Re: auto alt conversion--pma. (none / 0) (#6)
by RobD on Mon Apr 5th, 2004 at 08:31:11 AM MST
(User Info) http://www.dsgnspec.com

Two things.
One, the rear bearing on auto alternators is needle with no radial ability so be careful about how large your blades are.
Second, How did you get the armature to fit in the motor with the magnets on it? Isn't the diameter to large at this point? Did you machine it down first?
RobD

Re: auto alt conversion--pma. (none / 0) (#7)
by hiker (hiker.wild[at]yahoo[dot]com) on Mon Apr 5th, 2004 at 04:20:20 PM MST
(User Info)

hacksawed 1/4"off of each leg on the rotor --12 legs--glued on 12 harddrive mags-
takes a little time with a hacksaw-so turn up the stero and crack open a cold one!!
those headlights i first used were 6-8 volts from my old panel truck not 12v-grabed the wrong box--still works great at slow speed with a batterie powered hand drill
WILD IN ALASKA
[ Parent ]

Re: auto alt conversion--pma. (none / 0) (#8)
by dozer on Mon Apr 5th, 2004 at 06:46:29 PM MST
(User Info)

While the rear needle bearing is nothing to write home about; it's actually -axial- force, i.e. thrust, that it has no capacity for. A needle-bearing IS a radial-load bearing.

I'm still trying to figure out what he was saying about "...connected 2 wires together, which doubled the voltage....hooked outputs to 2 bridges..." <g>

[ Parent ]

Re: auto alt conversion--pma. (none / 0) (#9)
by Bach On on Tue Apr 6th, 2004 at 06:32:49 AM MST
(User Info) change AT: bach_on AT hotmail.com

Hiker,

Sounds like pretty good results, but....

I'm confused. Hard drive magnets usually have their North and South the same side. How did you orient and mount them to get the flux applied optimally towards the coils of the stator?

I'd really like to see a close-up photo of the rotor with the magnets on it. This sounds like a good approach, but the details aren't all that clear to me.

Bach On

- - I'm not superman, but I am very dense! -

Re: auto alt conversion--pma. (none / 0) (#10)
by Jerry on Tue Apr 6th, 2004 at 11:28:27 PM MST
(User Info) http://www.dplusv.com/Photo-03.html

Hi Guys

This is a real bad picture. Sorry bout that? It is an armature from a garbage disposal motor.

I machined a slot into it and glued 1/2"X 1/4"X 1" NEOS. The wight things are plastic spacers.

I used 2 front halfs from 2 GM alts. they acepted the needed 5/8" bearings for the new armature.

I also seperated the 3 phases. I wired a fullwave bridge to each phase then I siries the 3 DC outputs of the bridges. Pics of the 2 sided thing on airheads. JK TAS Jerry

Made about 500 watts top end with 3 of my plastic blades.

Airheads Page

[ Parent ]

Re: auto alt conversion--pma. (none / 0) (#11)
by hiker (hiker.wild[at]yahoo[dot]com) on Wed Apr 7th, 2004 at 02:46:36 AM MST
(User Info)

how to get a clean break on harddive mags....
put half of one side of the magnet in a vise--then grab a hacksaw with a good fine tooth blade--score one side of the magnet with the hacksaw--grab a pair of visegrips and attache to top end of magnet--give a quick jerk--BINGO--nice clean break--
WILD IN ALASKA
[ Parent ]

Re: auto alt conversion--pma. (none / 0) (#12)
by Bach On on Wed Apr 7th, 2004 at 05:09:12 AM MST
(User Info) change AT: bach_on AT hotmail.com

Hiker,

But even if you cut/break the magnets, don't you still have N and S on opposite ends of the magnets? That's been my experience.

Bach On
- - I'm not superman, but I am very dense! -
[ Parent ]

Re: auto alt conversion--pma. (none / 0) (#13)
by hiker (hiker.wild[at]yahoo[dot]com) on Wed Apr 7th, 2004 at 05:12:52 PM MST
(User Info)

bach....
ive been using seagate mags--they have one big mag inside--north south on same face--
they break clean in a vice when scored on one side--then north south is on opposite sides---its worked on every kind of mag this way--some harddrive have 4 little mags-
some have two big mags--its what ever u find !! wild@adnmail.com
WILD IN ALASKA
[ Parent ]

Re: auto alt conversion--pma. (none / 0) (#14)
by nothing to lose (nothingtolose175 at yahoo.com) on Thu Apr 8th, 2004 at 01:03:55 AM MST
(User Info)

How do you get the mags off the steel bracket?

I have some I haven't used yet for anything, still mounted on the steel.
.
nothing to lose

Spelin and tpying are my strong points, not electronics.

Re: auto alt conversion--pma. (none / 0) (#15)
by hiker (hiker.wild[at]yahoo[dot]com) on Thu Apr 8th, 2004 at 02:47:15 AM MST
(User Info)

mount the steel plate part in a vise--not the mag--give a light tap on the mag here and there--most pop right off--some are glued on so hard they break ! again its all what u find out there..
WILD IN ALASKA
[ Parent ]

My way to pop them off.. (none / 0) (#16)
by TomW on Thu Apr 8th, 2004 at 08:00:30 AM MST
(User Info)

guys;

I simply grab the backing plate in the vice on one end and use a pliers, vicegrip or adjustable wrench to twist the backing plate works super and on the 15 or so i did it with I had no breakage although the plating tends to peel off of the glued side of the magnet.

Cheers.

TomW

"Education consists mainly of what we have unlearned."--Mark Twain
[ Parent ]

Re: auto alt conversion--pma. (none / 0) (#17)
by schneids on Mon Apr 12th, 2004 at 01:30:05 AM MST
(User Info)

Wellll, was all set to get an alternator and rip it apart; but, then I got to thinking. I find it hard to believe that the hard drive magnets would have a stronger magnetic field than the electromagnets that are already there for the field windings [although you'd save the power used for the field coils]. I was thinking of using the field coils to add to the magnets - but then thought the field coils would be stronger anyway. Anyone got any comments on this..........???

Also, if the alternator is puting out 3 phase voltage - wiring 2 of the phases in series is NOT going to double the voltage. Any comments on this.......????

Re: auto alt conversion--pma. (none / 0) (#18)
by TomW on Mon Apr 12th, 2004 at 07:41:37 AM MST
(User Info)

schneids;

Awhile back Jerry had suggested [and may be using] a second smaller generator to supply the field current for an auto alternator to eliminate the field current losses. Perhaps a search will kick it up.

Cheers.

TomW

"Education consists mainly of what we have unlearned."--Mark Twain
[ Parent ]

auto alt conversion--pma. | 18 comments (18 topical, 0 editorial)

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